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Carole Byard illustrations are striking. Bold colors and
clearly defined facial expressions of the characters capture the emotions and
the struggle the author describes.
The cover illustration depicts the main components of the
story. This is achieved in two ways: the subjects in the picture; the brothers,
the snowman, and the Kente; as well as the illustrators’ use of the color
black for the building, the railing in background, and then the bright, bold
Kente in the foreground immediately stimulates the reader into wondering what
significance the cloth the boy is holding has on those in the illustration.
The book deals with a child’s low self-esteem. A
little boy named Jacob has low self-esteem because he feels being black is
connected to only a negative meaning. We see his frame of reference as he tells
his mother that in stories the black knight is the bad character and the white
knight is good and always conquers. He says you never hear of a black house,
but you often hear of the important white house.
His mother tries to show him black does not signify 'bad';
as she is doing this, a pancake burns and she says look we have a “man in
the pan”. Jacob asks if she thinks the pancake man is happy and his mother
tells him, “happy ain’t got no color.”
This does not quench Jacob’s doubt about his worth
and he goes out. His younger brother follows suit and once outside begins
building a snowman out of the dark snow on the side of the street. Jacob helps
him and they complete the snowman with items they find around the garbage. The
snowman comes to life when they place the Kente on him like a shawl. The author
introduces fantasy to address Jacob’s belief about the color black being a
'bad' quality.
When the snowman comes to life he changes from gray to
pink; to red, yellow, blue, and finally solid black. The author is conveying
that all colors are equally worthy.
When Jacob tells the snowman black is bad, the author uses
a comparison or analogy to demonstrate that one’s beliefs come from a
fixed idea or perception and you, the reader, and Jacob need to be open to new
perspectives.
Through the snowman the author challenges all of us to
reconsider what we value by having the snowman ask Jacob, “what is more
important in a book--the white pages, the black words, or the message the book
holds?”
The author makes an analogy for students to help them come
to terms with racial discrimination. He examines something concrete through
words in a book and their meaning, and compares this to the abstract concept of
people’s inner qualities that make self worth and inner strength.
The author is using a friendly and familiar character (an
alive snowman) to instruct Jacob and all children on a difficult concept. The
use of fantasy incorporates aspects that make understanding easier.
Jacob still does not understand what the snowman is
telling him. Peewee demonstrates what is meant by courage and strength by going
on his own into an old, abandoned warehouse to gather bottles to earn money for
his mother’s Christmas present.
Meanwhile, the snowman visits Jacob and shows him (through
conjuring up real life images) his ancestors; their bravery and skillfulness.
The people should make him feel proud because they are a part of his heritage.
Jacob is then challenged to use his inner strength when he
must use his courage to rescue his little brother from the burning warehouse.
He finds a courage he did not know he had. He leads his brother out of the
burning building. The snowman has passed on the courage of their African
ancestors with his words and wrapping them in the magic Kente. The Kente
symbolizes diversity, for it is woven from many colors and it has lasted many
generations, thus conveying the strength, endurance, and inner strength of the
African people.
The story ends with the Kente being picked up by a fireman
at the scene, symbolizing that Jacob no longer needs the support of the Kente.
He has developed a belief in his own ability and realizes that the color of his
skin does not alter his abilities and inner characteristics, such as caring and
loving.
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