Written by Angela Joy
Illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Reviewed by Miles Hartfelder

Black history is rich, vibrant, and filled with heroes. Famous figures intermingle with famous movements and describe a story of a marginalized population persevering through deep injustice. With this book, Black is a Rainbow Color, the Black experience is retold in powerful poetry alongside beautiful illustrations. This book is a story about exploring Black history and what it means to belong to the Black community, but it is also about celebrating Black life and recognizing the immense hurdles Black people have gone through in this country.

Black is a Rainbow Color is a poetic journey through Black history through the eyes of a child. It is a picture book depicting a moving poem that is appropriate for K-5 classrooms (secondary classrooms would benefit from this book too!). The language is interwoven with the visuals to create a world vibrant with Black glory. The narrator explores the meaning of the word Black and its relationship to the other colors of the rainbow. This exploration goes beyond simple color differentiation and moves into a celebration of the Black experience.

An excellent feature of this book is the thorough and imaginative back matter. Along with an author’s note and a suggested playlist with a dozen songs, the book also includes short blurbs about each historical reference point throughout the poem. The author explains these references and gives context to the content of the poem. In addition, there are three poems by Black poets and a “timeline of Black ethnonyms in America” which explains the evolution of what Black people have been called throughout American history. Again, this book is appropriate for all ages and would be an excellent story to share with students not only during Black History Month, but any time throughout the year.