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Mahogany L. Browne's Picture Book Gift Guide

Posted by Cybil on November 11, 2021

Mahogany L. Browne is the author of Chlorine Sky, Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice, Woke Baby, and Black Girl Magic. She's also the founder of Woke Baby Book Fair, a diverse lit initiative. She is based in Brooklyn and is the first poet-in-residence at Lincoln Center.

When thinking about gifts that outlast the opening of the wrapping paper, I think about children's literature and the way it unearths new landscapes at every turn of the page.

Below are some selections—really, a carnival of love—from all parts of the world.

They ask us questions that stretch our thinking. How do we have conversations about various cultures, identities, family structures, fears, joys, and our future?

I’ve included books that make me think, and books that make me feel. Enjoy the small curated book list that I wish I had access to when I was growing up. These stories give us insight into so many beautiful lives, some that intersect, and some that move forward, side by side. They are all always moving toward the literary landscape full of acceptance, community, and celebration.

Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration
by Samara Cole Doyon and Kaylani Juanita

With the same generous attention of Eloise Greenfield's Honey, I Love, this is a beautiful celebration of Black childhood and the radiance of "brown skin." This beautiful collection is full of images from different walks of life. Whether showcasing different hair textures, hiking with parents, or laughing with wheelchair-adorned friends, this is a stellar addition to any burgeoning library. It reminds us to witness the beauty in our own reflections.

Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope
by Jodie Patterson and Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

This story of becoming yourself is a treasure for all. Penelope—a ninja, friend, and middle sibling—burns bright with the knowledge of who he really is inside: a boy. Who likes pants and high fives. Penelope offers, “I think like a boy. I feel like a boy. I might look different from other boys, but yes, I’m sure I’m a boy.” Such a declaration! And it reminds us how important it is to give agency to our children as they grow up and learn to speak into existence their authentic selves. Penelope’s message is an important story for us all. It teaches the world that even if something seems like it doesn’t “make sense,” it is more important to make space for love.

The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story
by Tina Cho and Jess X. Snow

This beautiful book is an unveiling of intergenerational gifts, the tradition of treasure hunting, and the weight of water. As Korean women teach the beauty of haeyno—a group of divers and treasure gatherers—we are transported into a world of sea-breeze brilliance. Shells and other sea gifts sparkle in each illustration. The song of trust and facing your fears pushes the reader to the next page, to swim alongside Dayeon in the deep, deep blue. Her visions of dolphins, mermaids, and birds flying above are coupled with rules in which to live in the world: “be brave” and “work together to keep each other safe.” The perfect mantra for our young global citizens.

Julián at the Wedding
by Jessica Love

This beautiful reflection of a love ceremony follows Julian and Marisol as they attend (and are a part of) a wedding featuring two beautiful brides. The pictures are rich with the texture of heritage, grandmothers, mischief, rolling park hills, and places to create fairy wings. In Julian at the Wedding, we are transported to the moment we realize how generous and safe someone can feel in the small gesture of holding your friend’s hand.

Tomatoes for Neela
by Padma Lakshmi and Juana Martinez-Neal

I so enjoyed Neela’s story. Seeing the Saturday green-market trip, and the shimmer of Neela’s paati, resonates with tenderness and rich stories, waiting to be unpacked. In this story, the cookbook is a symbol of our parents’ and grandparents’ gifts and sacrifice. It even includes a recipe to try on your own! It is indeed a moment that feeds all of our senses!

Please, Louise
by Toni Morrison and Shadra Strickland

On the way to the library, an imagination takes over and the world is reborn! Please, Louise gives us a tour of Louise’s neighborhood, a world within the world—a door or a roof—so many options unfold as she walks in the rain to the library. This story shakes up our ideas and explores loneliness and the fear of the unknown. With rhyme and in time, we are all transported to a legend of so many wonderful places. Like Louise through books, we are found!

Honey, I Love
by Eloise Greenfield and Jan Spivey Gilchrist

Mentioned previously, but quite honestly—one of the best books I’ve ever read. A poetic exploration of everyday family moments that make your heart sing. The way Greenfield writes about love as an active verb and a pride, is heartwarming. It is a great addition for little libraries everywhere, especially when our children have friends from all walks of life. This is a mirror reflecting a rarely talked about life and the weight of its love for family, hair textures, special meals, and home!

Missing Daddy
by Mariame Kaba and bria royal

A touching lyrical testimony to reveal the impact of mass incarceration on a child separated from their parent. The conversation is one that we forget impacts more than 60 pervent of our fathers in this country and their children. This is a beautiful work speaking it plain, the life that a child must endure as their parent is taken from their everyday life, and the love that prevails despite their absence.

Brave. Black. First.: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World
by Cheryl Hudson and Erin K Robinson

Enjoy this cool biographical list of stunning illustrations featuring Simone Biles, Gwendolyn Brooks, Judith Jamison, Michelle Obama, and Oprah Winfrey! This book defies the idea that we celebrate Blackness only in February and that we celebrate women only in March. No! This collection of Black women biographies is a mighty mosaic of those who have changed the world as we know it, and now we can learn their names and their contributions no matter the time of year!

Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America
by Emily Easton and Ziyue Chen

This book-length poem highlights those who stood up for justice and the American people even when it seemed insurmountable. The beautiful illustrations are sewn together by their actions and the various chants that changed the course of our lives. Enter the light of Martin Luther King Jr. Enter the resistance of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Enter Susan B. Anthony and her vote. Enter the chant of Black Lives Matter. Enter the vault and stay awhile. It is a great collage of an American history we will never forget.