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M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child
by
M Is for Melanin
is an empowering alphabet book that teaches kids their ABCs and celebrates Black children!
M is for Melanin
shining in every inch of your skin.
Every shade, every hue.
All beautiful and unique.
Each letter of the alphabet contains affirming, Black-positive messages, from A is for Afro, to F is for Fresh, to W is for Worthy. This book teaches children their ...more
M is for Melanin
shining in every inch of your skin.
Every shade, every hue.
All beautiful and unique.
Each letter of the alphabet contains affirming, Black-positive messages, from A is for Afro, to F is for Fresh, to W is for Worthy. This book teaches children their ...more
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
October 1st 2019
by little bee books
(first published 2019)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child

I'm just going to share some of the Author's note because I totally agree:
Growing up, I never saw books with characters who looked like me, let alone unapologetic blackness. For so long, black children have been underrepresented in children's literature. It's not just important for black children, but for all children to see a shift in proclaiming the worthiness of all shades to be celebrated..
I love the illustrations as well..Thank you, Tiffany Rose. ...more
Growing up, I never saw books with characters who looked like me, let alone unapologetic blackness. For so long, black children have been underrepresented in children's literature. It's not just important for black children, but for all children to see a shift in proclaiming the worthiness of all shades to be celebrated..
I love the illustrations as well..Thank you, Tiffany Rose. ...more

I totally teared up at the dedication, was openly crying by the letter D, and verging on ugly crying at the letter O.
All in the middle of the library.
All in the middle of the library.

This book is phenomenal in every way. I read this to my children multiple times and they love it. I love that this book helps children especially black children that they matter and that they are beautiful and filled with many talents. I remember when my daughter said she hated her hair and I let her know that her hair is beautiful and when I read this book to her she told me that she loves her and loves her curls. Reading this to my children boosted their spirits up and made them feel special.
...more

There is not much to say about this book because it is an informative one. It teaches young children the Alphabet using important Black figures in politics and society. Including important empowering words about physical attributes associated with the Black race. I do think that this is a book that young children should have regardless of their race. I believe that this might be a good conversation starter for parents that are trying to teach their children about race. I am of the opinion that l
...more

BEAUTIFUL book. I cried at the Author's Note. And then I promptly bought one for my 7 year old cousin's birthday.
...more

This picture book encourages black children to accept and embrace their skin color and culture, but unlike other books on the subject, it delves too deeply into misguided self-love messages, teaching children to view themselves as flawless people who are born to lead, not follow, are perfect in every way, and do not need to change anything about themselves. It is possible to tell someone that they are beautiful and deeply loved without denying their need for guidance, moral development, and self
...more

I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this picture book to review and share with #LitReviewCrew. Below is my honest review.
Author/Illustrator, Tiffany Rose, created a beautiful picture book geared toward the young, black child that is truly inspiring. The illustrations are cheerful and bright and the message is strong: “Be bold, be fearless, be YOU.” Filled with positive messages to inspire and empower, M FOR MELANIN, celebrates black history and culture. In the Author’s Note, Rose explains that ...more
Author/Illustrator, Tiffany Rose, created a beautiful picture book geared toward the young, black child that is truly inspiring. The illustrations are cheerful and bright and the message is strong: “Be bold, be fearless, be YOU.” Filled with positive messages to inspire and empower, M FOR MELANIN, celebrates black history and culture. In the Author’s Note, Rose explains that ...more

WOW! A powerful book about embracing and celebrating blackness. I can't wait to read this to my kiddos!
...more

Original and overdue. An alphabet book that celebrates “unapologetic blackness” and encourages all shades of children to love the skin they’re in.

K was my favorite letter! I will act accordingly for now on.

This book has such powerful messages and representation for Black children to learn their ABCs. The images in the book are vibrant and I wish I had a book like this when I was a little kid. After reading this book to my boys they were so excited and have asked me to read it every day!
Swipe to see some of my favorite letters from the book!
If you haven't picked up this book yet for the kids in your life, definitely put it on your list!
Thanks to #HearOurVoices and Little Bee Books for the gifted ...more
Swipe to see some of my favorite letters from the book!
If you haven't picked up this book yet for the kids in your life, definitely put it on your list!
Thanks to #HearOurVoices and Little Bee Books for the gifted ...more

A really fun encouraging ABC book. A book made for black children to commend their blackness and to be themselves. The only drawback was that the book focuses a lot on doing and less on being. I feel it could put a burden on kids to be awesome rather than just being happy with who they are. But maybe I'm reading into it. Either way, it's colorful, delightful, encouraging, and fun.
Four stars. ...more
Four stars. ...more

How I wish this book had been around when I was a child so I could see images of Black children like me. This is a beautiful book which uplifts and celebrates being Black. You can find my full review on my blog now:
https://readingstewardess.wordpress.c... ...more
https://readingstewardess.wordpress.c... ...more

I love this ABC book that is filled with Black affirmations. This book book celebrates Blackness as each letter stands for a positive message. My favorite letters/affirmations are A is for afro, E is for empowerment, N is for natural, R is for remembrance, and Z is for zillion.

"No Matter Your Hue or Your Shade, This Book is For You"
...more

A powerful book for African American children. Would make a great read loud or one-on-one story.

Beautiful book, teaching not only the alphabet, but also that every person is beautiful just the way they are. This book is in celebration of black children, but could definitely be read by any child. Throughout the book there are children of every shade depicted on each book. They are shown with different colored hair, different hair types - from braids to bald - all different styles of clothing. One of my favorite pages was the Pride page - which shows one child holding an equality sign and on
...more

I would say this is a celebration of EVERY black child. A beautiful variety of skin and hair colors. It would be difficult for a black child to NOT find a representation of themselves. What stuck with me the most was a child with skin discoloration. I have never seen that in a children's book. How necessary!
...more

I LOVED this book. It wonderfully promoted self-love and is a great addition to a collect that could always use more diverse books.
The only slight issue I had was the page about "fresh". It says "our people" but I wonder if the author realizes the 'us' versus 'them' issue with that phrase. We have so many things pulling people of different races, cultures, and religions apart these days. The rest of the book was so inclusive and about loving yourself and making the world a better place. Creating ...more
The only slight issue I had was the page about "fresh". It says "our people" but I wonder if the author realizes the 'us' versus 'them' issue with that phrase. We have so many things pulling people of different races, cultures, and religions apart these days. The rest of the book was so inclusive and about loving yourself and making the world a better place. Creating ...more

Anyone, regardless of age, race, or culture, will be motivated, empowered, and full of passionate drive to celebrate authenticity (their own and that of others) after completing Tiffany Rose's "M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child". To say the book is a must for any school, public library, and home book shelf is an understatement. All who read it will be lucky to have experienced it!
In a world that is often divided in terms of 'black and white', we often forget to encourage the mul ...more
In a world that is often divided in terms of 'black and white', we often forget to encourage the mul ...more

Jan 17, 2020
Y.Poston
added it
Beautiful in every way!

M Is for Melanin is a beautifully written and illustrated alphabet book that is a great opener for black children (and children of color) to start embracing who they are and what they can become. Each word chosen by author Tiffany Rose are words that I heard as a child and still here to this day that represent what it means to embrace blackness. I love how the pictures represented different shades of melanin and the different hair dos, the different styles of dress. We are different, but our mel
...more

M is for Melanin captured me from the beginning to the end. The illustrations are outstanding, they drew me into the book once I opened the cover. As an African-Caribbean woman, I didn't have books that represented me as a child. Tiffany Rose does a wonderful job of capturing the vibrance and energy of my identity as a Black woman. I sat smiling in the bookstore as I read each page. When I was finished I looked up Tiffany on social media, I wanted to let her know how her book had filled my heart
...more
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