Tori Amos Inspired This Female Empowerment Poetry...Written by a Man
Written: Aug 02 '09
Product Rating:
Pros: * Inspiring message of female empowerment * Beautifully illustrated
Cons: * Sophisticated themes beyond most children's comprehension
The Bottom Line: Beautifully illustrated, this poem celebrates young girls becoming strong and independent women. It would be a unique gift for pregnant moms and likely to captivate older girls.
smiles33's Full Review: Neil Gaiman - Blueberry Girl
I received this illustrated picture book from my sister-in-law as a Mother's Day gift a few months ago. Pregnant with my second daughter, I thought this was such a lovely and fitting tribute, as it's a lengthy "prayer" for a yet-to-be-born baby girl to become a strong and independent girl. Admittedly, I was surprised to learn that it was written by a man, especially when my husband pointed out that Gaiman is a well-known sci-fi and fantasy author. I was even more surprised to learn that this poem was inspired by the author's friendship with noted feminist singer, songwriter, and pianist Tori Amos when she was pregnant with her daughter--something I only discovered after googling Neil Gaiman and finding his Wikipedia entry.
About the Book At its very simplest, this book is a "prayer" that the baby girl grow up to be a "blueberry girl" (i.e., a strong and independent woman). It contains some unorthodox language and wishes, in the sense that this is very much a message of female empowerment and celebrates feminism. Yet the poem also includes some more realistic grounding that includes wishing that the blueberry girl can learn from sorrow ("Her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep..."), so it's not just an idealistic wish for everything to go perfectly in the girl's life.
Gaiman is a talented wordsmith. This is lyrical, yet not sing-songy. Instead, there is a soothing rhythm and a pacing that seems to ebb and flow, yet without bringing to mind a bedtime story, if that makes sense. I highly recommend watching the video clip of him reading the poem with an "animated" version of Vess' illustrations. He has a wonderful speaking voice and it's even better read by him than it is to read it yourself. The clip is on his blog here: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/02/this-is-prayer-for-blueberry-girl.html
For example, I think this refrain captures quite powerfully the overall tone and message of the poem:
"Let her tell stories, and dance in the rain, Somersaults, tumble and run; Her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep, Let her grow like a weed in the sun."
The illustrations are uncommonly beautiful. The warm diffuse colors, the diverse cast of girls, and the whimsical nature of the action (like the scene of the blueberry girl diving in the ocean with a whale or the blueberry girl traipsing along with a group of exotic animals) really offer this poem a unique flavor. Plus, the font of the text looks like it was also hand-drawn. It's very ornate and at first, I found it hard to read. But it, too, offers a different flair to the book beyond your typical typefaces.
In doing a little googling, I see Gaiman has explained on his blog that his good friend Tori Amos had called asking him to write a poem for her yet-to-be-born daughter (who is now his godddaughter). Gaiman wrote this lovely tribute and it was intended to remain a private blessing for Tori's daughter, Tash. One thing led to another and he ended up asking his frequent collaborator Charles Vess to illustrate it, with some proceeds from sales to go toward Tori Amo's charity for survivors of sexual abuse (RAINN).
While the 32 page book is marketed for children ages 4-8 and features a picture book format with beautiful full-page (about 10"x10") illustrations by Charles Vess, this really seems more appropriate for adults. The themes are a bit too sophisticated for the average 4-8 year old. There are references to false friends at age 15 and bad husbands at 30, concepts that will require a level of maturity that's probably beyond most 8 year olds. Yet the message really resonates with mothers and older girls, so I might see this book being a suitable gift for them.
Gaiman also references female "patrons"/goddesses/fates in guiding/helping the girl to be a blueberry girl: "Ladies of light and ladies of darkness and ladies of never-you-mind, this is a prayer for a blueberry girl. First, may you ladies be kind."
And also: "Ladies of grace and ladies of favour and ladies of merciful night, this is a prayer for a blueberry girl. Grant her your clearness of sight."
This is not exactly the kind of traditional messaging you see in most books targeting American children, let alone young girls. Personally, I like the references to female deities/fates. Again, the feminist messaging from a man is refreshing!
About Our Experience Frankly, I didn't even realize this was a children's book until my daughter asked me to read it to her. I had read it and happened to leave it where the cover caught her eye. After reflection, it's obvious to me now that the illustrations and format are typical for children's books, but the poetry and the vocabulary led me to think it was intended to be an illustrated poem for pregnant mothers of girls.
My 3 year old loves the illustrations and often asks the same questions. "Is she a Blueberry girl? Is she one, too? What is she doing? Who are those ladies?" I'd say 75% or more of the message goes over her head, but Vess' illustrations and the lyrical text keeps her captivated nonetheless.
I continue to enjoy reading the book and each time, I marvel at the sophisticated message with its many layers.
Final Thoughts This isn't really your typical children's book, even though it's beautifully illustrated and a large format like other picture books for young toddlers. Still, given my daughter's delight, I think it makes sense to give it to mothers-to-be who share a feminist sensibility.
Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman Illustrated by Charles VessHardcoverThis is a prayer for a blueberry girl . . .A much-loved baby grows into a young woma...More at Diapers.com
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