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Amoya Blackwood Is Brave
When a girl's confidence is shaken and she begins to shrink, her grandmother is there to remind her of who she is in this empowering picture book about self-esteem.
Amoya Blackwood is loud, bold and carefree. She always has the answer in class. And she knows just what to say to make her friends laugh.
Amoya Blackwood shows up with a smile on her face. She enters a room and takes up space.
But one day Amoya Blackwood starts noticing that the adults around her want to be less loud, less bold, less carefree. They want her to take up less space, and so she does. She gets smaller and smaller and smaller.
She gets so small she hardly recognizes herself.
But then, a conversation with her Gran reminds Amoya of who she is. And a surprising thing happens . . .
Amoya Blackwood is loud, bold and carefree. She always has the answer in class. And she knows just what to say to make her friends laugh.
Amoya Blackwood shows up with a smile on her face. She enters a room and takes up space.
But one day Amoya Blackwood starts noticing that the adults around her want to be less loud, less bold, less carefree. They want her to take up less space, and so she does. She gets smaller and smaller and smaller.
She gets so small she hardly recognizes herself.
But then, a conversation with her Gran reminds Amoya of who she is. And a surprising thing happens . . .
40 pages, Hardcover
Published April 15, 2025
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 16, 2025
Amoya Blackwood is Brave is a lovely story. When a young girl is completely herself, she is made to feel as though she is too much until she starts to make herself be less. After a conversation with her grandmother, she comes back into herself again. It has some great messaging about being true to yourself, especially in a world where girls, particularly Black girls, are constantly told they're too much and should be less. There's a gentle rhyming scheme, and a simple narrative thread. The art is vibrantly colourful and inviting. Worth the read!
May 19, 2025
A well-done story about self-esteem and bravery. Amoya Blackwood, a joyous and confident Black girl, is told to quiet down by some of the adults in her life and consequently shrinks and shrinks until her Gran, who taught her to be herself in the first place, helps her back into her full sense of shining.
Themes: Self-Love/Self-Esteem, Confidence, Bravery, Black Girl Magic
Age range: Kindergarten-Early Elementary
Themes: Self-Love/Self-Esteem, Confidence, Bravery, Black Girl Magic
Age range: Kindergarten-Early Elementary
June 21, 2025
Amoya Blackwood has an exuberant and carefree personality and “bravely” defies social norms.
"Amoya Blackwood was brave. She was loud, bold, and carefree — a bit of a know-it-all, too."
The illustrations were done in digitally edited acrylic paint, collaged paper, and water-soluble crayon.
This picture book contains the classic American moral of “being oneself no matter what.” A generous reading of this story is that it encourages young readers to march to the beat of one's own drum and express themselves no matter what.
On the other hand, this story also embodies some of the most negative aspects of American culture: hyper-individualism, self-centeredness, grandiose sense of self-importance, lack of self-awareness, lack of self-regulation, irresponsibility, attention seeking behavior, exhibitionism, extreme sensitivity to criticism, emotional fragility, all-or-nothing thinking, and entitlement. It reflects the American obsession with non-conformity and Americans' incorrect correlation of rule-breaking and anti-social behavior with creativity.
Amoya shows a complete lack of consideration for everyone in her school. She feels no obligation whatsoever to behave appropriately in group situations or develop any social skills that would enable her to show respect for others, have mutually beneficial interactions with her peers and teachers, and help create a positive atmosphere in which everyone can learn.
Amoya "dances everywhere she goes" and does not care about distracting the students in the classrooms that she passes and disrupting the teachers' lessons or overstimulating the students who have sensory processing disorders through her unpredictable, hyperactive physical movements. She "sings loudly off-key" in music class, showing a disregard for her teacher who is trying to teach the students to sing on pitch and for her classmates who not only have to listen to her extremely loud deliberately off-key singing but who are also trying to sing in tune. She tries to answer "every question" in class and monopolize the teacher's attention and the class time because she doesn't want to let others have a turn or wait until she has something of value to contribute. She is "a bit of a know-it-all" and doesn't value the thoughts and opinions of others because she thinks she knows more than her peers and possibly her teachers. She is loud because she doesn't care about using the appropriate voice volume for the setting. She takes up space without ever taking into account that she is encroaching on the space of others.
Amoya is "carefree" and resents the "careful" adults who are force to deal with the consequences of her carelessness. She doesn't understand that responsible people have to pay the price for irresponsible people. She doesn't understand that impulsivity can be dangerous.
Her inflated sense of specialness makes her feel entitled to do whatever she wants when she wants and say whatever she wants whenever she wants as loud as she wants to whomever she wants. She feels that the enforcement of social behavioral expectations are a personal attack. She doesn't understand that rules and social norms exist in order to provider structure and to foster an environment that promotes mutual respect, courtesy, and equal opportunity.
She also fails to understand the purpose of school. The purpose of school is not for children/minors to have fun and self-actualize. The purpose of primary and secondary school (kindergarten through 12th grade in the US) is to teach the 3 Rs (Reading, wRiting, and Arithmetic) as well as foundational concepts in science, basic geography, a broad overview of world history, a general overview of national history, and basic civics, so that they will grow up to be functional citizens. School -- and the workplace -- is not the place to loudly express one's individuality and personal identity.
When Amoya finally notices that her behavior is not well received and that she is, therefore, not well liked especially by the adults, she briefly begins to conform to behavioral expectations at school. This causes her to become withdrawn and despondent. Because of her all-or-nothing thinking, she doesn't understand that there is a time and a place for everything. Recess would be an appropriate time to dance everywhere she went, sing loudly off-key, speak at full volume, and behave in a carefree manner. Likewise, she is welcome to behave this way at home if such behavior is considered acceptable in her household, and it appears to be. Instead, after a pep from her non-conformist grandmother, Amoya decides to be "brave" and return to her previous disruptive and inconsiderate behavior pattern.
As someone who is forced to endure the bad behavior of others in public spaces on a daily basis and whose educational experience was marred by the poor behavior of fellow students, the negative implications of this story overshadowed its positive message. How is someone who decides to resolutely behave in an inconsiderate manner brave or heroic? Everyone is important in one's own way, but the main character makes herself the most important person at all times in every situation, demonstrating a complete disregard for others.
"Amoya Blackwood was brave. She was loud, bold, and carefree — a bit of a know-it-all, too."
The illustrations were done in digitally edited acrylic paint, collaged paper, and water-soluble crayon.
This picture book contains the classic American moral of “being oneself no matter what.” A generous reading of this story is that it encourages young readers to march to the beat of one's own drum and express themselves no matter what.
On the other hand, this story also embodies some of the most negative aspects of American culture: hyper-individualism, self-centeredness, grandiose sense of self-importance, lack of self-awareness, lack of self-regulation, irresponsibility, attention seeking behavior, exhibitionism, extreme sensitivity to criticism, emotional fragility, all-or-nothing thinking, and entitlement. It reflects the American obsession with non-conformity and Americans' incorrect correlation of rule-breaking and anti-social behavior with creativity.
Amoya shows a complete lack of consideration for everyone in her school. She feels no obligation whatsoever to behave appropriately in group situations or develop any social skills that would enable her to show respect for others, have mutually beneficial interactions with her peers and teachers, and help create a positive atmosphere in which everyone can learn.
Amoya "dances everywhere she goes" and does not care about distracting the students in the classrooms that she passes and disrupting the teachers' lessons or overstimulating the students who have sensory processing disorders through her unpredictable, hyperactive physical movements. She "sings loudly off-key" in music class, showing a disregard for her teacher who is trying to teach the students to sing on pitch and for her classmates who not only have to listen to her extremely loud deliberately off-key singing but who are also trying to sing in tune. She tries to answer "every question" in class and monopolize the teacher's attention and the class time because she doesn't want to let others have a turn or wait until she has something of value to contribute. She is "a bit of a know-it-all" and doesn't value the thoughts and opinions of others because she thinks she knows more than her peers and possibly her teachers. She is loud because she doesn't care about using the appropriate voice volume for the setting. She takes up space without ever taking into account that she is encroaching on the space of others.
Amoya is "carefree" and resents the "careful" adults who are force to deal with the consequences of her carelessness. She doesn't understand that responsible people have to pay the price for irresponsible people. She doesn't understand that impulsivity can be dangerous.
Her inflated sense of specialness makes her feel entitled to do whatever she wants when she wants and say whatever she wants whenever she wants as loud as she wants to whomever she wants. She feels that the enforcement of social behavioral expectations are a personal attack. She doesn't understand that rules and social norms exist in order to provider structure and to foster an environment that promotes mutual respect, courtesy, and equal opportunity.
She also fails to understand the purpose of school. The purpose of school is not for children/minors to have fun and self-actualize. The purpose of primary and secondary school (kindergarten through 12th grade in the US) is to teach the 3 Rs (Reading, wRiting, and Arithmetic) as well as foundational concepts in science, basic geography, a broad overview of world history, a general overview of national history, and basic civics, so that they will grow up to be functional citizens. School -- and the workplace -- is not the place to loudly express one's individuality and personal identity.
When Amoya finally notices that her behavior is not well received and that she is, therefore, not well liked especially by the adults, she briefly begins to conform to behavioral expectations at school. This causes her to become withdrawn and despondent. Because of her all-or-nothing thinking, she doesn't understand that there is a time and a place for everything. Recess would be an appropriate time to dance everywhere she went, sing loudly off-key, speak at full volume, and behave in a carefree manner. Likewise, she is welcome to behave this way at home if such behavior is considered acceptable in her household, and it appears to be. Instead, after a pep from her non-conformist grandmother, Amoya decides to be "brave" and return to her previous disruptive and inconsiderate behavior pattern.
As someone who is forced to endure the bad behavior of others in public spaces on a daily basis and whose educational experience was marred by the poor behavior of fellow students, the negative implications of this story overshadowed its positive message. How is someone who decides to resolutely behave in an inconsiderate manner brave or heroic? Everyone is important in one's own way, but the main character makes herself the most important person at all times in every situation, demonstrating a complete disregard for others.
April 26, 2025
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Amoya Blackwood Is Brave is a sweetly illustrated book for beginning readers about being true to ourselves and taking up the space we deserve by Chantaie Allick. Released 15th April 2025 by Penguin Random House on their Tundra imprint, it's 40 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a simple and sweetly illustrated book. Young Amoya is a bit boisterous; she sings loudly, shines brightly, and raises her hand to answer all the questions in class. She is told to be quiet, don't put herself forward, don't take up so much space. As she gets more and more withdrawn and quieter, she finds she's making herself smaller and smaller. Her grandmother encourages her to shine as her authentic self. It's such an important message for youngsters, especially girls, probably even more so for young girls of color.
The text is simple and easy to read and the illustrations by Aaron Marin are full of small details, inviting readers to spend a while noticing small details. The art is colorful and kinetic... full of movement and action. The cast of characters are diverse (including a wide variety of ages, ethnic backgrounds, and abilities).
Although aimed at a younger (preschool - 2nd grade) audience, this is truly an all-ages book and adults will find lots to enjoy here as well.
Four and a half stars. It would be a good acquisition for public and school library and home use/gift giving. It would also be a good choice for a classroom reading circle or preschool story hour with a wide scope for discussion.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Amoya Blackwood Is Brave is a sweetly illustrated book for beginning readers about being true to ourselves and taking up the space we deserve by Chantaie Allick. Released 15th April 2025 by Penguin Random House on their Tundra imprint, it's 40 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a simple and sweetly illustrated book. Young Amoya is a bit boisterous; she sings loudly, shines brightly, and raises her hand to answer all the questions in class. She is told to be quiet, don't put herself forward, don't take up so much space. As she gets more and more withdrawn and quieter, she finds she's making herself smaller and smaller. Her grandmother encourages her to shine as her authentic self. It's such an important message for youngsters, especially girls, probably even more so for young girls of color.
The text is simple and easy to read and the illustrations by Aaron Marin are full of small details, inviting readers to spend a while noticing small details. The art is colorful and kinetic... full of movement and action. The cast of characters are diverse (including a wide variety of ages, ethnic backgrounds, and abilities).
Although aimed at a younger (preschool - 2nd grade) audience, this is truly an all-ages book and adults will find lots to enjoy here as well.
Four and a half stars. It would be a good acquisition for public and school library and home use/gift giving. It would also be a good choice for a classroom reading circle or preschool story hour with a wide scope for discussion.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Read
June 23, 2025The bold illustration and colors on the cover of Amoya Blackwood is Brave caught my attention and made me want to meet Amoya right away. Chantaie Allick’s rhythmic, often rhyming text tells the story of a girl who lives boisterously, like many outgoing children. After being told to calm down or be quiet by adults and noticing the faces they make at her, Amoya becomes less outgoing and literally shrinks. Fortunately, her gran, whose free-spirited way of living is inspirational to Amoya, reminds her that she has the bravery to be herself.
The message is clear and wonderfully supported by the bouncy verse and Aaron Marin’s colorful illustrations. When reading this alone, young children may be confused as Amoya shrinks. That and the description of Amoya as “a bit of a know-it-all” early in the book could definitely cause some confusion about the author’s message. However, I think this is a book that will inspire great conversations when shared between kids and supportive adults. It is such a good reminder about not letting others’ opinions dull your joy!
Note: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for writing an honest review.
The message is clear and wonderfully supported by the bouncy verse and Aaron Marin’s colorful illustrations. When reading this alone, young children may be confused as Amoya shrinks. That and the description of Amoya as “a bit of a know-it-all” early in the book could definitely cause some confusion about the author’s message. However, I think this is a book that will inspire great conversations when shared between kids and supportive adults. It is such a good reminder about not letting others’ opinions dull your joy!
Note: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for writing an honest review.
September 21, 2025
This story seems more like a stream of slogans with characters who are mere talking points. Being oneself doesn’t mean being tone deaf to other people’s feedback. Somewhere there’s a happy medium between self-expression and social approval, but this story doesn’t seem to strike that balance. Though colorful, the illustrations could have done a better job of dramatizing the extremes and the middle way of moderation; moreover, portraying the characters with black dots for eyes seems to render them all less likable and relatable.
October 31, 2024
This picture book is about a boisterous little girl who has a larger-than-life personality until those around her tell her to calm down. Quiet yourself and be more meek, be more mild. She does as they tell her to, but she loses herself along the way. It’s grandma who says it’s OK to be who you are, and you should be who you are. That advice running through her brains she finds herself again and vows never go back to being small.
June 9, 2025
Being yourself is so hard when society wants you to conform. Amoya was exuberant and happy until adults made her feel small. She rediscovers her personality by the end but the solution to her problem was pretty anticlimactic. I do love the theme though. It’s a common problem for children. Dave Barry wrote a column about his son starting kindergarten. It’s a similar theme to this. Both are useful for parents and children and anyone who works with children.
September 25, 2024
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!
This was a really cute children's book about embracing and loving yourself! The art style is bright and fun. My niece also was asking how Amoya was shrinking and growing, which gave me a good laugh. Silly kiddos, not understanding metaphorical stuff. But still, a nice read for kiddos!
This was a really cute children's book about embracing and loving yourself! The art style is bright and fun. My niece also was asking how Amoya was shrinking and growing, which gave me a good laugh. Silly kiddos, not understanding metaphorical stuff. But still, a nice read for kiddos!
September 20, 2024
ARC from Netgalley.
April 29, 2025
unfortunately not a storytime book, but will use it in displays about self worth, etc.
June 22, 2025
A wonderful book about being true to yourself.
July 28, 2025
A great book about being yourself no matter what.
Mia’s 2nd Year of Books: Day 139
Mia’s 2nd Year of Books: Day 139
September 12, 2025
Inspiring, heartwarming, fun.
June 12, 2025
A lot of recent SEL titles promoting self-esteem tend to come across as didactic, with characters who lack personality. Not so with Amoya Blackwood! She’s an exuberant and larger than life Black girl, with long box braids and brightly colored clothes. She sings loudly, dances with abandon, always has the answer, and enjoys making her friends laugh, in short, she “always entered a room and took up space.” But some adults in her life (three BIPOC teachers are shown) “wanted her to shine less and Amoya paid attention.” Here, Aaron Marin’s bold artwork, rendered in bright acrylic paint and collage, really support the story. When Amoya is confident and happy, she looms large in his illustrations. But as her self-image suffers, she shrinks (literally, across a series of vignettes) until she’s only as high as a tall pair of boots. After some self-talk and a hug from her larger-than-life Gram, she decides to get back to being brave and becomes, once again, “a light shining bright, unwilling to hide it at all.” With its chunky font, diverse crew of schoolmates (including one boy in a wheelchair), dazzling artwork, and simple story arc, this one will work well as a read aloud. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
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