Black and White

Black and WHite

David Macaulay

Synopsis:

Four stories are told in this Caldecott winning book, on each page. The quadrants on each page tell a separate story! This book offers the reader a chance to read the book from several different perspective. Read it anyway you like, either way it’s a different adventure.

Response:

Pictures interacting with text is more than making something ascetically pleasing, it can be useful to convey the story. These stories all have a unique aspect to them, namely the illustrations. They are each so much different than the others. They come together towards the end when each is in black and white. The final page shows different aspects of each story in the others.

It sounds more confusing than it is. The book is fun! Whether you’re reading Seeing Things, Udder Chaos, Problem Parents, or A Waiting Game, you can’t help, but to see the other stories going on. It’s hard to read a story in isolation. Above all, this book lends itself to the scope of this assignment, there is more to a single book than the text on the page. Each book is an extension of other books.

With that this book is a great introduction to intertextuality. Younger classes could assess this text one story at a time. Then after doing so, looking at how they each link toothier.

Activity:

Flotsam uses no words throughout the book. Black and White manipulates illustrations and text. Both have their own distinct way of manipulating the original story. Have the kids manipulate the traditional story. Here are two radically different books and yet two pleasing books to explore. Have the kids make their own story. Maybe some kids don’t like to write stories, but love to draw. Maybe others like to do both. Maybe some like to write. Either way, a story will have to be conveyed, the elements of fiction need to be utilized and demonstrated.