Black: The Many Wonders of My World (The Colors of My Life)

PreS-Gr 2--The duo behind Brown: The Many Shades of Love returns with a poetic tribute to the color black and how it represents beauty in the world. A poetic, mostly rhyming, pattern in the first person lists various things that are black, including "mama's braids," "my puppy," and blackbirds, as well as more ethereal things such as shadows, clouds, and musical notes. It acknowledges that some people are afraid of black/darkness, while celebrating it as ink, silence, and more. While the rhythm and rhyme periodically strain, for the most part the lines flow smoothly and effectively. The real star here, however, is the stunning mixed-media, collage-style art. With the exception of a couple of all-black pages, Moore works on a tan canvas for brightly colored fabric art, along with cut-out watercolors of the Black female narrator, who has brown skin and curly black hair. The puppy is created with black fabric and fills an entire spread; the shadow and panther drip across the page, reminiscent of Marcia Brown's Shadow. Raindrops, a quilt, and color patterns are all conveyed with deeply saturated fabric. Most pages are full-bleed spreads. The arresting, eye-catching art seems to almost lift off the page. VERDICT While the text has a slightly purposeful feel, and the poetry a few stumbles, the gorgeous, intensely colored art, and important content raise this title up.--Amy Lilien-Harper