A review by rachelkc
The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas, Floyd Cooper

4.0

The poems featured in The Blacker the Berry “celebrate these many shades of black” with both lyrical words and vibrant illustrations. Joyce Carol Thomas is an expert in her field, and does the poems justice with rich imagery. The larger type, simple sentence structure, and full page illustrations make this collection accessible to younger readers, while adults (parents or teachers or storytellers) can also appreciate the deeper meanings of the poems as a whole. The scope of this collection is focused, and thrives in that focus. Each poem is written from the child’s point-of-view, and uses the imagery of berries and other breakfast-y items (coffee, biscuits) to strengthen the theme. Each illustration is unique to its accompanying poem, yet stays true to the style. The final illustration is powerful.