Beautiful Blackbird

(Hardback)

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Description

A tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia gets new life in this picture book adaptation from Coretta Scott King Award winner Ashley Bryan about appreciating ones heritage and discovering the beauty within.

Black is beautiful, uh-huh!

Long ago, Blackbird was voted the most beautiful bird in the forest. The other birds, who were colored red, yellow, blue, and green, were so envious that they begged Blackbird to paint their feathers with a touch of black so they could be beautiful too. Although Black-bird warns them that true beauty comes from within, the other birds persist and soon each is given a ring of black around their neck or a dot of black on their wingsmarkings that detail birds to this very day.

Author Bio

Ashley Bryan (19232022) grew up to the sound of his mother singing from morning to night, and he shared the joy of song with children. A beloved illustrator, he was named a Newbery Honoree for his picture book,Freedom Over Me. He also received the Coretta Scott KingVirginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award; the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; was a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer; a Coretta Scott King Award winner; and the recipient of countless other awards and recognitions. His books includeFreedom Over Me;Sail Away;Beautiful Blackbird;Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum;Let It Shine;Ashley Bryans Book of Puppets; andWhat a Wonderful World. He livedin Islesford, one of the Cranberry Isles off the coast of Maine.