Black and White was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1990 and won the Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book. It is unlike anything else in Macaulay’s oeuvre — or in children’s literature generally: a radically experimental work that questions the very nature of narrative and the assumption that a book tells a single story in a linear sequence.
Each page is divided into four quadrants, each containing what appears to be a separate story: a boy on a train journey; a commuter waiting for a delayed train; Holstein cows in a field; a family’s parents acting strangely. Each story is rendered in a different artistic style — watercolor, torn paper collage, expressionist drawing, realistic illustration. As the book progresses, elements from one story begin appearing in others: the cows may be the same commuters; the train delay may explain the parents’ behavior; the boy may be seeing all four stories simultaneously.
The book carries a warning on the title page: “This book appears to contain a number of stories that do not necessarily occur at the same time. Then again, it may contain only one story. In any event, careful inspection of both words and pictures is recommended.” Macaulay is teaching readers about the constructed nature of narrative — how stories depend on the reader’s willingness to impose order on chaos.
Collecting Black and White
First edition (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1990): Oversize hardcover with dust jacket. Caldecott Medal winner.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $40–$100
- Very good: $15–$40
- Caldecott Medal adds significant collectible value