We are color struck

The way an artist strikes

His canvas with his brush

of many hues

Look closely at these mirrors

these palettes of skin

Each color is rich

in its own right

Coretta Scott King honorees Joyce Carol Thomas and Floyd Cooper celebrate the many shades of black in this lyrical and luminous collection of poems. In each poem, a child compares his color to the beautiful world around him, whether it be the silver stars at dusk, the red earth, the bronze on the summer leaves turing to autumn, or coffee so thick and black a spoon could stand in it. These are the colors that make us unique.

In Floyd Cooper's magical portraits and Joyce Carol Thomas's inspired poetry black is dramatic, black is distinctive, black is dazzling.