Various shades of blue are part of the life of a boy and his dog as both of them grow and change. Seeger’s masterful acrylic paintings offer a surprise with every single page turn, whether in clever die-cuts or in the paired words that play on the color and concept of “blue.” Every double-page spread suggests its own story as it captures a moment in time, encouraging readers to think about what came before that moment and what will come after. “Maybe blue,” for example, shows a spill of yellow paint on the boy’s mostly blue painting. There is also a book-long narrative that unfolds in the interplay between the boy and his dog over time, from babyhood to adulthood, puppyhood to old age. By story’s end, “blue” has become a mood, as the poignant moment when the boy—now grown—must say goodbye arrives (“So blue”) in a work that is funny and sad, powerful and tender. (Ages 3–7)