The Blacker the Berry

For my next literary blog I really wanted to look for a book that conveyed a deep message. The book that I chose is titled The Blacker the Berry and it is written by Joyce Carol Thomas and is illustrated by Floyd Cooper. This book is about helping children recognize that their skin is beautiful, and teaching them to love the skin they are in and the culture they are a part of. This book, is not like a typical story book—but a book full of poems that tells a tale from different African and African American children. I would classify this book as not only poetry, but a multicultural literature. My reasoning for classifying this book as a multicultural literature is because is describes the cultures, thoughts, and traditions of African American children and families.

The illustrations in this book are solely pictures of African-American children and families. I believe this is an important aspect, being that the poems of this book directly pertain to African American children and how they too are beautiful. I believe the illustrations in this book are just as vital as the words in the poems. They are a visual representation of the different forms that African Americans come in and how they are all the same in their own unique way. It really helps the reader to gain this sense of appreciation and really understand the message that the poems are trying to convey.

There is no setting, plot, or characters in the book. The poems are written as an unknown narrator who, in each poem, only describe what they look like and how it makes them beautiful. The theme of this book, however, is clear. The theme is that we are all beautiful just how we are, and it is our differences that make us beautiful.

An activity that can be used with this book is to have children write a poem about what makes them beautiful. They can include a picture of themselves or their family an attach it to the poem. Each student can then share their poems and their photos with one another. This activity aligns with Saint Leo University’s core value of respect because it teaches children to respect each other for their differences and appreciate the uniqueness that is within each and every one of them. Another activity that can be used with this book is to have the children write a reflection that would not be shared with anyone about something that may have once been insecure about and how they were able to get over that insecurity. They can then go on to write about advice they would give someone facing the same insecurity that they have faced. This activity to get children to reflect on themselves as a person help build their self-esteem and confidence.

The author of this book is extremely renowned who has won a national book award and multiple Coretta Scott King honors for books that she has written. After encountering this book, I plan to read some of her other pieces of work. She is an inspirational author who tries to teach children self-love. I would recommend anybody of any race, age, and religious background to read this book and others written by her.

Cooper, F. & Thomas, J. (2008). The blacker the berry. HarperCollins Publishers: New York, NY.