If Dominican Were A Color is a beautifully illustrated book that has a lot to love with a message that will introduce the Dominican Republic to many elementary-aged readers. The colors in the book are big, vibrant, and will be attractive to poetry fans through middle school and their younger students who will be stimulated by the colors, as the words relax their minds. The book operates on two levels. One of them is immediate and universal, while the other one channels Deee-Lite.
The poetic nature of If Dominican Were A Color is great for kids, especially those who might not like poetry. The stanzas are short and shake things up between being on one page to sharing two pages to get their rhyming point across. “The shade of cinnamon in your cocoa” is complemented by “the drums beating so fast, they drive you loco” on its opposite page, for example. Some sentences won’t even rhyme, but they’re so pretty when laid on top of the illustrations kids won’t mind.
Readers of any age will also love the colors and ask more questions about the Dominican Republic. The art shows us a gorgeous place with 1,000 shades of green plant life and dozens of shades of the racially mixed people that live there. From the different colors in their curled and kinked hair, the landscapes, food, and people it’s a great book that makes young readers curious about the area and appreciates its beauty.
If Dominican Were A Color is a little short, even for a poetry book. At just under 30 pages, with only of them having words, it’s more of an illustrated book than a poetry book. Kids will enjoy looking at the art, but, the poetic nature of the book means that it’s more likely to be a read-along book, rather than one where kids relax with it for their own reading time.
If Dominican Were A Color is from author Sili Recio with illustrations by Brianna McCarthy. Recio has an author’s note at the end of the book. She’s from the Dominican Republic but moved to NYC. Recio shares some memories of the island, its history, as well as the beauty and pride that people should take in being black. All of these things are true, and as an adult, the note from her provides perspective and a first-person context.
However, it also takes away from the enjoyment of the book if you’re an adult and read If Dominican Were A Color all the way through. Deee-Lite had a fabulous album in 1990 called World Clique. It was fun and something that everyone could love. Two years later in 1992 they released Infinity Within, an album that had a similar musical footprint, but was deep in political opinions. If you find yourself asking who Deee-Lite is, you’re not alone, but you probably remember their biggest hit.
Glow is a great example of a poetry board book that celebrates similar aspects of If Dominican Were A Color. However, that book keeps it at the same age level throughout, which makes for a better book experience.
If Dominican Were A Color is a great illustrated book. The author’s note has lots of material and motivation that are primed for other books that could be aimed at older audiences. As a poetry book, it would’ve been better served as a love letter to the Dominican Republic and the beauty of black people. Those two messages are strong enough in the book and hit their young demographic squarely on the head.
If Dominican Were A Color is by Sili Recio with illustrations by Brianna McCarthy and is a Denene Millner Book, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
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