Black is a Rainbow Color
This book tells almost a child reflects on the meaning of being Dark in this moving and capable song of devotion around an individual, a culture, a history, and a bequest that lives on.[1]
Plot
A young black child ponders the colors in the rainbow and a crayon box and realizes that while black is not a color in the rainbow, black culture is a rainbow of its own. There's , be that as it may, dark in a colored pencil box, dark in nature (“a quill in snow”), and dark in fun (“the bottoms of mid year feet”). And the dark of Dark culture is wealthy in fact, as the succeeding pages appear. The rhyming text uses familiar symbols and motifs (black-eyed peas, a cooking skillet “for bread to fry,” blues music) as well as allusions to specific examples of African American art, music, poetry, and literature (“Black are the birds in cages that sing”) to create a mosaic of a community and culture that survives and thrives. Holmes’s illustrations use heavy lines and strong colors with soft touches of collage detail to represent everyday children as well as the iconic figures referenced in the text. Details in the back matter increase the book’s value: there’s a playlist; an explication of selected phrases (“Robe on Thurgood’s Back”; “Dreams and Raisins”); several poems by Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar; “A Timeline of Black Ethnonyms in America” (from Negro to black to Black); and a bibliography (for adults). A treasure trove of positivity, strength, and pride for anyone seeking to uplift and educate adolescent. [2] In bright paints and collage, Holmes appears the rainbow of dark skin tones on each page whereas Joy’s content portrays what “Black is” physically and socially. It ranges from the concrete, such as “the braids in my best friend’s hair,” to the conceptual: “Black is soft-singing, ‘Hush now, don’t explain’ ”—a reference to the song “Don’t Explain” made popular by Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, the former depicted in full song with her signature camellia and the latter at her piano. Joy alludes throughout the brief text to poetry, music, figures, and events in black history, and several pages of backmatter supply the necessary context for caregivers who need a little extra help explaining them to listeners. Additionally, there is a playlist of songs to accompany reading as well as three poems: “Harlem,” by Langston Hughes, and “We Wear the Mask” and “Sympathy,” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The author also includes a historical timeline explaining some of the names that have been used to describe and label black people in the United States since 1619. [3]
Why The Book Is Worth Reading
“Both a beautiful celebration of black culture and an excellent first black history book for young children.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“A treasure trove of positivity, strength, and pride for anyone seeking to uplift and educate young people.” — Horn Book, starred review