The Blue Velvet Chair combines eloquent language with cozy illustrations to deftly convey a child's view of the world outside their window, perceived from the comfort of a favorite chair.
When a Black child wakes in the morning, the first thing they do is "streeeeetch [their] arms up beside [their] ears and climb the blue velvet chair" located by a window in the living room. Today, it's winter in the city, and the child sees white snow, brown branches, and their own "tiny cloud" of breath on glass. Sometimes it's spring and "the roof across the street is wet with rain." Sometimes a "black cat licks its paws"; other times, people are dancing. When the glass is warm, "that's summer." In autumn, the trees in the garden "turn orange and yellow and make crunchy piles," but the "roof across the street is quiet." As day winds down, the child stretches their arms up beside their ears and imagines "all the little ways the world might change tomorrow."
Poet and picture book author Rio Cortez (Golden Ax; The ABCs of Women's History) writes a flowing text that is a pleasing tumble of child-friendly musings. Sensory descriptions emphasizing the variable nature of the outside world tenderly express the message that time is always changing, and so are we. In Aaron Marin's sophomore work of picture book illustration (Amoya Blackwood Is Brave) he uses fully saturated colors with few outlines to highlight the warmth of the home and the closeness of its family. The Blue Velvet Chair offers an excellent excuse to snuggle up with a loved one for storytime or some world-watching. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author