The Blacker the Berry

Poems by: Joyce Carol Thomas

Illustrated by: Floyd Cooper

According to Joyce Carol Thomas, “One of the painful secrets the Black community keeps is that the value of a girl and boy’s worth may depend upon his or her complexion.”  Because of this, Joyce Carol Thomas wrote, The Blacker the Berry, “…As a tribute to African American girls and boys who may struggle with discrimination based upon the range of colors of their complexions.”  This was found on a discussion board posted on Facebook in the group, “ALSC Poetry Blast.”  Prior to reading this post, I had not realized that such discrimination had existed.

The Blacker the Berry is a beautiful collection of poetry that speaks volumes about discrimination and acceptance.  Each poem is written from the perspective of a confident young child who is comfortable in his or her own skin.  Thomas uses different berries found in nature in order to create each poem—emphasizing how berries come in different shades in nature and how humans are no different. 

The collection begins with the statement, “Colors, without black, couldn’t sparkle quite so bright” Accompanying this short and powerful statement is an illustration of a young boy holding a handful of blackberries with various hues of purple, black, pink, and red.  He is smiling wide and confident—because, it’s true.

The first poem is titled, “What Shade Is Human?”  The wise grandfather in the poem says that, “It’s the milk of kindness/that makes us human…White milk/Chocolate milk/Sweet milk/Mother’s milk.”  The young girl nods because she knows that long ago her mother told her, “You are beautiful. /And I heard her”.  This poem helps us to realize that there are many different colors of human, but all are beautiful and have worth.

One of my favorite poems in the collection is titled, Snowberries.  This poem is written from the perspective of a young girl, who is fair skinned, but walks the walk and talks the talk of being Black.  Some say to the girl, “You’re not really Black!” as if anyone should be able to judge such a thing.  The girl wishes to be black as midnight but states, “Still I’m thankful/For all the blood drops I got/In my mind/Even one drop’s a lot”

The last poem in the collection is titled, Color Struck.  This poem truly captures the essence of all of the poems.  “We are color struck/The way an artist strikes/His canvas with his brush of many hues/Look closely at these mirrors/these palettes of skin/Each color is rich/in its own right”

Each poem is accompanied by vibrant representational illustrations by Floyd Cooper—capturing the confidence and spirit of each child.  The illustrations are full-bleed and span across each double-paged spread—allowing us to feel the emotions along with the child.  The children are the central focus of each illustration, which gives us the sense that they are speaking directly to us.  Every child is beautiful and proud. Cooper uses an interesting technique called oil wash on board in order to give his illustrations their unique look.  He actually erases the picture after painting it in order to create this look.  I searched in hopes to find this technique demonstrated, but I was unable to find it.  The uniqueness of his illustrations is difficult to describe in words, but I do feel as though there is a warm and inviting quality to the illustrations throughout this book.  Perhaps the illustrative technique helps to create this feeling by muting the colors, but keeping them vibrant at the same time.  

Although these poems are specifically geared towards African American children, I believe that all children can appreciate the poems of this collection.  I believe it promotes awareness and deeper understanding among different cultures and is a necessary collection to add to any library.  This collection of poems was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award, which is given to African American authors and illustrators for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions.  One can easily see why this book was given such a prestigious award from the moment you read the inside flap and examine the cover.

Note: I did not link to the Facebook page where I took the quotes from Joyce Carol Thomas.  If you search the group, ALSC Poetry Blast, the group should show up.  You can then navigate to find the discussion titled, "Interview with Joyce Carol Thomas."  Her comments about the book will be posted there.

Waiting to Waltz: A Childhood

Poems by Cynthia Rylant

Drawings by Stephen Gammell

Cynthia Rylant typically draws from experiences she has had as inspiration.  In Waiting to Waltz: A Childhood, Rylant writes a collection of poems inspired by her experiences in Beaver, West Virginia.  Rylant moved to Beaver with her mother at the age of eight and experienced sorrow, joy, love, loss, fear, disappointment, and death while she was there.

Even in this short group of poems by Rylant, we are given a glimpse into Rylant’s personality and style.  It is no wonder that Rylant has a gift for poetry—she always writes poetically even in prose.  Free-write poetry seems like a natural step for Rylant to take.  Her language does not necessarily follow any rules, but it is simply beautiful. 

This book is recommended for readers who are eleven years old and up.  I agree.  The content initially seems rather simple because all of the things are things that kids may deal with growing up.  At the same time however, a certain maturity is needed in order to interpret and appreciate the poems—especially since the poems go beyond what an eleven-year-old experiences.  For example, the later poems talk about going steady, dating, and leaving home. 

The pencil illustrations that accompany the poems almost look as though someone has spilled water on them—making them look like black and white watercolor.  They provide a glimpse into Beaver, but also leave significant details out—allowing the reader to make up their own pictures in their mind.

This group of poems allows us insight into Cynthia Rylant’s personal life and thinking—yet, we do not feel like we know everything there is to know about her when we finish.  As an adult who has read several Cynthia Rylant books, this poetry collection makes me want to learn more specific details about her childhood.  I am looking forward to reading her autobiography. 

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

Written By: Paul Feischman

Illustrated by Eric Beddows

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of insects?  I do not think that I ever have.  In my adult years, I consider insects to be a nuisance.  Sure they are helpful to the environment—but I can’t help not wanting them anywhere near me.  I sometimes wonder when my opinion of bugs changed.  When I read stories like Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe or, When Lightening Comes in a Jar, by Patricia Polacco, and most recently, poetry books like Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman and Joyful Noise, by Paul Fleischman, I am reminded of the summertime when I was a child.  I used to spend my time outside chasing fireflies, running around barefoot, digging in the dirt, and picking up worms.

After reading Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, I am reminded of how fascinating nature is.  Fleischman carefully crafted fourteen different poems each from the perspective of a different insect.  He creates a rhythmic beat between the two voices—begging for the poems to be read aloud. 

The poems are simple and easy to understand yet incorporate a variety of literary techniques.  For example, the use of alliteration can be seen in the poem, Fireflies:

“We’re fireflies/flickering/flitting/flashing/fireflies/glimmering/gleaming/glowing”

Fleischman also incorporates rhyme in poems like The Moth’s Serenade:

“Porch/light,/hear my plight!/I drink your light/like nectar…”

In addition, Fleischman uses repetition between both voices as well as in each individual part.  For example, in Requiem, Fleischman repeated the words, “Light undying” several times in each individual part as well as in both voices.  He also repeated the phrase, “Cave crickets/mole crickets/tree crickets/field crickets” between the two voices in what seemed almost like a Row Your Boat type of round.

Fleischman enabled me to visualize and make inferences through his choice of language.   For example, through the Honeybees poem I pictured in my mind the different roles of the Queen bee and the Worker bee.  It was especially interesting to read two different perspectives within the same poem.

Accompanying each poem were simple pencil drawings by Eric Beddows.  The simplicity of these illustrations added to the interpretation of each poem without taking away from the language used in the poem itself.  The illustrations give us a more detailed look of what each insect looks like, although there is still the fictional appeal.  I do believe though that the illustrations are detailed enough to help identify the real deal.

Reading this book of poetry silently was a challenge and I could not convince anyone nearby to read aloud each one with me.  As a result, I tried to see if I could find any of these poems read aloud online.  I was lucky enough to find a YouTube video with the poems read aloud by Opera singer Louis Lebhertz and storyteller Judy Peiken.  What a difference it made to listen!  Both Lebhertz and Peiken did a beautiful job bringing the rhythms and sounds to life as Fleischman intended.  For example, in the poem, Water Boatmen, the readers rolled every “r” in the poem—adding a new dimension of rhythm.  The music that accompanied the reading of the poems added to the mood of each poem.

After reading and listening to the poems of Joyful Noise it will be difficult to not think twice before swatting at an insect that has crept into the house.  I cannot say that I will be found outside chasing fireflies, running around barefoot, or playing in the dirt--but, Fleischman did manage to give me a new perspective on insects in this brilliant collection of poetry.

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Written by Joyce Sidman

Illustrated by Rick Allen

 

When Nightfall Comes

By Janelle Pherson

The sky begins to fall,

The sun slowly travels with it

Down,

                                                                        Down,

                                                                                    Down,

It begins to disappear.

Hues of orange and red,

A fiery glow—

Remind us of the day that has passed.

Pink and purple,

Soften the sky—

Gradually bringing nighttime to life.

A silence transpires,

But only for a moment

Slowly,

They come.

Climbing,

Creating,

Intricate spirals.

Undetectable scents

Leading the way

Watching and waiting

Dinner awaits,

The hunted,

Ruefully unaware

Still as night,

Thirsty roots

Replenish,

Rejuvenate.

Busy weaving

No need to search

A hard night’s work

Rewarded.

Learning

Survival,

Almost ready

To embark

Singing,

A beautiful sound

Setting rhythm to the night.

Rising from the surface,

They magically appear.

Purple and Pink

Begin to saturate,

Signaling the end of night

Red and Orange

Fill the sky,

Telling all it is time to go home.

                                                             

                                                                             It rises.

                                                                     Up                                     

                          Up

                   Up

A new day has begun.

The Newbery Honor book, Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night, written by Joyce Sidman, is a beautifully crafted collection of poetry that invites us to be careful observers of night.  Life does not stop just because we are asleep. 

Poetry can be a difficult genre to appreciate.  For me, I know I never cared for poetry because I never felt I understood it the way I was supposed to.  I was afraid to verbalize my thinking for fear of being wrong.  When I was in school, the teacher had us analyze poems and made it seem like there was only one interpretation.

Sidman’s poems helped me to feel more comfortable with my interpretations and analysis.  Sidman included a side-note for each poem, which provided background information for the creature the poem was written about.  I felt this enabled me to truly appreciate and understand each poem.  I found that I read each side-panel before reading the poem.  I felt I could read between the lines and make inferences. 

In addition to providing a side-panel of factual information, Sidman coupled with illustrator Rick Allen to provide even more support for the interpretation of each poem.  Rick Allen’s illustrations were unique and intricate.  Done with gouache and the stamping of carved wooden blocks, Allen was able to add remarkable detail to each illustration.  It was almost as though I was outside looking through a magnifying flashlight.  He even tied the poems together by including the different creatures in each illustration.  For example, the eft is found roaming through each illustration—much like he does in the poem written about him.

This book of poetry does remind me of Joyful Noise, the 1989 Newbery Medal winner written by Paul Fleischman.  Joyful Noise was written for two voices and focuses on different insects and bugs in nature.  In contrast, Sidman’s book focuses on any nocturnal creature.  Both books provide insight into often ignored aspects of nature.  How often do you really think about the thoughts of a bug?  I would not have thought that either book would be that appealing seeing as though I do not care for most creepy and crawly creatures, but I do feel as though I have a new appreciation.  The next time the sounds of crickets gently rock me to sleep, I will not be able to help thinking of all of the other creatures stirring in the night.