Bright Eyes, Brown Skin

by Cheryl Willis Hudson, Bernette G. Ford

This classic title is a staple in preschool and early childhood programs.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Cultural, School, African American

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Cheryl Willis Hudson is vice president and editorial director of Just Us Books, an independent publisher of black-interest books for children and young adults. She has written many books for children, and lives in New Jersey.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely joyful. Too bad it's dated what with the telephone and the naptime cots. Love the last page, in which the names of the children are revealed and the implication made that these are real kids that the creators of the book knew.

[Chui Ying · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the classics in our early childhood programme, Bright Eyes, Brown Skin is a simple book that celebrates racial diversity and positive self-image. It is so important to introduce to children the existence of people of all races and ethnicities. This is especially so in our school where some new families have expressed concerns that their children fear our teachers of colour because of their skin tone. Embracing racial diversity continues to be such a huge part of education not just for the children, but for families who continue to spread such misconceptions.

[Ashley Wannenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the book "Bright Eyes, Brown Skin" was an incredible book with absolutely beautiful illustrations. The book is a really easy read and is very simple, I liked how the book talked about racial diversity, and think that plays a very important part in early childhood education. The book should be read to children because it talks about different skin colors, and why children may not look the same.

[Kylie Dailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a good way to represent the diversity in the classroom. It was all very praiseworthy and positive. There were two boys and two girls shown throughout. I think this book could be good for movement, class points to where eyes, cheeks, etc are as it is read. There wasn't a lot of content when it comes to the text.

[Whitney Leanhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful to read. It tells of four friends who have bright eyes and brown skin. Ultimately this book is great to share with younger children and for them to find reasons about themselves that they love as well.

[Gabriella Araujo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful images. Great storyline. Very few words so it's good for very early readers to practice some special sounds. Also good to be read to babies. Not the best for reading practice of k and 1st grade because of how little words there are. It is beautiful though.

[Teonna Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four young kids are filled with pride,love, and happiness as they admire the brown skin and features of themselves and others.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

For young North American readers of African ancestry his joyfully illustrated verse celebrating their features and complexions fully lives up to its intention to be a “Feeling Good” book.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a great book to help teach the children about someone who is different then them.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy reader. This is a beginner book. Very very simple read.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

[Lee]

If only real children acted like this.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for inclusion and your readers. Not a lot of vocabulary.

[Ciara White]

“Bright Eyes, Brown Skin” is a fictional story of 4 little children who love themselves from head to toe. The story follows the African-American children throughout their day at school. I picked up this book because I love the message behind it. It illustrates young children embracing who they are and feeling comfortable in their own skin. However, I found this book to be overly simplified. I feel children would be uninterested because the book lacks intriguing language and a storyline. No problem is presented in the story. The book provides no background for the characters. The only relatable element of this story is being African American. The illustrations are well put together. They correspond well with the text and add personality to the characters. If anything, the pictures hold my interest more than the actual story line. The story does not represent a variety of cultures nor did it discuss different perspectives. This book focused purely on African American students. The characters are relatable in aspects to their physical appearance and their experiences in school. It is unfortunate that readers gain no insight to outside lifestyles of the characters. The children do not even speak in this story. Both the author and illustrator are African American which I do enjoy because I believe representations are more accurate when the story is created by its own members. As I stated earlier, this book has a good message behind it and was written with good intentions, but it lacked a sense of interest and missed out on gaining my attention. This story would have been more enjoyable had the author included more details pertaining to the characters.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main Characters: Alexa, Ethan, Jordan, Olivia
POV: third person
Setting: kindergarten classroom
Grade Level: pre-k to 1

Summary
Bright eyes and brown skin is a simple story that is all about feeling good about who you are. This is a narrative poem which describes different physical characteristics of African American children. The pictures compliment the words as they show happy children who are comfortable playing with eachother and with who they are. The book also mentions traits that some would not find to be beautiful and does a great job of describing these traits as unique and beautiful in their own way.

Classroom application:
I would use this book in an early education classroom to promote positive identities in my students. I thought that the pictures would incite great conversation and even a lesson on poetry could be incorporated because of the way that the book is written. I think this book does a great job at promoting high self-esteem.

[Kristen Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Bright Eyes, Brown Skin" tells the story of African American children whom embrace their race with enjoying their physical features.In this simple rhyme book, the characters of Olivia, Jordan, Alexa and Ethan play with each other while exploring the unique physical characteristics of each child. Everything from bright eyes to ears for listening are commented on. Although, the book highlights African- American children the book still applies to all racial backgrounds and culture. The book centers on the individual physical characteristics if each child and how they are distinctive. This book allows me as an educator to influence children to love who they are as well as the uniqueness of physical features. This book uses simple language and makes it a great choice for young readers.

[Gail Barge]

This would be a good book for pre-k and kindergarten. The words are very simple and would be good for beginning readers. I would use this book in conjunction with other books about accepting differences in skin tone. Good to use if students have noticed a difference in skin color between the students in a class. A teacher could use books similar to this to show that just because skin tone is different, every person is still important and equal.

[Kaylan Nurse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story shows a regular day at school in a classroom of students of different race and cultures. The children in this book are comfortable with their skin colors and the way they are. This is a good book for young children and beginning to get them into the idea of learning about being comfortable with their own race as well as taking in the ideas about others. I would read this story aloud to my class in order to keep them interested in the topic of race.

[Sara Bland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for helping students build self esteem and confidence in their appearance. This book features only African American children, and gently compliments all of the children's features that are unique to their background. I love the positive energy that oozes from this book about self worth and happiness. I would definitely recommend this book to any student aged K-2 for self esteem building and cultural awareness.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read geared towards African American children about their bodies and special traits, like hair and the color of their skin. An excellent book for self-esteem, and just to let kids know that there's nothing wrong with them. Good for all children, though, not just black children, so we can all celebrate our differences and similarities in and out of the classroom.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a brief look into the day and life of the typical preschooler. The illustrations complement the words on the pages by adding more depth to the story. The words simply tell the reader that these children are eager to learn and happy to be at school, but with the illustrations, the reader is SHOWN exactly what is being discovered, painting a much bigger picture.

[Stephanie Delvecchio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four children who feel good about who they are and how they look enjoy the activities of a typical day at school, happy and brimming with confidence and self-esteem.

This is a great book to share with children who are not feeling good about being different. This would be a good read aloud book.

[Lisa Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a excellent book for Preschool and Kindergarten children. It shows not everyone is same. Not everyone may look the same and why they may have a different color skin. It is way for children to understand why other children may have different colored skin and it be ok.

[Katherine Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is important for students to be able to relate to the characters in the book. This is a great book to help diversify one's classroom library. It helps to represent to all students the we are all one in the same.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern

[Ngenama1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute book. very simple language used. in a few words the author sends a message of uniqueness and similarities at the same time.

[zomgliyah]

Great book for building self-esteem. Very simple but the message is beautiful.

[Nanee Zogaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book to read. Not a hard read, so may suit only pre-kindergarten, maybe even kindergarten.

[Satin · Rating 4 out of 5]

-great illustrations
- good to use if/when students tease others about the color of the skin
- can be used to motivate students who do not feel confident about their skin

[Gennie Hendrick]

This is a simple read. There are very few words on the pages and children will enjoy creating their own story from the pictures. This book is great for discussing diversity in the classroom also.