Beautiful Blackbird

Bibliography:

Bryan, Ashley. Beautiful Blackbird. New York: Atheneum, 2003. ISBN: 0689847319

Plot Summary:

Long ago, all the birds of Africa were adorned with single, solid colors, without any black markings
at all. Only Blackbird had it all, and his feathers reflected the colors of the sun. Ringdove gathered all the birds by the lake in the forest for a festival, and he called out to the other birds, “Coo-coo-roo, coo-ca-roo, I’ve a question to ask of you. Who of all is the most beautiful?” All the birds agreed and began to sing and dance, celebrating Blackbird’s beauty with the refrain, “Black is beautiful, uh-huh!” Ringdove begged Blackbird to share his beauty and gift him with black markings, so Blackbird made a blackening brew in his medicine gourd, and using a feather brush, gave Ringdove a ring around his neck to match his name. All the other birds sang, “Ringdove’s black is beautiful, Beak to beak, peck, peck, peck, He’s just like Blackbird Around the neck.” All the birds begged Blackbird to paint them too, and Blackbird agreed, sending the birds to their nests to sleep until the Sun-Up dance, so he could prepare a large batch of brew to paint them in the morning. Before painting the birds, Blackbird said, “Just remember, whatever I do, I’ll be me and you’ll be you.” Blackbird embellished all the colorful birds with his feather brush, adding spots and stripes and lines until all the brew was used up. The birds rejoiced with singing and dancing, gathering around Blackbird and exclaiming once again, “Our colors sport a brand-new look, A touch of black was all it took. Oh beautiful black, uh-huh, uh-huh, Black is beautiful, UH-HUH!”

Critical Analysis: 

Rhythm and internal rhyme take center stage in Ashley Bryan’s adaptation of this Zambian folktale, an ideal read-aloud selection. The musicality and alliteration of phrases like “flip-flop-flapping” and “tip tap toe” give the reader (and the listener) the sense that they are part of the energetic dance, joining with the birds in a celebration of blackness. The dances have names like “Beak and Wing Dance” and the “Show Claws Slide,” and all the birds take part, indicating the special significance of song and dance in the tale’s root culture. Blackbird, both generous and wise, freely shares his blackness with the other birds, but even as he does, he reminds the others that “Color on the outside is not what’s on the inside.” Blackbird emphasizes that even with their beautiful new markings, “I’ll be me and you’ll be you,” establishing a theme of inner beauty and diversity.
Ashley Bryan’s vibrant multitude of cut-paper birds bursts from the pages, underpinning the book’s folk-art style. Lines of color stream from Blackbird’s wings representing the black iridescence that the other birds view with such admiration and envy. In his author’s note, Bryan reveals that the scissors pictured inside the front and back covers of the book are his mother’s sewing scissors that he has used for decades to create his art. Readers will barely be able to wait until the story is finished before grabbing a pair of scissors and trying their hands at their own paper creations. Beautiful Blackbird inspires endless possibilities for crafts, read alouds, theater performances, and puppet shows, all of which honor Ashley Bryan’s lasting legacy in the world of children’s folk literature.

Awards and Review Excerpts: 

Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration (2004)
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (2009)

“A good start at challenging learned ways of reading color that reserve black for scary or dull images, the text implies a racial metaphor (unless the refrain “black is beautiful” is focused only on rethinking artistic codes), yet whatever message of tolerance or self-love the text might hold is obscure. Blackbird talks of the difference a little black can make, but he also emphasizes that external appearances do not reflect the inner self. Which of the two is more important is never clarified. Still, the rolling language and appealing illustrations make this a must.” Kirkus Reviews

Connections:

Pair with Ashley Bryan’s book about making puppets and invite students to reenact the Beautiful Blackbird story with their puppet creations:
Bryan, Ashley. Ashley Bryan's Puppets: Making Something from Everything. ISBN: 1442487283

Collect other works by Ashley Bryan:
Hughes, Langston and Ashey Bryan. Sail Away. ISBN: 1481430858
Bryan, Ashley. Let It Shine. ISBN: 0689847327

Explore Ashley Bryan's inspiring biography on YouTube:
Reading Rockets: Ashley Bryan

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