Black and White

Written by David Macaulay

Four tales intertwine, revealing a single, mysterious story.

5.0/7 Bookroo expert·3.8/5 Goodreads · 4,726 ratings

32 pages· 1,032 words· Est. 8 min read-aloud· 610L

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Four seemingly separate tales unfold: a robber hides among cattle, a train station's passengers grow restless, and a boy observes the chaos. Are these stories truly separate, or one intricate puzzle? Discover the hidden connections and unravel the mystery as perceptions shift and illusions play out. Dive into a world where time and events blur, challenging your understanding and sparking endless curiosity.

From the publisher

What appear to be four separate stories, one installment of each appearing on each spread of the book, turn out to intermingle and, in time, become one story. Always Macaulay is playing with our perceptions and making allusions and illusions. A robber hides out in a herd of cattle who, in turn, disrupt the passage of a train. At the train station, passengers at first are absorbed in the newspapers they are reading, but as the wait lengthens, they start playing with the newspapers and with each other. A boy, a passenger on the train, witnesses some of the events, but not all of them. Parents, previously staid and distant, have apparently changed, at least temporarily, because of their time spent waiting for the train that day. The book can be frustratingly confusing or, in the proper hands and minds, a challenge and a source of fascination.