I love all of these poems. They're so powerful and informative on how different races are either perceived or view their own lives. It's so beautiful and a great read for 3rd-grade - middle school. ( )

This book is composed of various poems about berries that are describing different shades of races, particularly African American. This is a beautiful book because it brings a sweet tone to a touchy subject. Not only does it tell readers that all colors are beautiful, but it also reinforces family generation ties. The illustrations are big, bold, and very expressive. My favorite picture is the two page picture of all the children standing happily together as a whole. This book would be a good read for fourth or fifth grade. ( )

The Blacker the Berry is a beautifully written book about little African American boys and girls and the many shades of black that they come in. I LOVE the way that Joyce Carol Thomas compares every child in the book to a berry. For example she compares raspberries to African-Native-American children and she compares cranberries to the Irish ancestors that mixed with the little girl's father side. (her father is black) This book is very encouraging for young children, especially little African American girls. ( )

The Blacker the Berry is a collection of poems about different African American children mostly comparing themselves to berries. I'm sure that most have heard the saying, "the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice." This book shows and explains that there are different colors of being black. Some colors include yellow, red, and even a biscuit brown color. The child that has red hair and red skin wonders how it got this way by saying, "maybe it's because I like cranberry sauce." This book can be used to teach children that there is no such thing as being black or white. There are many different skin colors that people can have. All skin colors are beautiful and everyone should appreciate the skin that they are in. ( )

This book is a collection of poems by Joyce Carol Thomas. These poems all focus on different skin colors. According to the pictures, it appears that these different skin colors are of African American children. They all used great metaphors and similes to really bring about the visions in the reader's mind. ( )