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(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
John Clapp.
Born "black and silent as wonder" into an African-like village, Shining grows without making a sound. At Shining's coming of age, The One appears and explains to the suspicious villagers the value of listening. The poetic black similes ("black as wisdom") work a little too hard, but with its sooty charcoal and mixed-media images, brightened with touches of orange, this elemental tale has power.