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Blues Journey
A blues poem offers the history of the African American experience.
44 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2003
2 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Walter Dean Myers
224 books1,198 followerspseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
July 6, 2025
I listened to this as an audiobook. Although the physical copy may be filled with great illustrations, the audiobook is sung. It is wonderful!
The best part of this book is the education it gives readers about what “the blues” is and how this art form came to be.
The best part of this book is the education it gives readers about what “the blues” is and how this art form came to be.
May 9, 2022
I am a huge Walter Dean Myers fan, and I love that this book is a collaboration with his son. Both that fact and the rhythm of many of these blues poems remind me of “Love that Boy.” There’s a mix of truly sad blues and blues that you can smile wryly at. This is a book meant to be savored but I blew through it. I will revisit it many times, I’m sure.
June 28, 2022
Wonderful, lyrical picture book about the uniquely American musical form known as the blues. This book contains so much! The introduction is a fascinating history of the blues, and the final section contains a timeline & glossary. The story itself is beautifully rendered and illustrated.
Pairs well with listening to BB King & Billie Holiday :)
Pairs well with listening to BB King & Billie Holiday :)
January 17, 2019
GoodRead
February 18, 2017
The blue watercolor is stunning.
November 14, 2009
Walter Dean Myers pays homage to the blues in this comforting picture book, illutrated by his son, Christopher Myers. It begins with an informational page (on a blue background) explaining the history and development of the blues. The poetry follows the blues form, AAB, and touches upon universal themes as well as elements in the struggles of African-Americans. I found that a few of the blue-toned portraits created a bit of racial ambiguity, maybe the way the blues connects all of our sorrows, regardless of race. A note on the artwork on the copyright page explains that the artwork was done with blue ink, white paint, and brown paper bags, which is amazing. I found the illustrations richly varied and compelling. I was wowed by the fact that only three materials were used. This book includes references to some hardships that make it best for ages 10 and up. It's a perfect book to use in music studies of the blues. A glossary at the end helps decode some of the references common to blues lyrics.
February 17, 2019
The Myers family does it again! Walter Dean Myers does an incredible job of creating a collection of poetry based on the blues, and Christopher Myers likewise does an amazing job with illustrating them. Rich with history and slang, this is a must have for the music-lover! Turn on some Muddy Waters and get cracking on this one. It's filled with resources and a glossary, so it's sure to be both entertaining and educational!
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
March 26, 2022
This book explains where the blues come from and the connection to music from Africa. It has many single verse blues poems. There is a recording of the book on EPIC books and it sets each poem to music. It is long book for a single sitting. However, this book works well with an American History through music unit. In the future, using this book, I would have the students write their own single verse blues poem. This is a great spring board to teaching about Jazz greats!
February 7, 2022
it was pretty good - i liked the foreword and the glossary and timeline at the end. i loved that it was actually written in the call and response form described in the foreword. sort of amorphous, idk if there was a story i was meant to be following, but i enjoyed it nonetheless. a little dark for a kids book
January 31, 2018
Very educational.
March 14, 2018
I would use this as a mentor text when learning a about the civil rights.
April 13, 2019
Great introduction to the Blues! Myers is a fantastic communicator. (And Allen's reading is amazing!)
April 24, 2019
Loved the poetry and the beautiful pictures that went along with it.
April 30, 2019
Short, sweet, and beautiful! Highly recommended as an audiobook because the narrator sings as well.
July 2, 2019
Audio version. Fantastic.
February 25, 2020
Easy intro to the feel and sound of Blues
October 13, 2020
A tribute to the poetry of the blues-a melding of call and response singing form and the pentatonic scale.
June 8, 2022
Blue … sad, vibrant, uplifting …all in one book. Great “blues” glossary at the end.
Father and son collaboration done.
Father and son collaboration done.
Read
March 14, 2018Collection of poems that transmites to the older readers the African experience in America through blues. Very expressive illustrations that will catch the eye of the reader.
December 3, 2018
11/28
Fiction
4th-6th
This book reminded me of blues-y lyrics. I could feel the power and emotion behind each sentence. I love the blues so this book was perfect for me. Loved the illustrations as well.
Fiction
4th-6th
This book reminded me of blues-y lyrics. I could feel the power and emotion behind each sentence. I love the blues so this book was perfect for me. Loved the illustrations as well.
April 21, 2013
Myers, W. D. (2003). Blues Journey. New York: Holiday House.
Blues Journey by Walter Dean Myers is a poetry picture book about the blues and how it relates to African American culture. The book starts by describing the origin of the blues, its history, and how it has changed over the decades. Also, this book has the text features of a timeline, which highlights major events in blues history, and a glossary of different words used specifically in the blues. Both of these text features can help readers to better understand the blues, which is a musical and cultural topic that many young students may not be very familiar with.
This book talks about what the blues means, where it can take you, what it can make you feel, and how it affects different people. Specifically, the reader is able to hear about the blues from the viewpoints of various people of different ages. Because this book is written in the form of poetry, the text has a musical feeling that mirrors the rhythm of the blues. Also, the book has a sad, somber feeling, which also helps to express the true meaning of the blues.
Without a doubt, I would recommend this book for anyone who likes the blues or for young students who are learning about African American history. This book is very rich, both in terms of musical language and culture. Also, it is full of expressive language that creates vivid feelings for the reader. For example, the lines, “I know you don’t want me, you cast my love out to the sea…I said I know you don’t want me, there goes my love out to the sea…I’m fishing for affection, hope your heart comes in to me,” really makes one feel the character’s need for acceptance and someone to be close to. This is a feeling that many people have probably related to at some point in their life.
As well, the rhyming effect of the words help to recreate the musical feeling of the blues, which would be helpful for younger students who might have never heard of the blues before. Lastly, the pictures in this book are very detailed and interesting to look at. The book mostly uses shades of blue, white, black, and brown for the illustrations, which further emphasizes the feeling of the blues as being dark and sad.
In conclusion, Blues Journey would be a great book to introduce younger students about the blues. The text and illustrations really give the reader a feeling of what the blues truly means. All in all, Walter Dean Myers did a great job of using poetry and illustration to take the reader on a journey of how the blues has touched the lives of different African Americans.
Blues Journey by Walter Dean Myers is a poetry picture book about the blues and how it relates to African American culture. The book starts by describing the origin of the blues, its history, and how it has changed over the decades. Also, this book has the text features of a timeline, which highlights major events in blues history, and a glossary of different words used specifically in the blues. Both of these text features can help readers to better understand the blues, which is a musical and cultural topic that many young students may not be very familiar with.
This book talks about what the blues means, where it can take you, what it can make you feel, and how it affects different people. Specifically, the reader is able to hear about the blues from the viewpoints of various people of different ages. Because this book is written in the form of poetry, the text has a musical feeling that mirrors the rhythm of the blues. Also, the book has a sad, somber feeling, which also helps to express the true meaning of the blues.
Without a doubt, I would recommend this book for anyone who likes the blues or for young students who are learning about African American history. This book is very rich, both in terms of musical language and culture. Also, it is full of expressive language that creates vivid feelings for the reader. For example, the lines, “I know you don’t want me, you cast my love out to the sea…I said I know you don’t want me, there goes my love out to the sea…I’m fishing for affection, hope your heart comes in to me,” really makes one feel the character’s need for acceptance and someone to be close to. This is a feeling that many people have probably related to at some point in their life.
As well, the rhyming effect of the words help to recreate the musical feeling of the blues, which would be helpful for younger students who might have never heard of the blues before. Lastly, the pictures in this book are very detailed and interesting to look at. The book mostly uses shades of blue, white, black, and brown for the illustrations, which further emphasizes the feeling of the blues as being dark and sad.
In conclusion, Blues Journey would be a great book to introduce younger students about the blues. The text and illustrations really give the reader a feeling of what the blues truly means. All in all, Walter Dean Myers did a great job of using poetry and illustration to take the reader on a journey of how the blues has touched the lives of different African Americans.
October 8, 2012
1. I would classify this book as poetry.
2. This is a book about African American blues written in poetry form.
3. (A.)- I thought that this book was a very accurate book of poetry. It was very easy to read and I think children would really enjoy it. It takes the blues and puts into poetry which makes the reader better understand what the blues means to African American Culture.
(B.) This book is a very appropriate book of poetry for students to read. It is very easy to read and it is easy to understand what the author is trying to explain. Its subject matter might be new to some children but it is written where students can understand what is going on and they can learn from it. The author uses awesome language throughout the book. This book should be read aloud because the words would roll off your tongue so beautifully.
(C.) I really liked how this book uses it word choice to help you understand what’s going on. My favorite part of this book is when it talks about being half scared of dying and half scared of being strong and thats why the character stays up too long. I love that. I loved the way the author wrote it because it made great sense to me. I think children would also make sense of what the author was trying to explain.
4. I loved this book, and I really want to read it to my future students someday. I think it would be a great book to read to students to explain African American culture. I also think it shows poetry in a different way and I think students would really like it. This is a must read book when I become a teacher.
2. This is a book about African American blues written in poetry form.
3. (A.)- I thought that this book was a very accurate book of poetry. It was very easy to read and I think children would really enjoy it. It takes the blues and puts into poetry which makes the reader better understand what the blues means to African American Culture.
(B.) This book is a very appropriate book of poetry for students to read. It is very easy to read and it is easy to understand what the author is trying to explain. Its subject matter might be new to some children but it is written where students can understand what is going on and they can learn from it. The author uses awesome language throughout the book. This book should be read aloud because the words would roll off your tongue so beautifully.
(C.) I really liked how this book uses it word choice to help you understand what’s going on. My favorite part of this book is when it talks about being half scared of dying and half scared of being strong and thats why the character stays up too long. I love that. I loved the way the author wrote it because it made great sense to me. I think children would also make sense of what the author was trying to explain.
4. I loved this book, and I really want to read it to my future students someday. I think it would be a great book to read to students to explain African American culture. I also think it shows poetry in a different way and I think students would really like it. This is a must read book when I become a teacher.
November 13, 2009
Summary-
Blues Journey is a picture book intended for older readers because the content included is somewhat mature and takes a relative amount of background knowledge to truly understand. Walter Dean Myers included a glossary at the end of the book to also help in understanding some of the terms included in the story. There is minimal text on every page, but don't let that fool you, this book is powerful and thought-provoking. Myers writes of how creating the blues does not happen overnight, it's rather a journey. He follows lives of individual people so that the reader can understand where inspiration for the blues comes from through his poetry. The lines contain rhythm and beat much like the blues should. The illustrations, which were done by Walter Dean Myers son, brilliantly complement each page as they capture the deep emotions that come with the blues. Most of the illustrations include the color blue with hints of brown and white in them. This is a wonderful book to use to talk about the role the blues plays in our music history and to understand why African Americans began to sing the blues in the first place.
Blues Journey is a picture book intended for older readers because the content included is somewhat mature and takes a relative amount of background knowledge to truly understand. Walter Dean Myers included a glossary at the end of the book to also help in understanding some of the terms included in the story. There is minimal text on every page, but don't let that fool you, this book is powerful and thought-provoking. Myers writes of how creating the blues does not happen overnight, it's rather a journey. He follows lives of individual people so that the reader can understand where inspiration for the blues comes from through his poetry. The lines contain rhythm and beat much like the blues should. The illustrations, which were done by Walter Dean Myers son, brilliantly complement each page as they capture the deep emotions that come with the blues. Most of the illustrations include the color blue with hints of brown and white in them. This is a wonderful book to use to talk about the role the blues plays in our music history and to understand why African Americans began to sing the blues in the first place.
December 17, 2012
This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of the blues through text that reads like a blues' song combined with gorgeous illustrations that are striking and powerful. Each page tells a different part of the story of the blues and how it reflects African-American culture. In the beginning of the book is a small essay about the history of the blues and at the end is a timeline that reflects the pages and a glossary of the language used.
In terms of what ages this book would be appropriate for, it actually covers quite a range due to the difficult subject matter that's touched on. A second or third grader might just enjoy the music of the text and knowing some of the easier history of the blues while a fourth or fifth grader or even older would be able to use this book as a gateway to understanding the more difficult history that is part of the story of African-Americans and their music.
In terms of what ages this book would be appropriate for, it actually covers quite a range due to the difficult subject matter that's touched on. A second or third grader might just enjoy the music of the text and knowing some of the easier history of the blues while a fourth or fifth grader or even older would be able to use this book as a gateway to understanding the more difficult history that is part of the story of African-Americans and their music.
September 8, 2020
The words of author Walter Dean Myers and the deep, meaningful drawings of his son Christopher collaborate very well to bring out the feel of authentic blues music in this book. For a real blues artist or connoisseur, blues is about taking the parts of life whether they're good or bad, and just laying it out there in the music the way it really is. That's the mood of this entire book, maintained well from start to finish.
Walter Dean Myers includes some very informative notes at the beginning and end of Blues Journey about the history and methodology of blues music. It's interesting to see how blues is a style that formed from the merge of African and European cultures in America, and how that mix ended up as a new kind of music that all sorts of people can understand and feel. I think that I would give one and a half stars to this book.
Walter Dean Myers includes some very informative notes at the beginning and end of Blues Journey about the history and methodology of blues music. It's interesting to see how blues is a style that formed from the merge of African and European cultures in America, and how that mix ended up as a new kind of music that all sorts of people can understand and feel. I think that I would give one and a half stars to this book.
June 23, 2013
Blues Journey is a visually haunting trip through the evolution of the African American experience. The text or chorus, written in the form of 'call and response' provides the thread that connects the story from page to page. The dramatic illustrations by Christopher Myers, are dominated by a logical palette of blue, white, gold and brown and appear at times to have almost a photographic quality. This is a beautiful book that recounts a sad story, but one that is worth telling. Age 8-12 and 13 plus. Review from Booklist: http://web.ebscohost.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfvi...
April 29, 2014
I liked this book for it's writing and illustrations. I liked how the author repeated certain lines in his poem. For example, one stanza is "Blues, won't you free me,/let all this suffering cease?/Said blues, wont you free me,/let all this suffering cease?" The repetition of the line expresses the passion and desperation of the speaker. I also thought the illustrations were amazing. The only colors used were white, brown, black, and blue. The blending of the colors enhanced the mood for the poem, in my opinion. The main idea of this story is to explain to readers the importance of the blues in the African American culture and to explain how music and arts can impact lives. I personally think this book is too text heavy for young students to the strong use of vocabulary, and literary devices.
April 16, 2018
Intended to be both introduction to and celebration of the blues as lyrical expression, Blues Journey succeeds in providing exposure to the key elements of the form. The accompanying illustrations carry the mournful tones further by tinting the characters only in shades of blues and browns. The repetition and rhythm which are characteristic of blues are exemplified well, and the inclusion of both introduction and glossary identify symbols and themes that might be overlooked or misunderstood. However, the book as a whole seems to lack the heart or feeling that one would expect in a celebration of the blues. The text seems dry and plodding, not musical, and that itself seems worthy of lament.
December 7, 2012
Blues Journey briefly explores the blues. The book is a journey, and the verses and images progress forward through the timeline of the blues. It is from the end of slavery through the beginning of the civil rights movement. The pictures also show the gradual movement from country to city, the black migration from South to North. The blues timeline is printed at the end of the book, along with a glossary of symbolic terms used in blues lyrics. Which is very useful for students to have. I also has a history and meaning of the blues.I really enjoy this book and I think it's great to have in classrooms for students.
March 10, 2013
This is a book of poetry that tells about African American struggles through the years. It uses many words that are common in American culture, but is used differently in the African American culture. It has a glossary at the end to tell you how the words are impacted by the culture.
I would use this in a History class or English. While the poetry is easy to read, the meaning behind the lines would be lost on anyone under the 9th grade level. The poetry in this book, can be difficult to dissect, and I would use it for higher level learners.
I would use this in a History class or English. While the poetry is easy to read, the meaning behind the lines would be lost on anyone under the 9th grade level. The poetry in this book, can be difficult to dissect, and I would use it for higher level learners.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews