Borrowed Black: A Labrador Fantasy

by Ellen Obed Bryan, Ellen Bryan Obed, Jan Mogensen (Illustrator)

The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Borrowed Black tells the story of an imaginary creature who lives on the coast of Labrador. He borrows everything from his surroundings -- even the wind fuels his very existence. When his greed spurs him to borrow the moon, which he shatters, the land becomes veiled in darkness. Luckily, local sailors come together, return the wind to the air and the moon to the sky, and show us how courage can overcome greed. Borrowed Black has been printed in eleven countries, and has been translated into seven languages, including Innu and Innuit. It has also been used in the Labrador school system. Breathtaking, full colour illustrations by Jan Mogensen perfectly complement this classic tale.

Genres: Picture Books

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Lara Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! Great local book, wonderful rhyming verse, terrific story and a perfect read out loud book. I love how atmospheric it is, and that it’s not cutesy like so many picture books. I will continue to give this book as a gift to youngsters. And read it to them at every opportunity.

PS: This is a better moon book than that other kid lit moon book IMHO.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all-time favourite children’s book. I get teary every time I read it.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrowed Black steals the moonlight and is defeated by a motley crew of creatures as fantastic as he is.

This is a spooky, silly story in rhyme about a monster of borrowed bits. Mogensen’s illustrations capture with its shades the spooky feel of Obed’s poetry and the tale’s creatures in equally fantastic visual depictions.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this story. I find it a rare treasure when a children's book has both an excellent premise, story, and style. The rhyme is a true delight to read out loud and I'm thrilled my 3 year old loves it too, as I just get to read it over and over again.

[Creeker868 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the rhyme. A great story to read aloud as the tale flows off the tongue. Slightly creepy which grabs children's attention.

[Eyehavenofilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was knia" creepy... in a rhyming verse a creature washes ashore to borrow what he needs to be complete. H borrows a large rock to live on, wood from sunken ships to build his shack, paws of a bear for hands, seal flippers to walk on for feet...but the locals are not happy, when he finds the moon crashed on the shore and borrows it to ligh up the bottom of the sea.
Who will help them rid their belover island of this monster?
Read the book and find out. Theres also a small dictonary of local vernacular at the end that helps clear up some confusion while reading the book.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blech... long sing-song rhyme that detracted from story...
Story a mix of horror and silliness... illustrations sometimes atmospheric and sometimes just weird....
I could not get into it nearly well enough to find a good reason to read or share it.

(I wonder how it got on my list.)