Black All Around

PreS-Gr. 2. The glories of the color black are clearly recounted in a pithy verse that stretches the imagination. An African American girl (who looks a lot like a young Oprah) wanders through her world and finds many wonderful things in black: the night sky, the inside of a pocket ("where surprises hide"), beetles, tuxedoes, the letters on the page of a book. And most of all, "Velvet soft / satin sleek. Daddy's arm. / Momma's cheek."Each page brings a bundle of new objects and ideas about the depth and beauty of darkness. The acrylic paintings are fresh and fanciful, full of interesting perspectives: the girl reaches her hand deep into a blue-black lake as fish glide by; she falls asleep in a comfy chair, dreaming of flying off in a rocket ship. The logical question for children alone or in a group: How many things can you think of that are black?

Copyright 2003 Booklist, LLC Used with permission.

The author's rhymes try hard to make black an intriguing, special shade, but it is Tate's vibrant art that pulls the concept together. (Picture book. 3-7)

Copyright 2003 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

Relayed through the perspective of an African-American girl, Hubbell's (Bouncing Time) slim poem celebrates "the wonderful color black." Verse and pictures introduce an array of black items ranging from the tangible ("A big workhorse./ Some cats, of course./ Glossy beetles./ Busy ants./ The clothes men wear to a fancy dance") to the ethereal ("Like the back of a dream of stars and moon/ that floats through your head on an afternoon/ when you take a nap in a big old chair") to the personal ("Velvet soft./ Satin sleek./ Daddy's arm./ Momma's cheek"). The black objects stand out sharply against Tate's (Summer Sun Risin') brassy palette. In addition to the high-voltage colors, Tate also stylizes his perspectives and his figures. Heads are outsize, almost as large as the torsos, and the eyes are so wide apart as to triangulate each face. The artist does a good job varying the settings, supplying both fantasy and homelike backdrops that incorporate the images from the text. The closing pages show the girl cozy in her bed, with many of the aforementioned items wafting through her dreams. Ages 3-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Copyright 2003 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.