The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler from Eerdman's Publishing

Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Hardcover: 42 pages
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 978-0802854889

My thoughts:  The use of a collection of hues and shades of blues by the artist author to create The Blue Hour results in an engaging sensual delight. So many and varied creatures and objects exist that are of blue colorization and yet we miss it in our daily lives. Yes, we delight when we see a Blue Bird or a Blue Jay and we love blue flowers and blue skies, but there is more, so much more.

Isabelle Simler has gathered this variety from across the globe and all climates. And then she has settled them what is known, especially in the photographic world, as "The Blue Hour." Just what is "the blue hour"?

The blue hour (from French l'heure bleue) is the period of twilight early in the dawn each morning and late in the dusk each evening when the sun is at a significant distance below the horizon and the residual, indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue hue. This effect is caused by the relative diffusibility of short blue wavelengths of light versus the longer red wavelengths. During the blue "hour" (typically a period about 40 minutes in length), red light passes straight into space while blue light is scattered in the atmosphere and therefore reaches the earth's surface. Many artists treasure this period because of the quality of the light. (source)

The children's picture book uses limited text with beautiful artistry predominantly in blues with vivid touches of other colors to tell the story of how the world and its creatures settle down for the night and it is such a gentle, sweet story.

Beautiful blue flowers and blue butterflies, moths, insects.

I found the book to be a treasure in that it is a gentle bedtime reading, an artistically beautiful book, educational in global placement of all the creatures, and an introduction into the "blue hour" phenomena. And there is also the two pages at the beginning with circles of named shades and hue of blue with will prove to be a great tool for identifying specific blues. A plus for any library collection which I highly recommend.

This global image shows each of the creatures featured in The Blue Hour and their location.

About the book:  A lovely and tranquil celebration of nature

The sun has set, the day has ended, but the night hasn't quite arrived yet. This magical twilight is known as the blue hour. Everything in nature—sky, water, flowers, birds, foxes—comes together in a symphony of blue to celebrate the merging of night and day.

With its soothing text and radiant artwork, this elegant picture book displays the majesty of nature and reminds readers that beauty is fleeting but also worth savoring.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Eerdmans Publishing to facilitate a review. Opinions are my own and I was not compensated.