The Blue Velvet Chair
Rio Cortez, illus. by Aaron Marin. S&S/Millner, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66591-259-4
A brown-skinned child describes their view of the ever-changing world throughout this steady work focused on the ephemeral. Every morning, the youth’s first act is to climb into a blue velvet chair in their family’s living room—a chair that also features in nearby photos hinting at the child’s birth and subsequent growth. From the seat, the protagonist peers at the snow-laden world outside a window, which is so cold they can draw in the mist their breath leaves behind. As the child relays various ways of marking time (a clock, measured growth spurts on a wall), they consider the way the chair’s window view reveals seasonal change (“new pink blossoms falling”), fluctuations in weather (how “the wind carries a plastic bag on the air”), and more. Before bedtime, they climb into the chair to view another kind of visible shift: nighttime’s headlights, streetlamps, and a big round moon. Observational text by Cortez (The River Is My Ocean) and stylized art by Marin, using textural primary and secondary hues in his picture book debut, results in a gentle look at constant change narrated from a comfortingly anchored place. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Wendi Gu, GreenburgerKids. Illustrator’s agent: Susan Penny, Bright Agency. (Aug.)
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Reviewed on: 05/15/2025
Genre: Children's