Neil was asked to write a poem for a friend who was having a little girl, nicknamed Blueberry, when she was was just a bump, a due date. So he did.
When she was born, they pinned up the handwritten Blueberry Girl poem beside her bed. Neil himself kept a copy at his house, taping it to a filing cabinet. When friends happened to read it, they said things like "Please, can I have a copy for my friend who is going to be giving birth to a daughter?" and so he wound up copying it out for people, over and over.
Neil said it was never meant to be a book. It was private and for one person, but when he showed it to Charles Vess, who he collaborated with on Stardust, it suddenly became simple. It was an organic process.
Blueberry Girl is a beautiful prayer. Wishes from a mother to an unborn child. It is everything you would wish for the people you love. Absolutely moving. As I said, Neil is a superhero of the word world. Simple. Perfect.
After reading Blueberry Girl, I wondered why I hadn't read it sooner. I have so many girlfriends having babies who would adore these words. Who would read these words with one word in their own mind. Yes.
Share this book with anyone you know who is having a little girl, has a little girl or is a little girl.
Title: Blueberry Girl
Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Charles Vess
Publisher: Bloomsbury, $15.99 RRP
Publication Date: March 2010
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780747595984
For ages: 5-7
Type: Picture Book
