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The Blacker the Berry
By: Joyce Carol Thomas
Illustrations By: Floyd Cooper
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishing
Copyright: 2008
Genre: Poetry, Multicultural Literature, Character Education
Grade Level: 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th
Brief Synopsis: The book is a rich collection of poetry that celebrates the beauty we can find in everyone. Black is dazzling and distinctive, like toasted wheat berry bread; snowberries in the fall; rich, red cranberries; and the bronzed last leaves of summer. In this lyrical and luminous collection, Coretta Scott King honorees Joyce Carol Thomas and Floyd Cooper celebrate these many shades of black beautifully.
About the Author:
Joyce Carol Thomas- Internationally renowned author received National Book Award for Mark by Fire and Coretta Scott King Award for Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea. Ms. Thomas lives in Berkeley, California.
Floyd Cooper- Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. He was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1984, he came to NYC to pursue a career as an illustrator of books and now lives in Easton, Pennsylvania with his wife and two sons.Themes: -Finding the Beauty in Everyone
- The use of Similies and Metaphors
- Poetry to describe Oneself
- Storytelling through Poetry
- Rhyming and the Flow of Words
Pre-Reading Activities:
- Explore the beauty in all colors. Have students complete a graphic organizer, in which they think of things that remind them of a certain color. Have them come up with an adjective to go with each noun they choose in each color category.
This will get them to start thinking about the meaning of colors in objects around them. This will help build into the significance and meaning of different colors in people in the book.
- Have students get with one partner. Have them interview their partner, touching on what is special and unique about them. They will then have to present to the class about their partner with a picture and information to display. They will take pride in their projects about their classmates.
- Have a mini-lesson on Similies and Metaphors. What are they? Give some examples. Have children give their own examples.
Post Reading Activities:
- Have students go through the similies and metaphors in at least two poems from this book. For each metaphor or simile have the students write it out and then explain what it is comparing, and what the deeper meaning might be in their own words.
- Discuss some of the poems as a whole class. What are they trying to say? Why is it important to see beauty in everyone? ... etc. After this have students write a poem about themselves and the skin that they are in.
Reflection: This poetry book is full of beautiful and moving words that are from the heart. The reader is pulled into each poem with the flow of the language, and then leaves the poem changed from the meaning in the words. We are put into the narrator's shoes when they describe themselves in such a postive way, and each stanza provokes emotion. The illustrations pefectly fit in with the elegant language, and they create the picture of the person to help understand the comparisons being made in the words of the poem. The light and expressions on the children's faces help the book alive. This book of poems is really helpful to get students to find the beauty in everyone and themselves. Our world is full of different colors, shapes, and sizes of people. When we can look and find the beauty in those around us, it will help to make the world a more accepting and harmonious place. Remember that the world would be such a boring place if we were all cookie cutter and the same with no variety and personality.
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