Reviews

The Black Book Of Colours by Menena Cottin

mis_chievous's review against another edition

informative inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

isskregg's review against another edition

5.0

This book almost made me cry. That is all.

foxlyn_wren's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

snazel's review against another edition

How do you describe colours without using colours? An attempt to describe the flavour and feel and smell of colours, with braille side by side with printed text. Also some tactile illustrations.

heisereads's review against another edition

4.0

A beautiful book, all in black about the colors. The words are written in white text, and also in Braille. The illustration images are in raised black so you can feel/see them as the blind child would. A powerful book to share with children who may only think about how we "see" color. Could also be good for a descriptive language lesson.

kickpleat's review against another edition

3.0

"Brown crunches under his feet like fall leaves. Sometimes it smells like chocolate and other times it stinks." How do you describe colour to blind children? This black picture book filled with braille, raised glossy images and words that describe colour in taste and smells and touch. Very cool.

maireador20's review

5.0

A fascinating, lyrical book describing colours from the p.o.v of a blind child with braille text and raised illustrations throughout. Rich with possibilities for creative thinking and interesting conversations this is an absolute must have for any classroom library to prompt awareness and understanding of diversity among pupils aged 6+

lucyblack's review

4.0

Lucy Longstocking review http://www.wcl.govt.nz/blogs/kids/index.php/category/lucy-longstocking/

Okay, are you ready?

Close your eyes and think about the colour red, properly, no cheating, trust me on this one. What do you think of? Now close your eyes and think about blue – I said, no cheating. Do you think of the sky, the sea? What does yellow smell like? How does orange feel? What about black?

Okay, now keep your eyes closed, but open The Black Book of Colours; let your fingers travel over each page and your mind conjure the colours.

One day Menena Cottin asked herself “How would life be if I could not see?”, and this book is the product of that question. What would colour be like if you were blind? If you could not see green, what would green mean to you? To Thomas, who is blind, “green tastes like lemon ice cream and smells like grass that has just been cut”. To convey Thomas’s ideas to the reader Menena Cottin worked together with Rosansa Faria and created a book about colours using only black and white. Creeping out of each page are glossy black details crying out to be touched. Thomas describes each colour as he encounters it without sight: I particularly like the page on black which Thomas says is “the king of all colours”. In that case: Long live the king.

boopointeshoes's review against another edition

inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

bemused_writer's review against another edition

5.0

Really like the whole idea behind this. All of the pages are black and the images are all raised so you can feel them. The reason for this is that it's trying to explain colors in a way someone who is blind might. Furthermore, the text comes in Braille and regular text. I really enjoyed reading the descriptions of colors being described as foods or sensations or emotions. It was pretty great!