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Beautiful Blackbird (Traditional Literature)

 

(Photo: Goodreads.com)

1.       BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bryan, Ashley. 2003. BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0689847318

2.       PLOT SUMMARY
In this African folktale, Blackbird shares his gifts with the other birds. All the colorful birds in Africa admire Blackbird for being the only birds who is black, and they select him as the most beautiful of them all. Soon they beg Blackbird to share his black because they want to be beautiful too, so he paints them with a touch of his black by decorating them with black markings. He insists that with or without the black markings, that true beauty comes from the inside.

3.       CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This story is a Zambian tale that begs the reader to read it aloud. The birds sing multiple times in the story to reveal their thoughts and emotions. The use of rhymes and sound effects can be heard in traditional African music/chants. Along with the singing they are also dancing around Blackbird doing the Beak and Wing Dance, the Show Claws Dance, the Sun-Up Dance, and the Sun-Down Dance which reflects some traditional African dances.

 

The illustrations are cut-paper collage style and are very similar with some variation in shapes and sizes, until Blackbird begins to use his blackening brew to share his color with the other birds. Then, the newly patterned birds contrast each other as they praise Blackbird for their new looks. The color black is typically associated with scary or dark images, but Bryan uses it to send a racial metaphor that everyone, no matter their color, is beautiful. As Blackbird says, “Color on the outside is not what’s on the inside.”

 

The message of the story could also be one of self-love and to embrace your diversity, uniqueness and individual beauty. Blackbird reminds the others, “We’ll see the differences a touch of black can make. Just remember, whatever I do, I’ll be me and you’ll be you.” External appearance is not enough to make someone beautiful, that comes from your inner beauty.

4.       REVIEWS/ AWARDS

Coretta Scott King Award- 2004 Illustrator Award

*School Library Journal:  “This unusual and little-known pourquoi tale may supplement larger collections and serves as a thoughtful and entertaining addition to units on self-esteem.”


*Publishers Weekly: “Bryan’s lilting and magical language is infectious.”

*Booklist: “Ready-made for participative storytelling.”

 

*Kirkus Reviews: “This telling, by the master storyteller, just aches to be read aloud; the lively rhythms keep the simple folktale rollicking along […] still, the rolling language and appealing illustrations make this a must.”

 

5.       CONNECTIONS

Students can create their own cut paper art like Ashley Bryan does for the pictures in the book.

Students can make up a dance to go along with the song in the book.

Students can gather other African folktales to do research on African folk tales or research the people from these tales

              *Aardema, Verna. WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE’S EARS. ISBN 978-0140549058

              *McDermott, Gerald. ANANSI THE SPIDER. ISBN 978-0805003116

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