A review by eirenophile
The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas

5.0

There are a lot of picture books out there that attempt to explicitly celebrate racial diversity. Too often though, they feel (to me) didactic and unconvincingly moralistic without moving me to actual celebration. This is NOT one of those books. The poems are truly poems, but I suspect they are as capable of instilling true pride and admiration in children as they are moving and beautiful. The illustrations are stunning. And the politics of color is most wonderfully engaged with. If you want a picture book that takes on the beauty of being brown, this is the one you want.