From left, Corwin, Caroline and Aubrey Beer were the first family to sign up for the winter reading challenge at the Warsaw Community Public Library. Photo provided by WCPL.

By Amy Mann
Children’s Services, Warsaw Community Public Library

Winter is here, and spring is being coy. Last month’s music has been stored away until the day after Thanksgiving 2023. What comes next? For those cooped up indoors, and for those who wish they were, how about a little introspection? When you’re feeling melancholy, perhaps some blues are in order.

As a musical style, the blues uses microtonal pitch inflections (“blue notes”) and a three-line textual stanza. This secular folk music was created in the early 20th century. African Americans, mainly in the southern U.S., expressed their emotions through the medium. The blues is, in its essence, a vocal form, although accompanied by instruments such as guitars with slides to create a whining, voice-like sound. Blues songs express feelings rather than telling stories. These are generally melancholy songs sharing the sadness of romantic difficulties or hard times and oppression.

Even children get the blues. Warsaw Community Public Library has resources for their young patrons. Besides uplifting and humorous books, they have books that identify with those whose emotions are more somber. The library carries collections of poetry such as “Roots and Blues” by Arnold Adoff. This book from their juvenile non-fiction collection is both chronicle and celebration. It tells the story of the blues while showcasing the people from whom it came. “Muddy,” another non-fiction offering, uses lyrical language to tell the story of Blues legend Muddy Waters. It was written by Michael Mahin and illustrated in bold colors by Evan Turk.

“Yellow Dog Blues,” written by Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated with hand-stitched art by Chris Raschka, follows the “Blues Trail” in the search for a boy’s missing dog. Another picture book, “Baby’s Got the Blues” by Carol Diggory Shields and illustrated by Lauren Tobia, tells a baby’s-view tale of being locked behind bars and having no teeth. It really is a cute book. I think it could be sung. Speaking of singing, “Blake Has the Blues” by Blake Hoena and Luke Flowers is a musical and visual journey with a blubbering blue bloodhound. It’s in the library’s bagged book section, which means you get both a book and a CD for the price of one. That’s free if you have a library card!

Join the fun with WCPL’s winter reading challenge. Visit warsawlibrary.org for more information.