The Black Book of Colors, by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria

Illustrations are, hands-down, my favorite part of a book. When it comes to children’s books, they can be simply breathtaking, ingenious in their creativity or hilarious in their portrayal of the story. I could go on and on. But what if you are blind? Yes, there are books in Braille. But those don’t usually provide pictures. Sure, someone could describe them to you. Taking into account this missing element, The Black Book of Colors aims to please.

With all black pages, the text is written twice, once in white printing and once in Braille. On the opposite page, the pictures are embossed and black. They are just as black as the background of the page, with not a bit of red, yellow, or blue to be found. In the text, colors are described as tastes or by the way they feel. In scents and in sounds. Brown is the smell of chocolate, and red hurts on a scraped knee. You could close your eyes as someone reads aloud from The Black Book of Colors and experience the wonder of a rainbow. This is a wonderful book filled with possibility. After I read it, the memory of it stayed with me for a long time.

Check the WRL catalog for The Black Book of Colors