Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy

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Joy, A. & Holmes, E. (Illus). (2020). Black is a rainbow color. Roaring Brook Press.

This beautiful tribute to all of the ways black is beautiful speaks in metaphor. A young girl tells of what black means as a color and a culture. The author's notes explain that her daughter questioned why she was called black when her skin is brown; this book was Joy's answer to that question.

Horn Book, Booklist

Library/Classroom Use: This book can be used as a foundation for Black History month explorations.  The excellent notes explain the cultural references from the text, such as the one to raisins from Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem."  Gathering these materials, displaying them, and sharing them during library visits give the month structure and many points for enrichment.  This text can be used in the classroom as a mentor text to write in metaphor of one's own personal color.  Older students can explore the meaning of ethnonyms with the list provided in the end pages.