Book Review
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The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin is an amazing book that illustrates how color can be described without being seen. In the story, Thomas, a boy who is blind, explains what he believes each color represents. Not only are the metaphors in the book descriptive, but the illustrations are also powerful. The whole book is colorless. The illustrations include pictures that are textured to describe how Thomas interprets color.
The title of the book is perfect for the theme of the story. When you are blind, you cannot see. You can also be visually impaired, which prohibits you from seeing clearly. The book’s cover, pages, and illustrations are all black. However, the descriptive words and textures still allow you to “see” the colors in the story. The main character, Thomas, describes how he sees colors in his world. “Thomas says that blue is the color of the sky when kites are flying and the sun is beating on his head,” (Cottin, Faría, 2009). Through the use of metaphors, the texture of the pages, and the descriptions of smell, taste, and audibility, the reader is able to grasp the sense of color. The plot of the story is somewhat neutral. The story jumps right in with Thomas explaining the color yellow. “Thomas says that yellow tastes like mustard, but is as soft as a baby chick’s feather,” (Cottin, Faría, 2009). However, near the end of the book, the turning point or climax takes place when Thomas describes the color black. “But black is the king of all the colors. It is as soft as silk when his mother hugs him and her hair falls in his face,” (Cottin, Faría, 2009). This was the turning point in the story because black is an extremely powerful color to Thomas since that is all he can see with his actual sight. The conclusion of the story when Thomas discusses why he likes all the colors is a powerful conclusion, especially with the texture of all the elements he had described in the earlier pages. “Thomas likes all of the colors because he can hear them and smell them and touch them and taste them,” (Cottin, Faría, 2009). The mood and setting of each of the colors lets the reader adapt to the story. For example, when Thomas describes the color green, “He says that green tastes like lemon ice cream and smells like grass that’s just been cut,” the reader can picture and smell the freshly cut grass and taste the sour of lemon in their mouth. The reader is thrown into the setting of the book and is able to “see”, touch, hear, feel, and smell all of the colors, which is a fully stimulating experience for them.
The Black Book of Colors is a truly amazing book, which allows students to get a glimpse into the life of someone who is blind or has extremely poor vision. Students can try to understand what it is like to have a disability and are better able to connect with those individuals. Awareness of topics, such as visual impairments and blindness in the school, are important for students and the teacher to understand. The Black Book of Colors allows for everyone to further their understanding on the topic.
Cottin, M. (2008). The black book of colors. Ontario: Groundwood Books
The title of the book is perfect for the theme of the story. When you are blind, you cannot see. You can also be visually impaired, which prohibits you from seeing clearly. The book’s cover, pages, and illustrations are all black. However, the descriptive words and textures still allow you to “see” the colors in the story. The main character, Thomas, describes how he sees colors in his world. “Thomas says that blue is the color of the sky when kites are flying and the sun is beating on his head,” (Cottin, Faría, 2009). Through the use of metaphors, the texture of the pages, and the descriptions of smell, taste, and audibility, the reader is able to grasp the sense of color. The plot of the story is somewhat neutral. The story jumps right in with Thomas explaining the color yellow. “Thomas says that yellow tastes like mustard, but is as soft as a baby chick’s feather,” (Cottin, Faría, 2009). However, near the end of the book, the turning point or climax takes place when Thomas describes the color black. “But black is the king of all the colors. It is as soft as silk when his mother hugs him and her hair falls in his face,” (Cottin, Faría, 2009). This was the turning point in the story because black is an extremely powerful color to Thomas since that is all he can see with his actual sight. The conclusion of the story when Thomas discusses why he likes all the colors is a powerful conclusion, especially with the texture of all the elements he had described in the earlier pages. “Thomas likes all of the colors because he can hear them and smell them and touch them and taste them,” (Cottin, Faría, 2009). The mood and setting of each of the colors lets the reader adapt to the story. For example, when Thomas describes the color green, “He says that green tastes like lemon ice cream and smells like grass that’s just been cut,” the reader can picture and smell the freshly cut grass and taste the sour of lemon in their mouth. The reader is thrown into the setting of the book and is able to “see”, touch, hear, feel, and smell all of the colors, which is a fully stimulating experience for them.
The Black Book of Colors is a truly amazing book, which allows students to get a glimpse into the life of someone who is blind or has extremely poor vision. Students can try to understand what it is like to have a disability and are better able to connect with those individuals. Awareness of topics, such as visual impairments and blindness in the school, are important for students and the teacher to understand. The Black Book of Colors allows for everyone to further their understanding on the topic.
Cottin, M. (2008). The black book of colors. Ontario: Groundwood Books