The Blue Day Book: A Lesson in Cheering Yourself Up

by Bradley Trevor Greive

The Blue Day Book is a wonderful collection of amusing, poignant animal photos and inspirational text designed to lift the spirits of anyone who s got the blues. No one who has lips will be able to read it without smiling; it s guaranteed. The fact is, we all have our bad days -- they are an intrinsic part of being human. As prescribed by The Blue Day Book in its delightful photo and text messages, the solution is to see each incident in perspective, recognize that our feelings of failure and loss are not unique, and acknowledge the absurdities of our existence, and glory in the potential we all have. In less than one hundred sentences, The Blue Day Book conveys this message with great compassion and humor. Its vehicle is charming black-and-white photographs of animals that are strangely human and completely free of judgment or pretension. The humble marriage of easy text and beautiful images takes us through the entire evolution of a blue day -- examines what it feels like, what causes it, and how to get over it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Self Help, Inspirational, Picture Books, Animals, Photography

92 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Bradley Trevor Greive (BTG) is one of Australia's most prolific and successful authors. He has written 20 books which have been translated into 27 different languages, and have been sold in 115 different countries. Several of which have appeared in the New York Times bestseller list. Greive's work has won multiple awards worldwide and has sold more than 20 million copies. He lives mostly in Tasmania, Australia.

Greive rose to prominence as an author in 2000 with the release of his hugely successful Blue Day Book, a collection of amusing animal photos and inspirational text designed to "lift the spirits of anyone who has got the blues." Since then he has published in excess of 20 books and has won numerous awards for his work, including the ABA Book of the Year Award (2000), the APA Best Designed Children’s Non-fiction Book Award (2003) and numerous #1 placings in bestseller lists across the world. Greive's work has been published on 6 continents and has sold in excess of 20 million copies to date.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This illustrated edition of The Blue Day Book was a bit of a strange read for me. I have a well-worn copy of the original book that I pull out a couple of times a year (or as needed). Being so familiar with the material, I was excited to read this version, but I don't find this edition to be as universal as the original.



In this version of the book, all of the phrases are the same as the original, but we follow an elephant who is a bit down on his luck and bemoaning his lot in life. Elephant is a musician and things just are not going right for him.



For me the musical aspect didn't resonate, and I prefer the silly antics of the animals in the photos in the original version. That said, I suspect I'm weird and most people will find the elephant endearing. But I also think this will appeal most to those who are a little more musical than I am.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with a DRC of this book.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited about this one for a couple of reasons. Obviously the cover was a big one because it’s gorgeous! I loved the elephant and wanted to give it a massive hug; I couldn’t wait to see the rest of the illustrations. Then there was the fact that ‘The Blue Day Book’ and I have history. After much thought I deleted three rambling paragraphs outlining my history with the original. You’re welcome!

Let’s just say I had high expectations for this new edition and it guts me to say that I’m disappointed. The text from the original book seems to be intact but there are also additions; when I read the original I didn’t think it was broken and I still prefer it. Because I loved the cover illustration of this edition so much I assumed I’d fall in love with every illustration but that wasn’t the case.

I really appreciated the introduction to this illustrated edition. I gained some insight into how ‘The Blue Day Book’ came to be in the first place and learned some of the journey of its creator in the years since its publication. I understood why there was one central elephant rather than a zoo of creatures telling the visual story.

No one is immune from painful life experiences. This book acknowledges those and then makes a point about perspective. The author notes in the introduction “but when I really took stock of my life I realized it actually wasn’t that bad”. While I’m a fan of looking at your circumstances from different perspectives and trying to make the best out of bad situations, there are things in life that really are that bad and all the perspective in the world won’t change that.

Twenty years ago I probably would have flung the original book at anyone who had pretty much any crappy life event but I’d be hesitant to do the same now as I know the impact platitudes can have when you’re not in a good place.

My favourite quote is from the introduction, which reads in part

so often it’s the little things that matter most. It’s the endless little setbacks that finally break us, the fleeting gestures of kindness and moments of levity that lift our spirits, and the small personal victories that spur us on to far greater endeavors.

While I’d happily share the photographs in the original book with kids, I wouldn’t put the illustrated edition in their hands. My sensitivity may be showing here but I really didn’t like the wording and illustrations that accompanied the pages that allude to suicide. I also wasn’t a fan of the drunk elephant with bloodshot eyes that’s trashed the bar and don’t get me started on the “pathetic, sniveling victim” page.

I spent more than half of this book glad I wasn’t reading it when I was having a bad day.

Then when the positivity began to trickle in it started with becoming rich and famous before announcing that “best of all, there’s romance.” Thankfully it moved on to positives I can get behind like getting outside and going for a walk but by then the book had lost me. I really hope I’m an exception and look forward to reading reviews written by people who adore this edition.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 2.5 stars.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blue Day Book was published nineteen years ago and is now being republished with illustrations. While I never heard of the book before, I can readily see how it could easily become a classic that is loved around the world. The text completely and accurately captures the feelings of depression. The elephant’s expressions and situations are a great complement to the words on the page. In the beginning, the book made me feel sad but by the end, I was happy and satisfied. It is amazing how a few words and pictures can make us feel so much — in fact, it is a testament to the author’s skill vis-a-vis the quality of the words chosen and to the power of the pictures to evoke such an emotional response.

The Blue Day Book Illustrated Edition is perfect if you’re feeling down or to give as a gift to someone you know that is going through a rough patch in their life. I guarantee you that you won’t feel down after reading this book!

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photos are adorable and the words are cheering. A quick little read that you can read to children. They may only understand some of it, but they will like the pictures. Mostly, though this book is geared towards adults. You can read it in the time it takes to drink tea/coffee/wine or whatever cheers you up when you’re feeling down. (Chocolate chip ice cream) 🍦

[Sarah Far · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب رو چند سال پیش در نمایشگاه کتاب با عنوان «برای روزایی که دلگیری» گرفتم. عنوان به کتاب خیلی میاد و به نظرم این خودش یه امتیازه! برای هدیه دادن یا آدمهایی که زود به زود دلشون میگیره خیلی خوبه!

[Emily B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet book that I think makes a lovely gift

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a totally sweet little book, subtitled A Lesson in Cheering Yourself Up. The combination of the quirky text and amazing photo illustrations really made me smile. A good read for a blue day.

[Fateme Beygi · Rating 3 out of 5]

ترکیبی جذاب از عکس حیوانات و جمله هایی مرتبط از احوالات متفاوت انسانی به خصوص وقتی که خیلی گرفته است. ترکیب مناسب عکس ها با حالات انقدر بانمک هستن که برای چند دقیقه حال شما رو عوض کنن.

[baharthebookreviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it exactly when I needed it

[aqilahreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

a reimagining of the modern classic "blue day book" - this book includes beautiful illustrations of an elephant whom we join on a deeply emotional life-journey that is familiar to us all & inspirational words by bradley trevor greive.

honestly felt that this would be a great gift to someone who is having a bad day/feeling down lately. would definitely help to make their day a little bit better. :") also with its cute and beautiful illustrations!! 😍😍😍

i really love reading these kind of short-inspirational-with-beautiful-illustrations books once in awhile to boost my mood. i do have my favourite go-to books when im down and some of the books would be by an illustrator/author, yumi sakugawa. even though they are quite similar, felt that this one's a little bit short as it did not leave a huge impact on me as compared to the others that i have read. overall, its still a decent read to make you feel less alone. :)

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is the most condescending self-help book I've ever had the misfortune of picking up. The worst part is the bit about how life is worth living for love. I'm lucky enough to have a partner who truly is my light on those bad days, but I think this book would have made me feel even worse if I didn't.

Also, I don't think that sheep was enjoying herself one bit. It made me feel very uncomfortable.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explain in a visual way the emotional down we all felt from time to time, but also how we can grow out of it by focusing on the beautiful part of our world and daily life. Nothing really new or original here, but I like the way it’s all presented, so it can be use by reader from all age. Kids and adults might both benefit from it. There arts also serve its purpose by really representing the various emotion and feelings. Well done!

[Apatricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quero este livro para mim !!!
É tão querido, motivador e inspiracional! Recomendo para quando estivermos mais em baixo ou só quando quisermos sorrir!

[Amanda Artist Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

It makes me so HAPPY just looking at the cute, sweet pictures!! The words are a perfect blend of beautiful and funny.
A book that will brighten up the darkest days ❤️!!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uplifting black & white images with likewise words of encouragement

[JD Waggy · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know, I never would have thought of myself saying this, but the Internet has overtaken my appreciation for this book.

The main draw of it is that it's a bunch of pictures of animals with apropos captions. But now, with things like I Can Has Cheezburger, I can find that all over the place--and the thing of it is that the captions aren't that great. The photos are, although I would have preferred they shift from greyscale to full color once the mood of the book shifted, but the captions are just sort of...meh. They acknowledge that some days really suck and that's super true and the photos are very well-matched, but then the narrative is "shake it off and find a romantic partner" as if it's that easy.

Now I'm not trying to say this should be some deep and philosophical understanding of the complexities of depression, because I recognize that's not at all what it was marketed to be. I just don't know why there's this sense of "if you can find someone to kiss you everything will be all right," because quite often what pulls you out of a funk is a friend who makes you laugh a lot or the way you remember the feeling of sunlight or something equally as platonic. I'm sure there are plenty of great animal photos for those sorts of things, and really, that would have been a cheerier cheer-you-up book for me.

As it is, I'll stick to making fun of cats in weird situations.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the fact that I didn’t much like this book, I’d still love to read The Blue Day Book for Kids: A Lesson in Cheering Yourself Up, which I’m sure uses many different examples than does this book, but I can’t get hold of a copy.

Gosh, I hate pop psych, but I’m stuck at home feeling ill (just as well since I’m also expecting a UPS package) and wondered if I’d look more favorably on something like this regarding feeling crummy physically. Nope; neither.

Cute animal photos, including a couple disturbing ones; all the photos are black & white.

The narrative is probably okay for someone having a very transient crisis, if they like pop psych type books. Maybe I’d have liked this as a teenager? I did have the poster of the cat with the “Hang in there baby.” caption in my room.

On a positive note: some of the photos and their captions, taken on their own, do a fairly good job of describing certain feelings and situations.

1 ½ stars, which is very low compared to most Goodreads members’ ratings, so ignore my opinion unless you think you might hate pap and pop psych books as much as I do.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book in a waiting room and I LOVED it at first. It acknowledges that we all have bad days and different things trigger them. But the pictures of animals are so funny and fitting that you have to smile a little. I was fully prepared to love this book. And I did - except in the middle. Because according to this book, the reason we can't stay blue is (wait for it.....) ROMANCE! Kisses and snuggles and smooches. Seriously? Not a helpful book for someone who has suffered through bad relationships or lack of relationships. Once we got past those 6-8 pages of sap, it was really good again. But that just completely ruined it for me. Bleh, bleh, bleh.

[MountainAshleah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I normally wouldn't list this type of book as I "read" it in less than 10 minutes, if that, in the library. The beginning of the book is fine, but then it seems to me that the author wrote the short text to coincide with the available animal photos (or so I hope). That would at least explain the "all you need is [romantic] love" resolution along with the Kool Aid that follows. While I normally wouldn't invest much thought in this type of party favor book, I feel very strongly that "self help" books like this do a great disservice to someone who is truly struggling, especially with a broken heart, and picks up this little emotional time bomb. Meh, if you're feeling blue, pass this one by.

[Aldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 20th anniversary edition is a fucking delight. I love the original edition and I do still think the animal photographs go absolutely perfectly with the text, but I was genuinely impressed with this illustrated version that follows its chronically maudlin and anxious protagonist through an entire, cohesive story (complete with mental health issues, existential dread, anxiety about dating, self-worth, making a career as an artist, etc.) while not changing a single word of the original text. It's amazing.

[Ioanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sometimes you have a bad day. It can be a fight with someone you love, or having a hard time at work, or even something as simple as a bad hair day. Whatever it is, there's always a way to get back to the good things in life. And the Blue Day Book shows you just that.

First published nineteen years ago, The Blue Day Book comes back to remind us that everyone can have a bad day. With accompanying, beautiful illustrations, this is a sweet short book for everyone's collection.

[Anne With an E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me by my co-workers when my mom died. I was twenty, trying to finish school, and working three jobs. Things don't get much harder than that. I still pick it up every once in awhile and read it(sad or not) to remind me that things always get better and there are people who care about you. If only takes 5 minutes to read through, the quickest pick-me-up ever!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically a quintessential 90s book. All we have been doing since in self-help circles is rehashing the same stuff. Meanwhile Flickr, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. have all been invented to basically make this book faster and instantly available to friends, frenemies, random people from high school, and internet lurkers.

But seriously, that photo of three zebras "singing"...

[January Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in love with this book! Beautifully illustrated and explains bad days and emotions so very well. I will return to this book time and time again. I wish everyone on the planet would read this book!

[Kym Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, cheery and easy to read little book. Lovely animal photos.

[Peejay(Pamela) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new illustrated 20th anniversary edition. As charming as always.

[Rachel]

Unfortunately this book was blank when I downloaded my copy from Netgalley.

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun and short book. A friend gave my hubby and I several coffee table books for our wedding and this was one of them. We always get a good laugh from the pictures and words. Our kids have loved it over the years too!

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short inspirational picture book with text. Very cute pictures of animals and it does bring a smile to your face. This was given to me by my Mom and it definitely found a place on my bookcase. I would recommend it to everyone who likes animals and needs a little "pick me up".

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet little book! The pictures and words work perfectly together to bring gentle encouragement to a weary soul.