MUSIC IS A RAINBOW

Sometimes something unexpected can guide us away from the darkest parts of ourselves into a magnificent, glorious light.

Collier delivers a visually arresting tale as simple as a peanut-butter–and-jelly sandwich yet more layered than an opera cake. A young Black boy loves his mama and daddy, and they love him right back. But the boy’s mother becomes ill, and he feels lonely. Trouble beckons in the form of friends encouraging him to accompany them as they make mischief, but each time, music somehow finds him and sets him on the right path—he overhears a young girl playing the piano, is swept up in the swells of a powerful score at the movies, and finally discovers a piano. Using stunning panels that combine rich watercolors with collage, Collier has created a character whose facial expressions and body language tell the whole story—his joy, anxiety, and promise. The author/illustrator captures that little voice inside us all, the one that calls out when we see something breathtaking. The use of light and color is superb—music is a radiant, swirling rainbow that leads the boy out of the shadows. Collier writes in an author’s note that he was inspired by Maya Angelou, Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” and Quincy Jones. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A poetic collage of emotion and purpose and a vibrant testament to the power of music.