They Say Blue

Name: They Say Blue
Author: Jillian Tamaki

A story that explores wonder and opens a conversation with your child.

★★★★★ Loved by families

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♥ This book teaches: Wonder. staying curious about the world around you.

Before, During & After Reading

Guiding Questions for Parents.

Definition: to be amazed at and/or curious about something that is pleasantly unexpected, beautiful, or mysterious. In short: Curiosity sparks endless discovery. Summary: This book is a creative exploration of the world of color through a child’s joyful experiences of the four seasons. We’re invited to join the author at a beach in summer as she writes about how water looks blue, but when you hold it in your hand, it is clear! A field of grass looks like a golden ocean but there’s no boat light enough to sail on it. In winter everything is white, and sometimes you can’t tell the difference between the land and sky. Every season is special if you look closely enough! Lesson Objectives:

Students become more aware of the seasons, especially how the colors change from one to the next. Of course, not every student lives in a place where there are four seasons, but at least they gain awareness of what it’s like for those who do.

Guiding Questions:

Is the sky always blue where you live? If not, what other colors do you see in the sky?
Do you know why the water in lakes, rivers, and oceans looks blue when the water you drink is clear?
Do you think the person who is telling the story is curious? Do you always wonder about why things are the way they are?
The narrator imagines she is a tree during the summer. What does she do to act like a tree? Can you act like a tree the same way she did in the story?
What does it look like in the winter where she lives? What does winter look like where you live? Is it the same or different?
Do you have black birds where you live? Do you know what they are called?
Is it winter, spring, summer, or fall now where you live? Can you describe what it is like? What colors do you see outside?
Do you have a favorite season? What is it and why do you like it?
Do you ever wonder why there are so many colors in our world? What do you think it would be like if everything was just one color, or no color?
Do you ever wonder what birds are thinking about? What do you think they’re thinking about?

🌿 Virtue Connection: Wonder means staying curious about the world around you.

About the Story.

This guide is part of the Values & Virtues library, a free collection of 400+ book guides and activities organized around 12 core virtues for children from pre-K to 6th grade. Each guide includes Guiding Questions designed to open a real conversation with your child in 10 minutes or less.

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Wonder · Family Discussion Guide

They Say Blue

by Jillian Tamaki

Guiding Questions

Students become more aware of the seasons, especially how the colors change from one to the next. Of course, not every student lives in a place where there are four seasons, but at least they gain awareness of what it’s like for those who do.

Guiding Questions:

Is the sky always blue where you live? If not, what other colors do you see in the sky?
Do you know why the water in lakes, rivers, and oceans looks blue when the water you drink is clear?
Do you think the person who is telling the story is curious? Do you always wonder about why things are the way they are?
The narrator imagines she is a tree during the summer. What does she do to act like a tree? Can you act like a tree the same way she did in the story?
What does it look like in the winter where she lives? What does winter look like where you live? Is it the same or different?
Do you have black birds where you live? Do you know what they are called?
Is it winter, spring, summer, or fall now where you live? Can you describe what it is like? What colors do you see outside?
Do you have a favorite season? What is it and why do you like it?
Do you ever wonder why there are so many colors in our world? What do you think it would be like if everything was just one color, or no color?
Do you ever wonder what birds are thinking about? What do you think they’re thinking about?

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They Say Blue

Guiding Questions for Parents.

About the Story.

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They Say Blue

Guiding Questions