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Chocolate Me!
The boy is teased for looking different than the other kids. His skin is darker, his hair curlier. He tells his mother he wishes he could be more like everyone else. And she helps him to see how beautiful he really, truly is.
For years before they both achieved acclaim in their respective professions, good friends Taye Diggs and Shane W. Evans wanted to collaborate on Choco...more
For years before they both achieved acclaim in their respective professions, good friends Taye Diggs and Shane W. Evans wanted to collaborate on Choco...more
Hardcover, 36 pages
Published
September 27th 2011
by Feiwel & Friends
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I am torn on this book.
On one side I feel this is a great book for children who are dark skinned. It does teach them everyone is different and you should love yourself.
On the other side, I feel this book can be considered racist. I did show this to a friend of mine who is African American. She said she does see where this can be a good book, however it does have racial slurs in it. If a child has never heard these before, why put it in their heads? She also said she would never let her niece rea...more
On one side I feel this is a great book for children who are dark skinned. It does teach them everyone is different and you should love yourself.
On the other side, I feel this book can be considered racist. I did show this to a friend of mine who is African American. She said she does see where this can be a good book, however it does have racial slurs in it. If a child has never heard these before, why put it in their heads? She also said she would never let her niece rea...more
This is a tough book. I know why people don't like it: it is really hard to read out loud. I found myself editing a little bit of it, it was so harsh. In it a little "chocolate" boy is sometimes innocently and sometimes meanly made to feel bad about his physical features as a black child. So if your children have never been asked questions like the little boy in the book, or if they themselves are not black and have not asked questions about skin color yet, it might feel "racist" or "destroying...more
Honestly I would never give a book such low ratings but I felt as though this book was racist which I did not appreciate. When reading the first couple of pages I was taken back by the message I thought I was reading and thought that the book would get better but to my disappointed I believe that the message got worse. The majority of the pages in this book depict the ways that other kids make fun of the African American main character. For example, "Your skin is brown like dirt. Does it hurt to...more
Man, this is a tough one to decide about. I like that Taye Diggs and Shane Evans teamed up to create an honest and thoughtful book about being African American. That being said, I cannot ever imagine reading this book to a group of students.
A young, unnamed African American boy is teased for the color of his skin, the shape of his nose, the texture of his hair, and the brightness of his teeth. His mother helps him realize his inner and outer beauty, building his confidence and self-esteem. He is...more
A young, unnamed African American boy is teased for the color of his skin, the shape of his nose, the texture of his hair, and the brightness of his teeth. His mother helps him realize his inner and outer beauty, building his confidence and self-esteem. He is...more
Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs and illustrated by Shane W. Evans is a wonderful children's story that teaches children to embrace diversity and the personal differences that make them unique. The story follows a young boy who is unlike all of his friends because of his skin color. His friends are interested in his differences, as many young children are, and this makes him insecure and creates a desire within himself to be like everyone else. He goes home and tells him Mom "Why can't I be more like...more
This is a picturebook about a dark skinned boy who begins to feel badly because he does not look like any of his peers. When he asks his mother why, she encourages him to appreciate the things that make him unique. It is intended for children ages 5-8(P).
I gave this book 3 stars. The illustrator does an excellent job of conveying the contents of the text using bold acrylics. The author's decision to leave the main character unnamed makes it easy for any child to insert himself into the story. Al...more
I gave this book 3 stars. The illustrator does an excellent job of conveying the contents of the text using bold acrylics. The author's decision to leave the main character unnamed makes it easy for any child to insert himself into the story. Al...more
Chocolate Me! is a narrative that tells a story of a dark skinned boy who is different from the other children in his neighborhood who are white, Timmy, Johnny, and Mark. The white children in the neighborhood make fun of his skin, his hair, and his nose and he becomes sad and wishes that he could be more like them. Towards the end of the story his mother uses descriptive language to tell him that she loves him just the way that he is and that he should love himself (ex. ”You have skin like velv...more
Johnny, Timmy and Mark make fun of young Taye because he does not look like them, nor does he have a similar name. His hair is curly, his skin is dark, and his nose is wide. These comments make Taye doubt his own worth, but his supportive mother points out to him that he has many fine qualities, and is the same color as chocolate. She makes him cupcakes to share with his friends, who also agree that chocolate can be a good thing.
My favorite part of this book was the t shirts that Taye is wearin...more
My favorite part of this book was the t shirts that Taye is wearin...more
Chocolate Me is a book that helps kids understand that being different is okay. It also shows kids about how other students of the african american ethnicity might feel sometimes being different then the other kids. This book shows how a child realizes his self-esteem and grows as a person who is proud of where he comes from and what he looks like. This book would be great for 1st graders who are undergoing a lot of changes and are growing stronger in their friendship bonds.
Diggs, T., & Evan...more
Diggs, T., & Evan...more
Our main character in this story wants to be like his friends; he hates being dark skinned and having poofy hair and having a wide nose and having an unusual name and bright white teeth. His mom compares his hair to fudge frosting and his hair to cotton candy and the boy starts to take pride in his beautiful features. He grows to love being Chocolate Me!
“And then my moms said,
‘Wait one minute, my sweet! Can’t you see?
You have skin like velvet fudge frosting mixed in a bowl.
(You can lick the spoo...more
“And then my moms said,
‘Wait one minute, my sweet! Can’t you see?
You have skin like velvet fudge frosting mixed in a bowl.
(You can lick the spoo...more
A little boy is teased by the (white) neighborhood kids for his dark skin and kinky hair, but his mom helps him see that these things are beautiful, and he reaches out to the bullies. I especially like how the refrain "chocolate me" goes from a lament to a celebration. This would be great in the hands of an expressive reader. Bright, appealing, emotional illustrations by Shane W. Evans. Taye Diggs does not get my usual scoff at celebrity picture book writing (he and Evans met in college and have...more
A little boy is teased by three other boys in his neighborhood. Timmy, Johnny and Mark question why is his skin darker than theirs? Why is his hair not straight? The little boy begins to feel bad about himself because he is different. He goes home and tells his mother what happened. She explains being different is not bad. In fact it's good. She tells him how she sees him and how special he is. She brings him a mirror and tells him to always love what he sees. He believes his mother and realizes...more
The main character of the book, who goes unnamed, is teased because he is different than the other boys in the neighborhood. Compared to the white kids, his skin is darker, his hair more poofy, his nose is wider, and his teeth shine brighter. He returns home in tears, because he wants to fit in. His mother talks to him, telling him how special he is and how perfect he is. She tells him that his skin is like “velvet fudge frosting mixed in a bowl.” She gives him a t-shirt that says “Chocolate me!...more
Such a sweet story! This poor little guy feels so bad because his friends have popular names, white skin and smooth hair. But his mom puts things in perspective and reminds him how special he is because his skin is like fudge frosting and his hair is cotton candy soft.
The illustrations and bold and beautiful with unique prints and details on each page. I especially love the positive affirmation t-shirts he's wearing throughout the book.
The illustrations and bold and beautiful with unique prints and details on each page. I especially love the positive affirmation t-shirts he's wearing throughout the book.
Chocolate Me!, is a children's book by actor Taye Diggs. It's based on experiences of feeling different and trying to fit in as kids.
The main character is teased because his skin is darker, his hair curlier. He tells his mother he wishes he could be more like everyone else. His mother helps him to see how beautiful he is by saying "skin is like fudge frosting and his hair is cotton candy"
gets: ❤❤❤❤ good for one on one storytime.
The main character is teased because his skin is darker, his hair curlier. He tells his mother he wishes he could be more like everyone else. His mother helps him to see how beautiful he is by saying "skin is like fudge frosting and his hair is cotton candy"
gets: ❤❤❤❤ good for one on one storytime.
A very simple but sweet story. It's just a story about a boy who always felt different as a child by a man who is now a dad and wants his son to always know how special he is. I saw Taye Diggs in an interview explaining his motivation for writing the story. The language is very straightforward and it's a short and very basic story, but it makes the point clear. Different can be delicious.
Chocolate Me! Is about a young boy who is questioned/ teased about how he looks. He wonders why he cant believe like everyone else. His mom helps him out and lets him know how beautiful he is. This book is a great book to read to children to let them know that everyone is different and shows them how they can embrace their uniqueness.
When given an assignment to read a multicultural book I went to the library and picked the first book I saw. When reading Chocolate Me! I was first torn on the book and still am. I feel that the message of the book could be taken a couple of different ways depending on the reader. The book starts off saying "Sitting on my stoop when I was five, not like Timmy or Johnny, or even Mark. Though I wanted a name like theirs." The book then goes on to talk about the unnamed boys skin, nose, and his hai...more
While I LOVE the message this book is trying to convey, I didn't love how the author chose to do it. Even my children thought the book was "mean" and when we were done, failed to completely see how the author "made it right again". If 3 older children feel that way, the book has not succeeded in my opinion.
I really liked this story. It's great for diversity. A young boy gets made fun of because of the color of his skin. When he goes home and tells his mom of how the other students are treating him at school she tells him all of the beautiful things she sees when she looks at him. Good example of rhyming.
I thought this was a very cute book teaching a little boy who is different how to love himself and that he is special. It isn't my favorite children's book, but I would buy it since it gives excellent discussion points about skin color and the not so subtle "my moms".
The idea of the book is pretty good...helping children learn that we are all different but the very first page made absolutely no sense to me and I read it over 3 times. I think he tried to say to much in too little words, therefore the book didn't really flow.
Taye Diggs tells the story of a little boy who is made fun of because of the color of his skin. Then his mom tells him about being beautiful just as he is. I think it is a great story about accepting who you are and not listening to those who are mean to you.
I wanted to like this story, the chocolate analogy, at least in terms of trying to get a younger child to come to terms with different appearances is probably okay, but I don't feel like the resolution equaled the weight of the story's beginning.
The book ended with the boy learning to love his dark skin and be proud of it however there is too much direct racism in the beginning for me to select this book to read. I think after reading any similar students would feel targeted.
PK-1
A story about a little boy who is different from his friends, with dark skin and curley hair. It is a good book for the early grades during the beginning of school. It is good for self esteem and learning acceptance.
A story about a little boy who is different from his friends, with dark skin and curley hair. It is a good book for the early grades during the beginning of school. It is good for self esteem and learning acceptance.
I especially like how the refrain "chocolate me" goes from a lament to a celebration. - Becky, Youth Services
Reserve a library copy.
Reserve a library copy.
An odd story, an odd book. I like the confidence of the young man in the end, though I find the telling a bit curious. Still four stars because my idea of odd and other folks' ideas of odd are not the same.
Not exactly a lengthy tome - haha.
Went to a Taye Diggs reading and signing in NYC at Books of Wonder and purchased a copy.
Cute story, cute message,
Went to a Taye Diggs reading and signing in NYC at Books of Wonder and purchased a copy.
Cute story, cute message,
Basic story about self acceptance, colorful illustrations. The boy mentions his moms, but we only see one.
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May 03, 2013 08:18pm