Due to my being located in China I am forced to choose books which I am able to find either in my school library or in eBook format for either iPad or Kindle. I was able to find Beautiful Blackbird and purchased it for the iPad at the start of our course. It was not until reading the chapter assigned for this module that I saw the extensive book study done on Beautiful Blackbird. As this was already the book I had purchased I chose to review it anyway, though I know that it is covered in a significant amount of detail in the text.
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bryan, Ashley. 2003. BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD. New York: Atheneum Books. ISBN 1442436862 (eBook)
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this beautifully retold Zambian folktale, the birds of Africa in all their solid colors envy and celebrate the beauty of Blackbird. Through the story the characteristics Blackbird embodies, from his joyful nature to his feathers which, “gleam all colors in the sun”, are celebrated by the other birds. Through the “Beak and Wing Dance” the other birds chant the beauty of black. As the birds continue their dance, Ringdove, in is solid grayness, seeks out Blackbird to share his black coloration and add to Ringdove’s beauty. While reminding the other birds that, “Color on the outside is not what’s on the inside”, he shares his black color from the blackening brew he mixes in his gourd. Over days and nights of dances and celebrations the birds, down even to the small birds, get their own touch of black to add to their unique beauty. In the end, however, they each are uniquely themselves, for none of them can ever be Blackbird.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The joy of Ashley’ Bryan’s Beautiful Blackbird lies in the rhythm of the language and the simple truth that uniqueness and identity are not based on what one looks like, but on who they are. In this Beast tale of the Ila-speaking culture Bryan expertly holds to the oral-tradition style with lines that beg to be spoken in groups in a sing-song manner.
“Oh Blackbird, can we have some of that blackening too?
We all need what your black can do.
You're such an artist with your feather brush,
a touch of your black will be good for us.”
A true joy to read aloud, children will be mesmerized by the pattern of the language as well as the “moral” of the story, which stresses that one will never be exactly like another even if you strive to mimic their appearance. True identity comes from within. As Blackbird notes, “We’ll see the difference a touch of black can make. Just remember, whatever I do, I’ll be me and you’ll be you.” The telling of the story and its identified protagonists and animal creatures all ring true for the African culture from which Bryan derived this tale. The genuineness will also serve readers well.
In addition to the oral-tradition style of the story as well as the support for unique identity, one of the most startling parts of the book are the beautiful images derived from cut-paper collages that Bryan imbues the book with. Their simple, yet magical presence again calls back to the patterns and colors of the art of many African cultures. The entire book in all its facets is one to be enjoyed and shared out loud for the joy it will bring to listeners.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Coretta Scott King Award (ALA) ,
Texas 2x2 Reading List
Review in KIRKUS REVIEWS: This telling, by the master storyteller, just aches to be read aloud; the lively rhythms keep the simple folktale rollicking along. The cut-paper collage illustrations are full of color, but it’s of blandly similar intensity until Blackbird arrives with his blackening brew.
Review in SIMON AND SCHUSTER: “Ashley Bryan's adaptation of a tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia resonates both with rhythm and the tale's universal meanings -- appreciating one's heritage and discovering the beauty within.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*using this story to inform a performance in collaboration with the theater or drama teacher would give students of any age the opportunity to bring the tale to life. This would also be a good chance for a high school student to take on the role of student-director and work on their stagecraft while presenting a performance that young children would engage with easily.
*Other tales from African traditions could be collected and compared and contrasted. Students could be given the opportunity to re-illustrate their favorites in the paper cut-out collage fashion.
*Other books for children from Ashley Bryan:
Bryan, Ashley. LET IT SHINE. ISBN 9780689847325
Bryan, Ashley. ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT. ISBN 9781416989394 (Note* This is a songbook)
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