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I Am Brown
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I am brown. I am beautiful. I am perfect. I designed this computer. I ran this race. I won this prize. I wrote this book. A joyful celebration of the skin you're in--of being brown, of being amazing, of being you.
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This is a vibrant book that shows a diverse array of non-white kids doing and being a variety of different things. It almost works for me... except for two things.
I find the emphasis on skin colour off-putting. The rest of the book (the vast majority of it, anyway... more on that in a second) is great. Kids are shown doing activities, eating food, speaking languages, worshipping, accomplishing goals... and that's all great. But it's all prefaced by, "I am brown. I am beautiful. I am perfect." Th ...more
I find the emphasis on skin colour off-putting. The rest of the book (the vast majority of it, anyway... more on that in a second) is great. Kids are shown doing activities, eating food, speaking languages, worshipping, accomplishing goals... and that's all great. But it's all prefaced by, "I am brown. I am beautiful. I am perfect." Th ...more
Jun 03, 2020
Alexander Fernandez
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
ages-4-8,
ages-3-5,
childrens,
multicultural,
latino,
hispanic,
african-american,
parenting,
mindfulness,
concept
This review originally appeared on Mr. Alex's Bookshelf: https://mralexbookshelf.com/2020/06/0...
When I asked for a review copy of this book a few weeks ago, I did not know that on the day I received it, the United States would literally be in flames; or that protesters would be confronting authorities over the treatment of black people at the hands of police officers. I did not know that federal officials would be deploying active duty troops to Washington, D.C. (almost a literal stone throw fr ...more
When I asked for a review copy of this book a few weeks ago, I did not know that on the day I received it, the United States would literally be in flames; or that protesters would be confronting authorities over the treatment of black people at the hands of police officers. I did not know that federal officials would be deploying active duty troops to Washington, D.C. (almost a literal stone throw fr ...more
Growing up in India, the color of your skin mattered a lot, be it a woman or man. If you are fair skinned, better are your prospects , if you are dark skinned then you must surely go slather yourself with thousands of creams that advertise to make you fair. Maybe no one came out calling you brown or black, maybe for some it was teasing, maybe for some it was more than teasing, but the brutal distinction of color was deep coded inside many. And the fairness ads blaring from the television or the
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Timely and important picture book about all the reasons being brown is awesome. Should be read by everyone.
I especially liked the sections "I live in..." (An apartment, a mansion, a cottage, a hut) and "I eat..." (Vindaloo, tacos,) etc
The illustrations are also fun! ...more
I especially liked the sections "I live in..." (An apartment, a mansion, a cottage, a hut) and "I eat..." (Vindaloo, tacos,) etc
The illustrations are also fun! ...more
This is a beautiful book! So much diversity amongst brown people!
This cute picture features Black children of various sizes, cultures, families in each page spread — celebrating their accomplishments, foods, homes, clothing, etc. No two “brown” children are exactly alike in each page spread. The point being that each child is unique and amazing, just as they are.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo! ...more
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo! ...more
I Am Brown is a joy. I am adding this title to my “to-gift list” for baby showers and early birthdays. I Am Brown would be a marvelous pre-school and classroom library.
I Am Brown opens with a girl declaring herself to be brown before telling us what that means in equally declarative sentences like: I am beautiful; I am love; I am happiness… Lest you think it is just that she is these things, the “I” begins to include more brown children.
Brown children are seen dressed up and acting out vocation ...more
I Am Brown opens with a girl declaring herself to be brown before telling us what that means in equally declarative sentences like: I am beautiful; I am love; I am happiness… Lest you think it is just that she is these things, the “I” begins to include more brown children.
Brown children are seen dressed up and acting out vocation ...more
Jul 01, 2020
Abby Johnson
added it
Shelves:
4th_grade,
author-of-color,
2nd_grade,
picture-books,
1st-grade,
3rd_grade,
diverse,
5th_grade
Love it, love it, love it. This book is a celebration of brown children all over the world and the many different things they do, wear, say, and dream of being. Special props for atheist representation on the religion page. Hand to all readers looking for affirmations for brown children and put this on your library shelves for families of all colors.
This is a great book as it celebrates diversity. Growing up I have always been reading books that I could never relate to. Every book that I read had a white character and I could never find a picture of a brown girl. This book not only talks about one kind but celebrates various ethnicities.
May 29, 2020
Iqra Fiaz
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
family,
children,
picturebooks,
culture,
international,
bame-main,
everyday-life,
acceptance,
diversity
Brown is Beautiful.
Brown is Amazing.
Brown is anything and anyone.
Brown does not conform to stereotypes.
Brown is Amazing.
Brown is anything and anyone.
Brown does not conform to stereotypes.
Yay for this book! It's needed and it's great!
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I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book. Having said that I do like the moral of the story: our differences do not matter and children of any skin colour can achieve anything they want to. This book represents ethnic minority children and it’s crucial that children from all ethnicities they can see themselves in books and relate to the story and characters, especially when it has a moral as nice and strong as this one. It’s nice to see diversity being celebrated in a book.
A lovely book promoting diversity. I love how this book addresses different shades of brown coloured skin. It addresses all of the stereotypes and summarises how people with different coloured skin are no different to anyone else. They can wear what they like, enjoy hobbies like anyone else, have any kind of job, live in any kind of home etc. There is also some new vocabulary for children to learn such as types of languages and clothes. I found this really interesting.
What a lovely idea! Showing colour had no boundaries and no matter what colour you are, you’re just like everyone else. Beautiful book.
LOVE!!!
Great picture book that focuses on the message of "I can do anything". There are lots of people around the world with brown skin who identify in all sorts of ways and this book celebrates that.
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Not really a read-aloud kind of book, but perfect as a gift book.
A great book to read with primary students. It has been written so well.
This book is a great read for younger elementary level students. The author leaves the culture of this book relatively open by not saying exactly which culture it is directed to. The images are all very positive and the strong use of the word "I" in this book is so incredibly powerful. Using the word "I" before every phrase shows that your students can do anything and give them the power to believe they can do anything. It is such a simple, yet powerful book. In terms of illustrations, they are
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As a future educator, I would love to have this book available in my classroom library for my students. This beautifully illustrated picture book is an uplifting reminder about self-love, depicting children with brown skin celebrating their brown skin color and doing anything they set their minds to. The pictures show anything from future careers, to ethnic backgrounds, languages, food, hair, and even hobbies/activities. The short sentences allow for the author to get their message across, but d
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I Love how there are pictures and very minimal words for pre-schoolers, but I also notice that the words in the book are high-level words, and when I read to the little ones they were so confused with what I was saying but they proceed to keep looking at the pictures and follow along. The pictures in the book look cartoonish but also have lots of colors and look very realistic in some parts of the book.
I wasn’t completely sure about this, because it is a list book. It doesn’t read like what I expected, I guess I was expecting some poetry or rhymes. I don’t know why though. However, my 4 year old stopped at the end and said, “that was really good.” We talk about mommy being brown and daddy being white and how racism affects us and systemically POC. So I think she really noticed how positive this book is. It just is. There’s no perceived diminishing of anyone, which in the past I feel like cause
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Simple, but powerful. Explores diversity in a unique way, and illustrates that a general skin color does not mean all people of that skin color share the same kind of life, culture, housing, religion, food, clothing, etc. The book further humanizes brown people by pointing out the many people in a person's life who are brown and what they have contributed to the world. Honest, heartfelt, and an easy intro to discuss a larger topic. Important. And truly excellent illustrations!
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I Am Brown is a cute book that shows a variety of non-white children and points out a variety of future occupations, physical traits, and activities.
The only disconcerting part is that it shows a prom dress and a wedding dress, which have no reason to be in a book for children - when I was a kid I wanted to be a princess, and that was the only 'gown' I imagined.
It would've been cool to show a page of different hairstyles - it seems like something that isn't shown enough is the variety in which h ...more
The only disconcerting part is that it shows a prom dress and a wedding dress, which have no reason to be in a book for children - when I was a kid I wanted to be a princess, and that was the only 'gown' I imagined.
It would've been cool to show a page of different hairstyles - it seems like something that isn't shown enough is the variety in which h ...more
While not a storytime book, this lovely, celebratory picture book is an ode to brown people in all of their diversity and beauty. Each page focuses on a different aspect of identity, life, and/or being, such as "I come from...", "I wear....", or "I like to...." followed by various examples and joyful pictures. Wonderful for one-on-one or small group reading.
Themes: Black is Beautiful, Around the World, Black Lives Matter ...more
Themes: Black is Beautiful, Around the World, Black Lives Matter ...more
A lovey book to promote diversity in the classroom. The beautiful story and illustrations celebrates children’s individual differences and shows them that everyone can do/ be anything they would like to be.
You really can't read this book without a big grin on your face. You just can't do it.
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So full of heart and beauty and affirmation! This is what we need to teach our children! The power of difference!
This 40 page celebration of diversity within the label “brown” is a sweet and powerful book that shows how the color of our skin is beautiful and perfect while at the same time making it clear that who we are and what we can be is not defined by our appearance. The book shows adorably illustrated brown children finding strength in different cultures, clothing, religions, languages and dreams, which will hopefully empower children everywhere (and of all colors) to take labels that may have negati
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I rated this book 5 stars because I think it is a great book for all children to read. It reminds students about self-love, peers with brown skin, and those who have brown skin loving who they are and where they come from. This is a great book that teaches children about acceptance and that we all are different in our own way. It does a great job through the illustrations to show the characters they author is portraying and how that might look. The book also is full of diversity from different e
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Ashok Banker also writes under Ashok K. Banker.
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