"The Black Book of Colors" by Menena Cottin, Illustrated by Rosana Faria

Image Courtesy of: http://timeoutnewyorkkids.com/sites/default/files/export_images/49/black.splash.jpg

Bibliographic Citation

Title: The Black Book of Colors

Author: Menena Cottin

Illustrator: Rosana Faria

Year of Publication: 2006

Publisher City: Berkeley

Publisher: Groundwood Books

ISBN: 9780888998736

Author Website: No Author Website

Illustrator Website: No Illustrator Website

Media Used for Artwork: Textured Embossed

Awards

·         Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominees, 2011

·         Booklist Editor's Choice, 2008

·         New York Times Best Illustrated Books, 2008

·         School Library Journal’s Best Books for Children, 2008

·         Prairie Bud Award Nominees, 2011

·         Beehive Award Nominees, 2010

                                                                 

Annotation

A picture book that sets forth to teach the difficultly of explaining color to someone who is blind.  Readers must depend on their touch and listening skills to gain an understanding of what many be taken for granted.

Personal Reaction

                It is interesting that for this picture book a reader doesn’t necessarily have to depend on their eyes.  In fact it is listening and touch that are necessary to appreciate this book.  Hearing how color could be described to a blind person is fascinating.  Any reader could relate to the descriptions being made to describe color.  For example, I completely agreed with when green was described that it “tastes like lemon ice cream and smells like grass that’s just been cut.”  As a group, older readers can give their own examples of colors, through taste and smell.  It would be an interesting exercise that can develop descriptive skills, improving their writing skills.

                The addition of the Braille makes it apparent that people with sight and those who are blind can both enjoy the book.  It would be fascinating if a group of blind and sighted people read this book together and discussed it.  Then both parties would learn two perspectives from the same topic.  This book is a wonderful way to teach tolerance and understanding.

                Feeling the illustrations is very interesting.  Readers can forget how important touch is when they can see the color of the grass and sky.  The illustrations work well with the descriptions of color.  Both Cottin and Faria worked hard to help readers experience what it is like to be blind.  This is truly an amazing story.