My Man Blue

by Nikki Grimes, Jerome Lagarrigue

Blue lost one boy to the streets and is determined that this time will be different. And Damon knows that even though he's the "man of the house," there's room for a friend like Blue in his life. At the end of the day, Damon has someone standing steadfast in his corner. Someone true . . . like Blue. Nikki Grimes's moving poems and Jerome Lagarrigue's bold paintings create an emotional and realistic bond of friendship between a man and a boy in a rough world.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Family, Friendship, African American, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Isabella Aracely · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ My Man Blue” might be a short book, but it sure is great. This book is a poetry book, but it is telling the story of a boy named Damon, and his life with one of his mom’s old friends, Blue. Nikki Grimes,[poet]and Jerome Lagarrigue[illustrator] did a great job with this book. In some parts it get a little sad, but it gets better when you get into the next few pages. Damon really does want to be like blue when he grows up.

[Autumn Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book when I flipped through it. The pictures made the words hard to read, and I thought it was just going to be another collection of poems. I was wrong, though. The poems that Grimes wrote tell a story, a beautiful narrative about a boy that needs a father. He finds that father in a man he never expected - never even knew that he was his mother's old friend.

This shows students the importance of who they are. The boy doesn't change who he is just because he gets bullied and teased. Instead, he knows that his way makes him happy, and that's all that matters. They can tease him all they want, but they're never going to understand his happiness. He doesn't need their acceptance to thrive in life. This is a lesson that should be taught in all classrooms, especially high school. So many students give up the most important pieces of themselves to simply fit in, and that's unacceptable. They need to let their differences shine through, to realize that they truly matter. After they have done that, everything will become easier. This is a great book that teaches a crucial lesson, and I plan to have a copy in my future classroom.

[Nanell Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story of how friendship can help save lives. This colorful and beautiful poem tells the story of Damon and Blue as a friendship blossoms between the two. Damon and his mom have just moved back in town and she introduce him to Blue, whose an old friend of hers. As Blue comes around he begin to teach Damon about life, not in replace of his own father, but as someone who is in his corner when needed. I could tell this book would be good and even pull at me emotionally. The author, Nikki Grimes, knows the exact words to use. While the text itself speaks truth, the illustrations bring to life the words that are on the paper. I love the blending of the colors and shadow work. I believe many kids can relate to the relationship Damon has with Blue. For some kids they don’t have both parents and some have no one, so when someone truly cares enough to be there it makes all the difference in the world. I think I would give this book a 4/5.

[Debbie Hoskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until I married, my son didn't have a constant man in his life. Of course, it wasn't a virgin birth, so he had a biological father. My husband came into my son's life when he was six.
Jerome Lagarrigue's paintings get the emotion JUST RIGHT.
I love the title poem, copyright Nikki Grimes:
"MY MAN BLUE

His leathery skin's
Like indigo ink
This rugged dude
Who some folk think
Looks fierce in clothes
Of midnight black.
Then there's his teeth:
One gold, three cracked.
And I suppose
The shades could go.
He wears them night
And day, I know.
Still underneath
This shell Blue hiides
A harmless
Gentle-giant side."

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a heart rendering story about a young boy and a step father. I love the first poem that depicts the boy puffing out his chest and searching the man with an inquisitive eye to see if he is trustworthy. This reminds me of some children I have met in the past. I would read this to my children or have them read it independently to compare two pieces of poetry or to read for comfort.

[Jennifer Hodel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reflective book about developing unlikely relationships in a rough world. It is about having someone to look up to and know that they care about you, and support you. It is a powerful feeling when you've got someone to turn to during difficult times. A good classroom book that teachers can relate to when developing trusting relationships with their students.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

get this book, leave it around the house or classroom. read it to the kids.
shows how to be friend, how to mentor, what toughness is, how to treat women.

and if you only use this during African American Month you're wasting eleven months of the year.

[TaNera Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book of poetry! There is so much emotion pouring off of every page and you can truly understand exactly the thought process of the little boy in the story. I loved that it is a full story you can follow and understand told in poetry.

[Dylan Lechter · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Man Blue, written by Nikki Grimes with pictures by Jerome Lagarrigue is a picturebook with poems representing a young boy needing a person to be a father figure and someone to be in their corner. This group of poems tells the story of “Damon” eagerly trying to find a father figure. He finds it by a guy named “Blue” who is a father figure to young Damon. They go on all sorts of adventures around the block while blue protects and teaches Damon about the place they are in. How does Damon grow from a little kid with someone protecting him to a teenager with no figures to base his life around? My Man Blue is a quality text. It is a quality picture book because it incorporates real r]life into interesting and intriguing poems on every page of the book. For example, the very first page has a poem that makes me want to figure out who “Blue” is. It made me want to keep reading this book. It also includes mesmerizing pictures that go perfectly with the poems on the pages. There are some problems with this book though. For example, the author hasn’t had any of these experiences and has only heard about them. Though, she does have very deep connections with people that have had these issues like the people who inspired the creation of this picture book. Overall, I enjoyed the story of trying to find father figures when there have been around me, and led me to read other books by Nikki Grimes, like Thanks A Million.

[Rebeca Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Man Blue is the story about an African-American boy named Damon who moves to his mom's old neighborhood. In Nikki Grimes' poems, she has the friendship of Damon and another man known as Blue. They both lost someone they loved so dear, but this builds a connection that strengthens their friendship. At first, Damon isn't sure of what to make of the situation but then discovers Blue's "harmless" nature. Blue strengthens Damon's values and self-confidence to prevent him from the violence out in the streets. Through each poem, they provide a story arc that can stand alone if it may. The poetic language is that of fitting that of small stories instead. In the illustrations, Lagarrique doesn't try to interpret Grimes's works but makes the character Blue approachable. The acrylics used have a rough and smudgy texture for the color sense of the book. The art is seen as an ideal environment to the text of the urban surroundings and somewhat relevant of writing lyrics.

I liked the book on how relevant and relateable it is when it comes to step-parents and their kids. The way Damon feels can create a way for kids to express their feelings, but they can be open to these changes in their lifetimes. From the illustrations and simple poetry, the book is a good way to engage students in the theme of poetry.

[Maggie Rappleyea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is appropriate for 1st grade and up.

This is a collection of poems that tells a story about a young boy and the man who looks out for him. The man teaches him how to deal with anger, and the missing piece in the boy's life since his father left. It explores a story that is very real for many children in this and other countries.

This collection of poems is very moving. It is realistic and raw, and talks about many hard life experiences--such as the boy dealing with a boy getting shot at school. With the climate in this country, it is important to expose these issues; however, these events happen much too often at many inner city schools, and therefore it is much more important and relevant than some people may think.

I would have students write their own poems about someone who has taught them and guided them through hard situations.

[Fin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Man Blue written by Nikki Grimes and pictured by Jerome Lagarrigue is a picture book with a bunch of short stories that tells a big story. The genre is a poetry and is formatted into a different poem for each page that tells a story all together. The basic topic is the story of a man who comes into a little boys life and becomes an important father figure in his life. At first the boy doesn't like this new man with his mom but after awhile they start to bond and hang out together. Are you or someone you know able to relate to this book? It's a great example that even if you are not blood related or come into someones life later on, you can still change and make a positive impact on it. It is quality text that builds off each poem. The poems do a good job at telling their own individual story that all form a bigger story. Some poems can be hard to read because of the color of the text and background on certain pages. I enjoyed the book, it gave me a view on certain situations that happen in real life that I've never experienced.

[Laura Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reaction to this story was in awe: I loved being able to see the images I was reading aloud without looking at the pictures (we read with my professor first). I could not put into words what I was seeing but, it was very descriptive without being descriptive.

The illustrations were like when a person who needs glasses forgot their glasses; they had a bit of a blur to them but were also colorful, and the reader could translate the images the way they wanted to instead of solely on the illustrator's perception.

I would use this in the second and upgrades because it has a great message, it is poetry, and there are students who can connect to this book in reality.

I would use this book in the classroom as one option to grasp how students interpret the reading/comprehension skills and make inferences.

[Mari Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me of Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson. The little boy moves to a new place and meets a man named Blue who becomes a father figure to the little boy. The poems show time passing and lessons learned from Blue. Towards the end, the little boy asks why people shoot to kill. Blue says because of fear and hate. The little boy said he has no hate, but fear is knocking on the door. Despite his surroundings, this little boy strives to be just like Blue.

I would definitely recommend having this book in your classroom. There are so many issues that children may be going through, but not be able to talk about, and this book is relatable. I like the illustrations. They give off a soul-filled mood with all of the desaturated colors and textures.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Man Blue
by Nikki Grimes

A poet looking a the relationship between a young boy and the old family friend that takes him on as a new father figure. From the lessons of life, learning to navigate school yard problems, to learning how to be a man. This is a beautiful edition of pictures and poetic words that lead to understanding the dynamic of relationships between old family friends and children. Although Man Blue is not perfect he attempts to help his young charge to be a better man than himself. Love the poems, and the point of view of the young child understanding this important relationship.

[Josie Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspiring book full of poems describing the unlikely friendship between a grown man and a little boy.
This book is a good read for 4th-5th grade students because it has a good amount of words on each page and is a longer read than other books. I would definitely use this book in my classroom! It touches on the topic of hope, female empowerment, what family is like, friendship, and shootings. I think it's a touching book that each student should read. It also is full of people of color which is a great book to add to my classroom to represent more of my students.

[Ashley Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book is age appropriate for 3-5th graders. It is about a young boy who knows what it means to be a man. The man blue seems to act as a father figure to him, at first he did not trust him but he seemed to warm up to him fairly quickly. I could use this in my classroom for a read aloud to introduce poetry while also showing my children a perspective from a different culture. I do not think anything about this book is harmful. Something that is beneficial about this book is hearing some of the truths about growing up certain color and how you can act in response to that.

[Shamus Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and spreads a great message throughout the whole story. It is about a boy who just moved to a different city after his dad had passed away or had someone been put out of the picture, who meets a nice man that is now a new father figure for the boy and his name is blue. Blue teaches the kid about life and he helps raise him into a great young man. The adjectives in the book could have been more descriptive and the rhyme/flow of the book was overall done very well. The message in the book was great and taught valuable lessons.

[Savannah Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry book was one of a kind. I like how the poems all sort of relate back to the relationship between himself and Blue. My favorite part was when the little boy gave Blue a hard time when they first met and at the end of this book he mentions that he wants to be just like Blue one day. If I were to use this in my classroom I would use it to talk about people and that you should never judge someone before you even meet them.

[Clara Geze]

This book is different poems about a boy who looks up to one of his mom's old friends,Blue, as a role model in his life as he is young. The author tries to get across many ideas, one being the ideas of doing the right thing even if no one else is doing the right thing along with you, it doesn't change how you act. To be used in a classroom to discuss manners and how you are supposed to behave even when others are not behaving.

[Seok Hyeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed about the friendship of a young boy who has no dad and a man who lost his boy. It could be related to the relation of step-father and a kid. In America, broken family is common. The book can be used to cure about it. The poems were in a story form, so I could read and understand it more easily.

[Jade Contreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Man Blue is a collection of poems about a boy growing up in the inner city with his friend Blue who plays a fatherly role in his life. This book teaches many lessons on doing what is right and sticking close to family. This would be great to use in a classroom of second graders when learning about poetry or in order to teach the importance of family and having role models.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poetry and the art make this a must-read. An inter-generational friendship story. Damon has Blue in his corner, someone true and steadfast, leading by example, showing him the ropes, and one time, saving Damon’s skin. The poems are powerful.

“And urges me to loop
my fear like twine
around a branch and use
the rope to climb.
(“Fear’s useless otherwise,”
Blue says to me)”

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a terrific book. The narrative structure of the poems made it a perfect choice for my students to compare/contrast the character traits of the main characters. It is also a strong example of adult role models whom are not necessarily parents.

[Eduardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Well, tough. I'm made this way."

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorites

[Chloe Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

very diverse book, need this in my classroom!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a phenomenal book, I'm rather in awe of how beautiful that was....

[An L. Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book and good for students to learn thru interactive readings.

[Isabella Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very special meaning behind male role models