Menena Cottin

Venezuelan author/illustrator team Menena Cottin and Rosana Faría team up in this innovative picture-book that attempts to communicate the experience of being blind, and of how colors might be perceived by the blind, to young children. Simple but poetic text describes how colors are experienced by a young blind boy named Thomas, while the artwork on the facing page is done in raised clear line drawings on the deep black paper. The text for sighted children is in white text on the black show more paper, and is also translated into Braille.

Originally published in Mexico as El libro negro de los colores, and translated into many languages around the world, this lovely, thought-provoking book is really quite unique. I have never really thought about how something like color, which relies on exposure to light, might be communicated to and/or thought about by the blind, but The Black Book of Colors has prompted me to do just that, and to consider how so much of what we think we know is filtered through our method of perceiving it. In this respect, I was reminded of some of the conversations I have had with people who have conditions like synesthesia, and the different ways in which they experience things like words. I really enjoyed Rosana Faría's artwork here, although I am constrained to admit that I simply couldn't perceive much shape, when running my fingers over her raised illustrations, while keeping my eyes closed. It's a shame that the Braille text isn't of a quality that it could actually be read by the blind - apparently production costs would have been too high - but this makes an excellent introduction to the topic for sighted children. Recommended to anyone looking for innovative books addressing blindness, color, and how we look at issues of disability and perception in general. show less

I love “The Black Book of Colors” by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria, and it has officially become my favorite children’s book. I love this book because of its use of Braille and no color to portray how a child with a visual impairment or blindness would read a book. I love how the book does not openly state that the main character, Thomas is blind, but the reader gets a sense that this is the case due to the fact that the book contains no color. His disability is not what defines him show more as a character. I also love how each page of the book has pictures that are not relatively visible (due to the fact that they are black on a black page), but are textured so that one can feel what the picture is. The pictures also relate and represent what the words on the pages read. For instance, one page talks about brown leaves crunching. On the page beside the text about the brown leaves are textured leaves that the reader can feel and connect with the words or Braille on the adjacent page. I also think that it is great that the authors included the fact that black was Thomas’ favorite color. I think that this was an imperative part of the story to include because the entire book is black (besides the white words on some pages), and black is also what a person with blindness sees. Finally, I think that the language of this book is very effective in the sense that it really helps a reader feel what Thomas feels. The language is descriptive and detailed, which gives way to Thomas’ senses. For example, one page reads, “he says that green tastes like lemon and ice cream smells like grass that’s just been cut.” Although Thomas cannot see green the reader can connect with what his perception of the color is through his senses. The central message of this book is that we see life through our senses and not just our eyes. show less

This book doesn't tell its reader what it's like to be blind, it shows them. The book is shockingly different at first glance, with all black pages, black illustrations, and stark white text. The top of the page features the story in braille, with the text translation following. The simple line drawings are slightly raised off the page, allowing the reader a pleasing tactile experience. With each page, Cottin describes a color using similes and metaphors related to taste, smell, sound, and show more feeling. I am withholding one star because I have read some reviews stating that the braille is unreadable for those who actually need it. show less

In this book, Thomas describes what all the colors feel, smell, sound, and taste like. The all black pages boast raised texture images that invite the reader to experience the book through the words on the page and through the feel of the pages.

This book takes the reader into a realm where the begin to experience life as though they were blind. The descriptions of what this apparently blind boy experiences in relation to colors is thought provoking and wonderful. A true eye opening show more experience for all sighted readers. Interestingly, the braille that is printed on the page is not intended for readers who are blind because of production quality. This book was really meant to raise awareness of blindness, and promote acceptance and understanding of the differences between the sighted and the blind. show less