Black All Around

by Patricia Hubbell, Don Tate

In this lively poetic tribute to the color black, the letters and words in a book, a limousine, a workhorse, beetles, a firefighter's boots, patent leather party shoes, piano keys, and more bring a sense of joy and wonder to a young girl. Patricia Hubbell's playful verses and Don Tate's colorful art celebrate the color black by combining seemingly unrelated objects in charming and imaginative ways.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry, Cultural, African American, Race

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Patricia Hubbell has been writing poetry since she was eleven years old.
In 1998, her Wrapping Paper Romp was selected as a Parents Magazine Book of the Year.
Patricia Hubbell lives with her husband, Harold Hornstein, in Easton, Connecticut, the small town where she was born.
Remembering how much their children and grandchildren loved to bounce when they were very young prompted her to write Bouncing Time. "Bouncing is one of the joyous things little kids do," she says. "It reflects their constant enthusiasm."

Reviews

[La Tonya Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The color black is examined from high to low. The wonderful color black is there! No matter if it is at nightime, in the depths of the sea, in the clothes we wear, in the braided hair of a stately queen, and clarinets and piano keys. The wonderful color black is there!

Quote:
Sleek and jazzy,
warm and cozy,
Beautiful black,
black all around .....

The crack in a wall where a chipmunk scoots.

The empty place where a tooth should be.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's great to have a book that gives the color black a positive connotation. It also features African American characters, including a black queen.

Attention Children's Book Authors/Illustrators: we need more picture books with black royalty! I had to debate a class of African American kindergarteners this past summer after I read The Colors of Us. They were dead set that a queen had to be white. Let's change that.

[Alyssa Haton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black All Around is a beautiful children’s book that celebrates the many shades and meanings of “black” in the world around us. From train tunnels and party shoes to piano keys and the fuzzy stripes of bumblebees, the book encourages children to notice, value, and appreciate the beauty found in everyday objects. This text is especially meaningful for a kindergarten classroom library, as it promotes observation skills, cultural pride, and positive representation. It teaches young learners to look closely at their environment and recognize that Black is powerful, creative, and all around them.

[Laura Giessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of the color black and many various places that we see it in our world. The art is a bit cartoonish for my taste, but the illustrations are also engaging and creative in depicting all the various items mentioned in the text. Young kids will have fun finding illustrations of everything that is mentioned. To me, skin seems more brown than black, but I understand that Black and anti-Black racism are real constructs, so I welcome anything that creates positive associations.

[Armando Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a little girl looking at the world around her and finding beauty in everything black. From the darkness in her pocket and what hides inside, to beautiful black hair, she learns that black is beautiful. I chose this story because it helps black children embrace their identity and helps them understand that black is beautiful. I would read this to children who have self esteem issues and need help finding out who they are.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book that celebrates the color black. I appreciate the positive images of black that this book showcases (crayons, limousine, the night sky, etc). The book is told in rhyme and includes large print words accompanying some of the illustrations (perfect for young readers). This is a great read aloud for children birth through 7 years old.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story written to celebrate the color black, and the beauty it brings to the world all around us. Illustrations by Don Tate adds to the beauty of the story.

[Book Buying With Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great counter to the "black is bad" narrative often seen throughout society.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful black all around us.

[Gwen Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very interesting in its structure and the message it sent. I had never read a book about a color before that was trying to convince the reader that that color is good. That seems to be what this book was doing though. It listed several great things that are black, so that makes black seem like a great color, but those things can also sometimes be other colors. I suppose this book would be good for an African American child to read if he was struggling with being different from everyone else. Children might see that they are different from the majority of other children and they might get upset or sad about it. This book could help cheer those children up.
The illustrations int this book were pretty good. They were all very flowy, kind of like the words on the pages. Every character was depicted as being African American, which makes sense, considering the title and the topic of the book. These illustrations would be good for readers, especially small ones, because they depict what is being said in the text very well. You do not really have to read the text to get what is going on in the book, just look at the picture!
The text rhymed in some places and not so well in others, which kind of bothered me. This is not the first book to do that, and I don't really understand why that is a thing. If you want to make words in a book rhyme, make them rhyme. If not, then don't. Either way, what the words said was nice and a good lesson for everyone to learn.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful poetic tribute to the color black. The illustrations are beautiful and sensitive to the charming poetry that they accompany.

I bought this book with my daughter (who is biracial) and my step-sister (who is white), because we were having a issues with unintentionally bashing physical qualities of People of Color (hair texture, color, and skin tone) as well as the color black in abstract while enthusiastically celebrating blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, such as seen on almost every Disney princess.

My daughter was completely absorbed while we were reading and when we were done my step-daughter softly commented, “black really is a beautiful color.” We went on to talk about all the beautiful things that come in the color black, like crows, cats, coffee, hair, eyelashes, etc., some of which are specifically mentioned in this book.

I think this book has helped bring balance to the extremely white-centric media with which my girls are constantly inundated and it has had an observable, positive impact on our blended family.

Some other lovely books in the same vein include Black is Brown is Tan and Tar Beach. I really wish there were more books in this genre that are both excellently written and beautifully illustrated.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in simple verse, this book lists all the things that are black. From the print on the page of a book to the paint on a limousine, the world is filled with all sorts of black things. On the last page, the reader is encouraged to dream of "beautiful black, black all around" and to feel a sense of pride in being black. This would be a valuable tool in a multicultural classroom because it would both boost the self-esteem of African-American students and raise awareness in those of other races. This book could also be used with very young children when teaching colors.

[Caitlin Sabers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a great way to show how many beautiful and important things are black. It helps children who associate black with only negative things. The only reason I rated it so low are the illustrations. If Kadir Nelson had done them, one would truly be able to see the beauty, but the pictures are too loud for me as is. I don't really think they adequately show what the author is saying to the audience.

[Shakila Lightfoot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hubbell, P., & Tate, D. (2003). Black all around! New York: Lee & Low Books.
Subgroup:
Genre:Poetry
Topic: Black, Self-love
Synopsis: This book gives the color black a positive view. Black is typically associated with negative things and it is rare to see it in a positive way. It also represents a self-love and self-acceptance book for “Black” children who don't see themselves frequently in the media. It’s also nice to see African American characters throughout the book.

[Tracey Cornwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where we are socialized to think of the color black as having a negative association Hubbell has written an excellent picture book celebrating the beauty of the color black. Tate's illustrations lend wonderfully to the poetic text that encourages the reader to simply look around to identify and take in the the beauty of the black.

[Tracey Cornwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where we are socialized to think of the color black as having a negative association Hubbell has written an excellent picture book celebrating the beauty of the color black. Tate's illustrations lend wonderfully to the poetic text that encourages the reader to simply look around to identify and take in the the beauty of the black.

[Rakisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully illustrated book that cues readers in on the wonderful things that are the color black--a color that is usually associated with bad things. It's subtle self-love and self-acceptance book for Black (or all "brown") children who don't see themselves frequently in the media.

[Charles Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia Hubbell's "Black All Around" lists all the wonderful things in the world that are black in a rhymed, poetic style. Black, a color usually associated with bad things, is finally attached to wonderful things in this colorful and well illustrated piece.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I've seen other books of this kind, this is nicely done and deserving of praise. The many places we see black all around us on a daily basis are brought forward in stark clarity in this poetic text. Nicely done.

[Bethany Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in LOVE with this book! Beautiful! Creative! Inspiring!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations throughout this rhyming book celebrating the color black.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid concept book that celebrates the color black in all its forms.

[Brianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picture Book -- interesting book for learning about black

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a list poem celebrating the beauty of black.