Along with having a picture at the beginning of every chapter, there are also pictures to show emotional moments in the characters such as when Damaris tells Dyamonde about living in the shelter. The purpose of the illustrations in Rich seems to be to give a deeper look into the emotions of the characters. Some shaded areas also give the pictures depth. In order to show movement, the illustrator creates small shaded sections the make it look like things, such as the cars, are moving. Unknown to Free, this is where the treasure hunt is going to take place. For example, Chapter 4, Treasure Hunt, shows a store window with a sign that says, Second Time Around.

The pictures inside the chapter numbers give a sneak peak into what is going to happen in that chapter. The pictures are created with outline drawings. Every chapter has a picture inside the chapter number and there are a few other pictures throughout the book. The illustrations are done with pen and ink and there aren’t very many of them. Gregory Christie is the illustrator for Rich. All of the illustrations in this book are printed in black and white. People can be rich with friends and family as well. The theme of this book is that being rich isn’t all about having a lot of money. The results of the poetry contest make everyone happy in the end. Dyamonde and Damaris quickly become friends. This book shows what poverty can be like but Dyamonde shows Damaris that being rich isn’t all about having a lot of money. Dyamonde learns that Damaris lives in a homeless shelter. Dyamonde opens Free’s eyes to what being rich can really mean. However, a girl named Damaris Dancer, who Free and Dyamonde don’t know much about, also entered the contest. Cordell announces that the local library is hosting a poetry contest. Free’s dream is to win a poetry contest and win a cash prize. Diamonde looks at being poor in a different way.

Free wishes he had more money to buy the things he wants and he says he hates being poor. Rich is about a girl named Dyamonde Daniel and her best friend Free. Damaris is poor and she lives in a homeless shelter. Dyamonde and Free are most likely middle class but Free cares a lot more about money than Dyamonde does. Rich shows characters from multiple Socio-Economic Statuses.

Dyamonde daniel book