Black on White [Board book]

Tana Hoban (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 1993 | Grade Level: P and up

Share these familiar
shapes with your baby.

It is never too early
to look and talk
together!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tana Hoban has created an elegant solution for those who want to initiate children into the infinite wonders of reading. This picture book compels parents to talk to their babies as they share the wordless pages with their little ones. Black illustrations on a white background provide high contrast for infants' underdeveloped eyes. Soothingly familiar, silhouetted shapes--a leaf, a key ring, a bib, an elephant--will be recognized by the very young, and through these simple pictures, aspiring readers will begin to identify the link between the objects they see and the words their caregivers say. Hoban, beloved author of many childhood favorites, including Black on White's companion piece, White on Black, as well as Is It Red? Is It Yellow? Is It Blue? and What Is It?, has struck gold again--black gold, that is. It's the perfect baby gift! (Baby to Preschool) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Guided by the same precepts as those inspiring Dick Witt's Let's Look at Animals and Let's Look at My World (see review above), Hoban creates two stylish board books using only black and white. One volume drops out clearly recognizable shapes from black ground (a sailboat, a bird, a flower and so forth appear in white); the other sets black objects against white ground. The black in both books is shiny enough to reflect images on facing pages. White on Black may be more dramatic, but Black on White is more varied, alternating solid shapes (leaf, fork and spoon) with patterned or stencil-like images (butterfly, spectacles). Hoban's compositions are so supple and her layouts so well balanced that she casts a kind of spell; it's as if the color and black-and-white segments of the Wizard of Oz were reversed, with the ordinary seeming somehow magical. Ages 6 mos.-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Board book: 12 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (May 27, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688119182
• ISBN-13: 978-0688119188
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Baby-3 > Basic Concepts > Size & Shape
  • #66 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Baby-3 > Basic Concepts > General

More About the Author

Tana Hoban's photographs have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and in galleries around the world. She has won many gold medals and prizes for her work as a photographer and filmmaker. Her books for children are known and loved throughout the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hit for the Very Young, June 20, 2000

By 

Amy (Alexandria, Vatican City State (Holy See)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black on White (Board book)

I bought this book for my son for his one-month birthday. Almost immediately he gravitated to the Black silhouettes of familiar objects on a white background. He loved it--and it held up well to his teething.

Only one down side: After only a few short months his interest in this book has waned whereas his interest in other, more colorful books has picked up. For that reason I would suggest buying this book as a shower gift or for an infant under six months old.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect first book for infants., July 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Black on White (Board book)

Since infants are more aware of contrast than color in the beginning, I 'read' this book with my daughter from the time she was four months old through about her first year. Cover to cover, I read the words (title and book description, which almost hypnotically became part of the experience!) and described the pictures, sometimes tracing them with a finger. Our interaction with the small book was cuddly and verbal, as the images served as guides. She had her favorites, and the book is well-worn, chewed in places. It was a daily gentle activity, holding her interest, obviously delighting and stimulating, and paved the way for more and more books. Personally I prefer it to the White on Black, and always give it as part of a gift packet to friends with a new baby in their lives.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best first book, January 8, 2000

By 

"sbgantz" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black on White (Board book)

I bought this book on Amazon 18 months ago for my newborn nephew. He had other books, but for months this was the only book that interested him. I remember sitting with him and holding the pictures in front of him while he stared at them. Later, he learned how to turn the pages. Now, he uses it less, but is starting to learn the names of some of the pictures. As with the other reviewers, I have also given this as a gift to newborns. The White on Black book was not a winner with my nephew.