Beautiful Blackbird

Book Title: Beautiful Blackbird

Author & Illustrator Ashley Bryan

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing , 2003 

 “This telling, by the master storyteller, just aches to be read aloud; the lively rhythms keep the simple folktale rollicking along.” (Kirkus Review, 2002)

Beak to beak, peck, peck, peck
Spread your wings, stretch your neck.
Black is beautiful, uh-huh!
Black is beautiful, uh-huh!

In this inspiring retelling of a fable from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia, author and illustrator Ashley Bryan skillfully employs rhythm and playful illustrations to express the theme of celebrating of the diverse beauty of life.

Using vibrant cut-out collage illustrations and rhythmic poetic style, Bryan conveys the story of how all the other birds declare Beautiful Blackbird the most beautiful bird because his feathers "gleam all colors in the sun." The other birds, each shaped and colored differently, ask the blackbird if he will paint them with blackening brew so they will be as beautiful as Blackbird. In response, Blackbird warns, “Color on the outside is not what’s on the inside.” Still, Blackbird uses a feather brush to give the other birds “small, large, close, far-apart dots and short and long stoked strips.” As Blackbird paints the other birds, both Bryan’s illustrations and text becomes bolder, larger and brighter. This, in addition to Bryan’s rhyme, alliteration and action words affects a growing sense of festive celebration and I found myself even reading at a quickened pace. Ultimately all birds have some sort of black markings (which reflect the all the colors), and the blackbird has the colors of the other birds on his own wings. As a metaphor, culture is made more beautiful as it accepts, celebrates and adopts what makes another culture beautiful; the most beautiful culture being the one that reflects the beauty of all.

The message in the story of how beauty can at once be unique and one’s own but can also be shared and celebrated with others, transcends to children and adults alike. Connections can be made with lessons surrounding diversity and celebrating both uniqueness and commonalities. For example, cut outs of birds could be decorated using a variety of materials then compared for likeness and differences. The book could also be used as an opening to have a dialog about how black is often portrayed as negative or scary, and to ask children how they feel about themselves and the color of their own skin.

Beautiful Blackbird is the 2004 Coretta Scott King Awards winner, as well as the 2005 Bluegrass Award.

References: 

Bryan, Ashley. Beautiful Blackbird. Ill. by Ashley Bryan. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing , 2003. ISBN 0-689-84731-9

Kirkus Review, "BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD." Last modified December 01, 2002. Accessed September 11, 2013. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ashley-bryan/beautiful-blackbird/.

Cover Picture Source: 

http://abcsofreading.blogspot.com/2011/05/beautiful-blackbird.html

Illustration Source: 

http://abcsofreading.blogspot.com/2011/05/beautiful-blackbird.html