Customer Reviews

Beautiful Blackbird (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Reader from Texas could not be more wrong. This is so far from being a "racist" book that the criticism doesn't even make sense. This is an incredibly beautiful story that, emphatically, CANNOT be reduced to a "skin color" story --- it's a metaphor for any and every sort of difference, and how sharing what we have makes us all more beautiful. This is a very simple yet moving story, and to criticize it because the bird is "only admired for being black" is to miss the point. To quote C.S. Lewis in another context, someone so blind who could read this book as racist "could look all over the sky at high noon on a clear day and not see the sun." Ashley Bryan is a genius, a consummate story-teller --- I have seen him perform many, many times -- and I have never seen anyone better able to bring together, in complete joy, audiences of every color of the rainbow and every age. A beautiful, beautiful book!

I don't get the low ratings for this book. I bought it for my 3.5 year old, and he loves the pictures. The story is great for him, and I wish there were more titles like this. Sure, the book will hit home best if you are an African American family, but all kids can learn from it.

Basically, if you're giving it a low rating, the book either 1.) just wasn't for you, 2.) went over your head, 3.) upset you because you don't agree with the message that "Black is beautiful."

In his illustrations, Ashley Bryan has explored a wide range of media, and in Blackbird he uses paper collage to a magical effect that will no doubt inspire readers to many home craft projects. In addition to his prolific career as a children's book author and illustrator, Bryan is a long standing scholar of African American poetry and African folklore, an emeritus professor of Dartmouth College, and a well-regarded painter. He has also travelled the world as an oral storyteller, book in hand, introducing children world wide to a love for reading and the joy of hearing the story on the page. The message of Blackbird is that all living creatures are beautiful. Though different from one another, children (of all ages) should take pride in their individuality and unique beauty.

No picture book could possibly proclaim that "Black is beautiful" any better than this. A splendid mélange of color and cut outs, "Beautiful Blackbird" is the story of how the birds of the world got their black spots and stripes. It's not too dissimilar from Rudyard Kiplings Just-So story of "How the Leopard Got Its Spots" in this way. When all the multi-colored birds of Africa beg blackbird (the most beautiful of all the birds) to paint some black on them, the able creature readily agrees. Thus, the world today is filled with birds of every shape and color, all touched by black in some way.

No need to go digging for a metaphor here. The chorus sung by the happy aviary ranges from, "Blackbird is the most beautiful one" to "Black is beautiful, uh-huh!". And these birds know how to dance too. Here's a lyric from their party:

"Tip tap toe to the left, spin around,
Toe tap tip to the right, stroke the ground.
Wings flip-flapping as you glide,
Forward and backward in a Show Claws Slide".

As always, I must warn you that if you intend to read this book to children you must have at least one musical or rhythmic bone in your body. This book sports a bouncy catchy beat. To deny it is to deny much of the nature of the book itself. A great resource for those parents that want to make it very clear from the beginning that black is the most beautiful color of them all. It's a color readily shared, though, as Blackbird himself points out, "Just remember, whatever I do, I'll be me and you'll be you".

This book is described as an adaptation of a tale from Smith and Dale: The Ila-speaking Peoples of Northern Rhodesia. (Now Zambia) The Bryan book is at best a loose adaptation of 'How the Ringdove came by its Ring', as set forth by Smith and Dale. The phrase "Black is Beautiful", appearing repeatedly in Beautiful Blackbird, is absent from the original tale. The only reference to 'beauty' is in the question and answer: "--who is the most beautiful? ----Blackbird is the only beautiful one." Then the birds want to be like blackbird. Ringdove petitions "Blackbird, transform me so that we may be alike." The next day Blackbird puts the ring around Ringdove's neck. All the birds want medicine. They agree that if Blackbird will only give them medicine to become black, he may do with them as he pleases. When the birds return the next day Blackbird places curses upon them. "All the birds I condemn because they begged for medicines, saying 'Let us be like blackbird.'; whereas in truth they do not at all resemble me, they do not act as I act nor eat as I eat. To be alike in the fashion of our bodies! No I refuse!"

The Ila are proud and independent people. The very name Baila means 'The Chosen'. The rest of us humans are Bantu bulyo 'merely people'. Their folklore does not require a theme such as "Black is Beautiful". Historically, the Baila did not associate 'black' and 'beautiful'. 'Black' was used metaphorically in a deprecating sense.

Blackbird's condemnation of the others was because they wanted to have the advantage and esteem brought about by his good looks without having his inward character. Had the author chosen to make this important point he could have remained true to the original. Instead, the folktale appears to have been used to advance the theme "Black is beautiful".

When I bought Beautiful Blackbird, I anticipated a story that would capture my heart. I was extremely disappointed. The "black is beautiful and every other color is not" theme comes through loud and clear. Never in the story is the blackbird admired for anything other than his color. Fortunately, he agrees to share it by painting black brew onto the other birds who then celebrate their "black" spots. If it was intended to be a story that brings readers together, it has sadly missed the mark because it reeks of racism.

I was disappointed. The book begins not simply by stating that 'black is beautiful', which would have been fine, but instead it asserts that all the other birds of different colors are not beautiful. I am all for pride in one's appearance, family heritage, etc., but not at the expense of putting down the appearance of others. This book is a good reason why parents should read the books they intend to buy for their children BEFORE they purchase them. Racist and political overtones do not belong in children's literature.

BEWARE...your child may bring this book home from their PUBLIC SCHOOL LIBARY.
The book states it has universal meaning, maybe in its orginal form as stated from a previous reviewer, but Ashley Bryan's adaptation makes it, should I say; "monoversal." The singular theme of this book is envy not pride for what color you are. Ashley Bryan writes in the book the "color on the outside is not what's on the inside." he failed to expound on that theme. This story left me feeling if you ain't black you ain't all that.