![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I understand that Bryan took some liberties with the original tale, which was more of a condemnation of vanity - the other birds being more concerned with how they look, than how they behave - than an affirmation of self esteem. Unfortunately, the narrative of Beautiful Blackbird wasn't as appealing as the illustrations. The inclusion of images of the artist's scissors - which once belonged to his mother - on the decorated endpapers, is a particularly nice touch. Created using a cut-paper collage technique, it is colorful and immediate, with a sense of motion that suits the rhythmic narrative. The artwork is just gorgeous, and fully deserved the Coretta Scott King Illustrator's Award that it received. His many folktale adaptations, in particular, have been tempting me of late, so I am especially disappointed that Beautiful Blackbird - supposedly a retelling of a traditional tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia - didn't impress me more.įirst though, the good news: this is a beautiful book, visually speaking. ![]() With over thirty children's books to his name, many of them award-winning explorations of the African-American experience, Ashley Bryan is an author whose work I have long wanted to read. ![]()
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