Download high-resolution image
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00

A Blue Kind of Day

Illustrated by Tori-Jay Mordey
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00
A moving picture book debut about depression, sensory awareness, and the power of listening, from psychologist and author of Teaching Kids to be Kind.

Coen is having a sniffling, sighing, sobbing kind of day.

His family thinks they know how to cheer him up. His dad wants to go outside and play, Mom tells her funniest joke, and his little sister shares her favorite teddy. Nothing helps. But one by one, they get quiet and begin to listen. After some time, space, and reassurance, Coen is able to show them what he needs.

With poignant text and stunning illustrations, A Blue Kind of Day explores how depression might feel in the body and shows us how to support the people we love with patience, care, and empathy.
Rachel Tomlinson is the author of Teaching Kids to Be Kind (Skyhorse) and is a registered psychologist who has worked with adults, families, and children in a variety of settings. She has presented at national conferences on mental health topics including trauma and play therapy. She also serves as a subject-matter expert for journalists on topics such as parenting, child development, and relationships.

Tori-Jay Mordey is an Indigenous Australian illustrator whose work traverses multiple mediums, such as digital illustration, drawing, painting, printmaking, film and murals. Her Torres Strait Islander and English heritage is often reflected in her contemporary Indigenous art practice— producing work based around her family and siblings as a way of understanding herself, her appearance and racial identity.
PRAISE FOR A BLUE KIND OF DAY

USBBY 2023 Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2022
A Kirkus Best Book of 2022

An Evanston Public Library Best Book of 2022

* "A loving tribute to the power of loved ones’ support during trying times." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review 

“Children may appreciate the understanding, validating approach to the topic, including the reassuring reminder that “blue feelings” can change." --Booklist

About

A moving picture book debut about depression, sensory awareness, and the power of listening, from psychologist and author of Teaching Kids to be Kind.

Coen is having a sniffling, sighing, sobbing kind of day.

His family thinks they know how to cheer him up. His dad wants to go outside and play, Mom tells her funniest joke, and his little sister shares her favorite teddy. Nothing helps. But one by one, they get quiet and begin to listen. After some time, space, and reassurance, Coen is able to show them what he needs.

With poignant text and stunning illustrations, A Blue Kind of Day explores how depression might feel in the body and shows us how to support the people we love with patience, care, and empathy.

Author

Rachel Tomlinson is the author of Teaching Kids to Be Kind (Skyhorse) and is a registered psychologist who has worked with adults, families, and children in a variety of settings. She has presented at national conferences on mental health topics including trauma and play therapy. She also serves as a subject-matter expert for journalists on topics such as parenting, child development, and relationships.

Tori-Jay Mordey is an Indigenous Australian illustrator whose work traverses multiple mediums, such as digital illustration, drawing, painting, printmaking, film and murals. Her Torres Strait Islander and English heritage is often reflected in her contemporary Indigenous art practice— producing work based around her family and siblings as a way of understanding herself, her appearance and racial identity.

Praise

PRAISE FOR A BLUE KIND OF DAY

USBBY 2023 Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2022
A Kirkus Best Book of 2022

An Evanston Public Library Best Book of 2022

* "A loving tribute to the power of loved ones’ support during trying times." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review 

“Children may appreciate the understanding, validating approach to the topic, including the reassuring reminder that “blue feelings” can change." --Booklist

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more