Black and White

Starred review from July 1, 2021
Black and White are different, but wonderful things happen when they are together. When White wakes up, extends through the sky, and enters the window, Black goes under the bed to hide. How could this be the basis for a friendship? But after Black sprays some black on White and the result is "So cool!" they're off on an adventure. Valentinis' elegant illustrations using only black and white--as befits the story--depict a forest, both North and South poles, a savanna, a jungle, and back home again before it is time for White to say good night and for Black to take over. The sights in each locale are the results of Black and White coming together (a Dalmatian, a polar bear's black nose and eyes, black heads, backs, and wings of penguins, etc.), depicted with no outlines, thus allowing the images to dissolve into negative space and thereby stressing their oneness in spite of their difference. The story unfolds in short spare sentences that match the illustrations, both text and artwork presenting just enough for readers to fill in the details with their imaginations. Taken together the book makes for a delightful experience on several levels. The aesthetic of the artwork is spare, modern, and elegant. Never preachy, the story invites readers to consider how much more we could be if, instead of focusing on what makes us different, we focused on the results when we come together. A book for adults and little ones to share, appreciate, and consider together. (Picture book. 3-5)

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August 1, 2021
Preschool-Grade 1 This book opens on a black page with white rectangles representing windows as night turns into morning. The clean, linear illustrations using pen and digital materials depict White waking and lighting up the day. As White enters a bedroom filled with black-and-white objects, foreshadowing what's to come, it makes visible a stuffed zebra, a penguin, and a piano, as Black takes refuge by sliding under the bed. Finally emerging, Black sprays White with octopus ink, and while White is upset at first, it's amazed by the spotted Dalmatian that appears. The two colors venture into a forest and to the North and South Poles, as well as to a savanna and a jungle. Together, they create black-and-white animals and objects, such as a panther, penguins, a polar bear, and a musical measure sitting on the piano. The two colors have very different personalities, but they learn to cooperate while they create, not blending into gray, but keeping their own distinct identities. An intriguing exploration of collaborative play.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2021
In this visually striking quasi-concept book, the creative team behind Line and Scribble (rev. 7/21) plays with meaning and form to explore the bond between the title's two archetypal opposites. The pen and digital illustrations are rendered solely in black and white, a contrast mirroring the two personified colors' opposing personalities. The narrative begins as day breaks and White "spreads through the sky," revealing the dark silhouettes of multiple homes. After going through a window to illuminate what appears to be a child's bedroom, White expands into Black's shadowy space under the bed -- cleverly expressed as a white oval stretching across the gutter of a double-page spread. This invasion of space frustrates timid Black ("Hey, stop pushing...You're squashing me!"), feelings are hurt, and tension builds. The dispute is (perhaps too) quickly resolved when Black is embodied in a sprawling octopus, impressively spraying ink across a page-turn. The action inspires the duo to collaborate on a fantastical journey through various scenarios (referencing items found within the child's bedroom from earlier), providing opportunities for Valentinis to experiment with texture, negative space, and optical illusion. As night begins to fall and Black's shadow "stretches out everything," the pair works in harmony for one final game of chess, song at the piano, and page of a bedtime story. Black and White, more abstract voices than concrete characters, lightly present a metaphor regarding the nature of difference, creativity, and collaboration. Patrick Gall

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
In this visually striking quasi-concept book, the creative team behind Line and Scribble (rev. 7/21) plays with meaning and form to explore the bond between the title's two archetypal opposites. The pen and digital illustrations are rendered solely in black and white, a contrast mirroring the two personified colors' opposing personalities. The narrative begins as day breaks and White "spreads through the sky," revealing the dark silhouettes of multiple homes. After going through a window to illuminate what appears to be a child's bedroom, White expands into Black's shadowy space under the bed -- cleverly expressed as a white oval stretching across the gutter of a double-page spread. This invasion of space frustrates timid Black ("Hey, stop pushing...You're squashing me!"), feelings are hurt, and tension builds. The dispute is (perhaps too) quickly resolved when Black is embodied in a sprawling octopus, impressively spraying ink across a page-turn. The action inspires the duo to collaborate on a fantastical journey through various scenarios (referencing items found within the child's bedroom from earlier), providing opportunities for Valentinis to experiment with texture, negative space, and optical illusion. As night begins to fall and Black's shadow "stretches out everything," the pair works in harmony for one final game of chess, song at the piano, and page of a bedtime story. Black and White, more abstract voices than concrete characters, lightly present a metaphor regarding the nature of difference, creativity, and collaboration.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)