My Cold Plum Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood

What color is your mood?

On a really good day, Jamie feels purple like the first bite of a juicy cold plum.

And with a crayon in his hand, Jamie eases into a green feeling--like a dragon dancing through a jungle made of green jello.

But when his brothers push him around and make fun of his drawings, Jamie feels like a dark gray storm brewing.

What will it take to put Jamie back in a bright-feeling mood?

Through Jamie, young readers will learn to describe how they’re feeling in a unique way.

My Cold Plum Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood is a 2014 Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book.

Praise for My Cold Plum Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood by Tameka Fryer Brown:

"In a free-wheeling style and going far beyond the usual pairings of colors with moods… a nicely sophisticated exploration.” —Kirkus 

“It’s valuable both for its believable exposition of Jamie's interior world and for its warm portrait of the life of a nonwhite family in which sharing is essential, rules are followed, conflicts are resolved, and meals are enjoyed together.” —Publishers Weekly

"An excellent jumping-off point for discussion—or writing—about readers’ own colorful moods." —BooklistTameka Fryer Brown loves drawing with brand-new, super-sharp crayons like Jamie, and her favorite color is all the colors of the rainbow. Writing stories for kids puts her in a sweet, juicy, peachy kind of mood. Tameka lives with her family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Shane Evans is an artist, author, illustrator, musician, songwriter, and founder of Dream Studio, a community art space in Kansas City, Missouri, where he currently resides with his wife, daughter, and three dogs. In 2012, he became a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner for Underground, published by Roaring Brook Press.