Black is Brown is Tan
Author: Arnold Adoff
Illustrator: Emily Arnold McCulfy
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Year of Publication: 1973
Genre: Children's Poetry
Horn Book or Kirkus Reviews rating: Rated a 3 on Horn Book Reviews
Summary: This book is a story about a multicultural family The author demonstrates this insight in a poetic form. The mother and father help their children understand that their family is special in their own way.
Summary of Professional Reviews: According to the Horn Book Reviews, this children's poetry book was rated a 3. Although this story has been remade, the illustrations and words have stayed the same. The book review stated that the size of the book has doubled which slightly takes away from the intimate detail of the text. The review also states, "the full-color paintings of an interracial family...are warm and joyful."(HornBookReviews)
Review by Alicia Watson:
The picture book, Black is Brown is Tan demonstrates the quality of a well created story about a multicultural family. The written text form a poem which helps the reader truly understand the mood of a loving family. Author, Arnold Adoff helps readers connect to the understanding differences and what makes this particular family different so a variety of different ways. Although the overall emotion evoked by the written text is expressed successfully, the illustrations help expand the emotions of love, kindness and originality. The illustrations are colorful and connect to the written text through the use of vibrant colors. The repetition and rhyming creates an overall soothing mood from beginning until the end.
This book would be useful when teaching…
- This poetry picture book can be used to introduce the concept of family along with differences. This story could be read aloud by a teacher in order to help students understand community and family relations. After reading this story aloud, the teacher can then expand this concept into a research assignment about each of their family backgrounds. Considering Arnold Adoff demonstrated this story as a poem form, the students can then write their own poem about their family.
- Black is Brown is Tan can also be used within an art lesson while demonstrating the highly rated illustrations. Teachers can build off of the previous lesson through creating an illustration with their poem.