Module 5: The Blacker the Berry

Book Cover Image

Summary

The Blacker the Berry is a book of poems related to different types of berries and how they can be compared to different shades of skin. Each poem features a berry and a shade of skin. The Blacker the Berry has won The Coretta Scott King Award.

APA Reference

Thomas, J.C., & Cooper, F. (2008). The blacker the berry. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

My Impressions

The poems in The Blacker the Berry seem to cover every berry possible as well as every shade of African-American skin tone. I can see where this book could be loved by those who have different colors of skins tones. Children can be so cruel these days, and this would be a great way to show the diverse populations among our nation. In fact, when I set this book aside during our library time to check it out later, one of my students saw it and snagged it before I could. 

Professional Review
Black comes in all shades from dark to light, and each is rich and beautiful in this collection of simple, joyful poems and glowing portraits that show African American diversity and connections. In the title poem, a smiling girl says, “Because I am dark, the moon and stars shine brighter.” Other pages have fun with terms, such as skin deep andnight shade. A grandma turns “Coffee will make you black” from a warning into something great. A boy is proud to be raspberry black as he reads his great-great-grandmother’s journal about her love for her Seminole Indian husband. A girl says she is “cranberry red” from her father’s Irish ancestry. In the final, joyful double-page spread, the kids celebrate their individual identities and laugh together. Many families will want to talk about this and their own family roots: “We count who we are / And add to all who came before us.” — Hazel Rochman


Rochman, H. (2008). Booklist.
http://www.booklistonline.com/The-Blacker-the-Berry-Joyce-Carol-Thomas/pid=2497065

Library Uses
The Blacker the Berry would be an excellent choice during Black History month to read to students. A discussion as to why we celebrate it could also evolve from the conversations. Students could then write there own poem related to their own skin tone.