The Blue Roses

by Linda Boyden, Amy Córdova (Illustrator)

Overview

A modern-day Native American girl learns to understand the cycle of life after her grandfather dies.

Every spring Rosalie and her grandfather (Papa) sow tiny seeds that blossom into bright vistas of flowers and vegetables. A red rosebush that is planted under Rosalie's bedroom window when she is born, is later joined by pink and yellow ones "to make a sunset." When Rosalie asks for a blue bush to represent the sky, Papa explains that roses do not come in blue. The winter after Papa dies, Rosalie's blue roses come to her in a dream, symbolizing love, memory, and transcendence.

With gentle words and magical images, this contemporary Native American story tenderly embraces the natural cycle of life. Winner of Lee & Low's first New Voices Award, The Blue Roses is sure to touch all who read it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620140000
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	04/01/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Linda Boyden is of Cherokee and French Canadian ancestry. She is an enrolled member of the United Lumbee Nation. In addition to writing, Boyden works with elementary school children on writing projects and performs as a storyteller specializing in American Indian myths. The Blue Roses is based on a dream she had after her own grandfather died. A native of Massachusetts, Boyden now lives in Pukalani, Hawaii, with her husband. This is her first book. Visit her online at lindaboyden.com.

Amy Córdova is a fine artist who has written and illustrated Abuelita's Heart and has illustrated several other children's books as well. Córdova also works as Art Director of an arts-based cross-curriculum elementary school. Originally from Wisconsin, Córdova now lives in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. The Blue Roses is her first book with Lee & Low.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 3-Since Rosalie's birth, her grandfather has cared for her while her mother works in a fish cannery. Their happiest times are spent in their garden among the flowers. There are several rose bushes of various colors, but the child is disappointed that there aren't any blue ones. When Rosalie is almost 10, her grandfather dies. She and her mother miss him terribly until Rosalie dreams of him in a magnificent garden with blue roses. On her next visit to his grave, she finds the tombstone wreathed with them. The message of death as a part of nature's cycle is somewhat heavy-handed, and the magical ending jars a bit. Trish Cooke's The Grandad Tree (Candlewick, 2000) and Adjoa J. Burrowes's Grandma's Purple Flowers (Lee & Low, 2000) also connect a grandparent's death to the natural world. What sets Boyden's work apart is her depiction of contemporary Native American culture, with Rosalie's family living in a small-town community. Their everyday life and loss connect them to universal experiences of growth and death that cross cultures. Cordova's paintings have a static quality that reinforces the reflective tone of the text. Although not a first purchase, the book would be suitable for one-on-one sharing with children who are mourning a grandparent or other relative.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

When Rosalie is born, her grandfather plants a rose bush in the garden. As she grows, Papa, as she calls him, teaches her to garden, even putting stinky dead fish in the ground to nourish the seeds. The neighbors say Papa has a green thumb, but Rosalie is relieved to see that their thumbs stay brown! But she notices as Papa's cough gets more frequent, his braid grayer, and his face more wrinkled. He has her dig the dead plants under so that they will, like the fish, enrich the ground: in a garden, he says, "Nothing ever really leaves." When her grandfather dies, Rosalie dreams of him in a heavenly garden, where the roses are-not pink, yellow, and red like hers-but blue, like the ones she had begged for as a child. When she and her mother go to tend Papa's grave a year later, she finds the roses planted there are blue, just as in her dream. Newcomer Boyden's prose is filled with color and imagery and impasto acrylics give a wonderful hieratic quality to the pictures. The small house, the well-loved garden, the profusion of roses, and Native American Rosalie and her family are formed of strong geometric shapes and richly colored patterns. A gentle story of family ties, loss, and dreams. (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

"This fine debut is a heartwarming story about a special bond a young Native American girl shares with her grandfather... Youngsters who have lost a loved one or who share a special relationship with an older adult will relate to this touching story, which clearly shows what healthy grieving is like." — Booklist

"What sets Boyden's work apart is her depiction of contemporary Native American culture, with Rosalie's family living in a small-town community. Their everyday life and loss connect them to universal experiences of growth and death that cross cultures. Cordova's paintings have static quality that reinforces the reflective tone of the text. . . the book would be suitable for one-on-one sharing with children who are mourning a grandparent or other relative." — School Library Journal

"A gentle story of family ties, loss and dreams." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher