The Black Book of Colors

The Black Book of Colors
Written by: Menena Cottin
Illustrated by: Rosana Faria


It is always a delight to see what books are chosen for The Beehive Book Award in Utah, naturally there are always gems to be found. My library keeps these books in a specific place, so they are always easy to find, otherwise, and unfortunately, I might miss them! The Black Book of Colors is one of these books, and it is indeed a gem.

This book has no colors, but black pictures on black pages, with descriptions of each color as well as raised pictures to touch. Make no mistake, my children needed no prodding to do this, and they enjoyed it. This is of course a beautiful opportunity for discussing blindness, and braille, and differences. So fascinating for people with sight to consider. Braille is included on each page, though my children and I did not notice it at first, because we were reading by lamplight, relying on our vision, and the braille is of course small raised and black on the black page. That it took us so long, that we are so used to our sight, is worth considering. Near the end of this book the entire braille alphabet can be found as well.

Although we have not tried it yet, I believe The Black Book of Colors encourages a worthwhile writing activity for your child to describe each color on his own. Do you think yellow is as soft as a chicks feathers, as the author does? The writing is great for teaching about adjectives, and is a good example for descriptions, which sometimes prove difficult for children, especially when they are coming up with their own. I am glad to experience this book, and I have a feeling we are not through with it yet! :) It is absolutely brilliant.