Blue Critique

This piece seems to experiment with a maritime version of Red Riding Hood, which I didn't see coming despite the title. I found the opening a little confusing because the first character other than blue mentioned is his grandpa, his mother's father, but the first character to speak is his stepfather. I think a line defining his stepfather's character or relationship with Blue would clear up this confusion. Also, the shack is the first room mentioned, but when he walks into what is designated "the room," which is clearly not the shack, it is unspecified where the room is. I love the shoe-tying rhyme as it really adds to the childishness of the piece. The opening seems a little heavy-handed, but that only adds to the fairytale, meant-for-children feel. The child's past and imagination are fleshed out clearly, quickly, and creatively. The entire red-riding-hood-esque bits seem entirely off-kilter compared to the rest of the piece, creating a jarring feel. The shark shows up abruptly and without much notice, quickly establishing the magical realism, but I would still like to see Blue react rather than just replying (does he even look?), even if it is casually. His shark's suffocation also seems abrupt, so much so that I thought it was faking somehow, as he was above water for a long time beforehand. There is also no mention of the shark or his fate later in the story. I love the detail of his father's shoelaces being untied.