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I Am Brown

Ashok K. Banker (Goodreads Author),

Sandhya Prabhat (Illustrations)

4.27 · Rating details · 262 ratings · 60 reviews

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. ...more

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ebook, 40 pages

Published March 3rd 2020 by Lantana Publishing

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· 262 ratings · 60 reviews

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Mar 18, 2020 La Coccinelle rated it it was ok

Shelves: children

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 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." There's nothing wrong with that statement by itself. But books like this are inevitably going to be read by white kids, and that's going to bring up some complicated conversations (such as why it's not okay for them to say, "I am white. I am beautiful. I am perfect"). Because of the strength of the pictures, I don't even know if the skin colour needed to be mentioned in the text. It's pretty obvious that we're talking about brown kids here.

My second issue, though, really took me aback. The illustrations depict children. Sometimes, they appear to be talking about things they're going to do one day (be a doctor, a president, etc.); they're drawn as children acting out these jobs. But on the spread about clothes, there's a little girl wearing an actual wedding dress. The first thought that sprang to my mind was "child bride". Unfortunately, that's still a thing in some countries, and I was kind of shocked to see this in a picture book. While the implication might have been that she would wear a wedding dress one day, the fact is that there was a child drawn wearing a child-sized wedding gown. I just found that deeply off-putting.

It's a shame, because the overall premise of the book is good and it depicts so many possibilities, opportunities, and variations of human children within its pages. So... this one kind of got a mixed reaction from me. I'm not even sure whether I'd recommend it. I guess parents need to use their own discretion when deciding if this is something they want their kids to read. ...more

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Jun 03, 2020 Alexander Fernandez rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ages-4-8, childrens, parenting, ages-3-5, mindfulness, multicultural, latino, hispanic, african-american, 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

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Jul 07, 2020 TheBookPrivy rated it it was amazing

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 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 neighbor aunt’s homemade fairness tips or the phone filters that could easily tone down your darkness was a constant reminder that your color wasn’t acceptable. In short the color of your skin weighed more precedence than the quality of your soul.
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Over the years things have changed, people are ditching the fairness cream, accepting themselves for who they are & bringing about change.
But even now in many parts of my home country, there will be a mom who is worried about how her child’s skin color might affect her child’s tomorrow. Even now a little child of color, somewhere in the corner of his/her room, recoiled in their loneliest moment, must be wondering, does their skin color decide their fate? To that little kid & thousands like them, I just want to say, I wish you & everyone who made you feel miserable because of your skin color, gets to read this book.
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I am brown is an absolutely stunning book written by @ashokkbanker and resplendent illustrations by @sandhyaprabhat. Throughout the book, several kids from varied backgrounds, culture & different walks of life come together claiming what is it that they can achieve despite the color of their skin. And it urges the reader to look at the joy they bring into the things they do and the lives they touch. The book embodies a beautiful message that says my skin color and me are here to stay, I have accepted myself. I also love how diverse kids from different parts of the world & their subtle differences are depicted yet the common thread has been their smile & enthusiasm to take on the world.
The positive affirmations in the book makes you feel proud of being brown!
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V & my fav line :I am brown,I am amazing,I am you! ...more

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Sep 22, 2020 Shaye Miller rated it really liked it

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

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Jan 05, 2021 Dierric rated it it was amazing

Shelves: diverse-reads, picture-books

This is a beautiful book! So much diversity amongst brown people!

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Oct 06, 2020 Effie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Yay for this book! It's needed and it's great! ...more

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May 27, 2020 Jodi Geever rated it it was amazing

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

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Sep 18, 2020 Leslie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: diversity-picture-books, 2020-reads, muslim, multicultural, jewish, author-of-another-country, picture-books, middle-eastern

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 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 vocations like: a doctor; writer; astronaut; athlete (a particularly charming image); president; prime minister (in her hijab). In a classroom/community room setting, these children will continue with more “I” statements: I make art; I design rocket ships; I study germs; I solve crimes (delightful). Huddled around a globe, “I come from” all over. Next, “I speak” a lot of languages (e.g. German, Russian, Tamil, Arabic, Teluga). And to follow in a silly playful way, “I have” different types of hair, if hair is had at all, and different colors of hair or eyes. Brown children live in different types of homes: a riverboat; a mansion; a bungalow… Brown children “like to” do a lot of different things like travel; read; collect; swim.

The “I eat” section offers a variety of dishes that could read like to “to try” list (e.g. samosa; biryani; barbecue; jhal muri). The “I wear” page continues in variation of culture and occasion (I love the prom dress wearer next to the business suit wearer). The inclusion of an “I am” declaration of relationship is beautiful: I am your roommate, classmate, boss, guru… As is the inclusion of “I pray at;” which not only lists a number of places, but ”everywhere” and “nowhere,” too. The paper-cut-out banner linking the buildings (like dolls) makes sense for the thematic space (community/class room), but I like how it works to reinforce (inter)connection.

We return to more familiar content where brown children have accomplished goals: I drew that picture; built this building; ran this race. This celebration launches us into an exclamation we’ve long suspected: “I am amazing.” The key here is how “I am amazing” is situated between “I am brown” and “I am you”—a statement any brown child reading/listening to this will believe after their journey through this book.

There is wisdom in the saying, if you can see it, you can be it. And Sandhya Prabhat makes ‘seeing it’ a lot of fun. The dressing up for careers keeps it within the realm of childhood dreaming and play while suggesting real future possibility. It functions as a form of permission, which is echoed under the accomplishments part. The double-page spreads are packed with activity; bright, warm color and texture; and yet Prabhat manages to focus each moment around its text. And even before we fully explore the sheer variation of appearance, language, origin or practices we’ve already noticed the diversity of brown. Indeed, this isn’t one of those children of the world encyclopedic efforts. Each child isn’t assigned a language, food, origin, or dress code. For one, there are more languages listed than children… “I am brown” is a liberating statement. It can mean a lot of things—all of them good in I Am Brown.

Too often brown can be (and has been) presented in monolithic ways; the variations on a theme limited by white supremacy. This is why I Am Brown should not be limited to brown audiences. Banker and Prabhat not only invite children to celebrate (their) being brown, but invite curiosity and imagination about brown people. To envision a depth and fullness to what it means to be brown; touching on so many aspects of a human life in a delighted, accepting way.

Banker and Prabhat cast no judgement on the choices or actualities inside this record of joy and goodness. They merely observe the knowable: to be brown is to be beautiful, perfect, love, friendship, happiness…amazing.
...more

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Oct 23, 2020 Sarah Gerard rated it liked it

Shelves: picture-books

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.

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Mar 19, 2020 Francesca Lee rated it it was amazing

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.

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Mar 17, 2020 Gabby rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bame-books, challenging-stereo-types

What a lovely idea! Showing colour had no boundaries and no matter what colour you are, you’re just like everyone else. Beautiful book.

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Dec 02, 2020 Kayla rated it liked it

Shelves: own-voices, to-order-2021, poc-representation, childrens, picture-books

Joyful and vibrant!

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May 25, 2020 Suzi Sherman rated it it was amazing

LOVE!!!

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Mar 09, 2020 Jenn Adams rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, library, childrens-and-middle-grade, graphic-novel-comic

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. ...more

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Mar 09, 2020 Krysta rated it really liked it

Not really a read-aloud kind of book, but perfect as a gift book.

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Jul 22, 2020 Indrani rated it it was amazing

A great book to read with primary students. It has been written so well.

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Sep 16, 2020 Tiffany Lewis rated it really liked it

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 ...more

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Jul 16, 2020 Marissa Elera rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: multicultural, diversity, characters-of-color, children-of-color

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!

...more

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Jul 01, 2020 Abby Johnson added it

Shelves: picture-books, 4th_grade, 2nd_grade, pre-k, 1st-grade, 3rd_grade, 5th_grade, diverse, kindergarten, author-of-color

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.

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Jun 09, 2020 Aolund rated it it was amazing

Shelves: identity-african, identity-black-diaspora, multicultural, early-literacy, identity-asian-asian-american, own-voices, identity-muslim, picture-books, identity-multiracial

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

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Jun 14, 2020 Zoe Mobbs rated it it was amazing

Shelves: challenging-themes

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.

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May 29, 2020 Iqra Fiaz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: culture, picturebooks, family, children, international, bame-main, everyday-life, acceptance, diversity

Brown is Beautiful.
Brown is Amazing.
Brown is anything and anyone.
Brown does not conform to stereotypes.

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Jun 08, 2020 Ame rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-voices, upbeat, libby, cartoony, lovely-kiddie-books

You really can't read this book without a big grin on your face. You just can't do it. ...more

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Jun 15, 2020 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: poc-writer, poc-illustrator, 2020, poc-lead, children-s-picture-books

So full of heart and beauty and affirmation! This is what we need to teach our children! The power of difference!

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Jan 15, 2021 Kirin rated it really liked it

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 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 negative connotations and turn them in to positive affirmations of identity and strength. There isn’t a story with a plot, but with the regular inclusion of a girl with a scarf on, and the mention of a mosque, I thought to highlight it. The book is perfect for preschool and up.

The book starts with a little girl identifying herself as brown, beautiful and being perfect. It then stretches to her being love, friendship and happiness.

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From there it branches out to a whole cast of kids identifying the variety of things they can be, from a writer to an electrician to a prime minister. the same kids then do and make and work on things before identifying where they come from and what languages they speak.

The kids all have different hair on their heads and faces and even no hair at all. They live in different dwellings, they like to do different things.

Brown people are not a monolith, the kids show that they eat different foods in different ways, that they wear different clothes.

People with brown skin are roommates and teachers and friends and classmates. Some go to temple or church, others a mosque or shrine, some not at all.

The book ends with a close up of three smiling faces proclaiming, “I am brown. I am amazing. I am You.”

I’m sure people will argue that if you switch out white for brown the book would be deemed racist, and you are correct it would be. But as a group that is marginalized as “other” and often the darker brown you are with in the brown subset moves you “value” and “worth” down, makes a book celebrating the strength and beauty of “brown” so necessary and heart warming. I personally am the lightest “brown” imaginable being only half Pakistani. So, believe me I have privilege in the desi community, but I don’t find this book offensive at all. I’ve read this book at least a dozen times and my impressions alternate between beaming with pride and tears that so many beautiful people feel less than because of skin color and yes, anger too, that people are MADE to feel less than. May we all be more inclusive, more loving, and more open to the diversity of the human being. Ameen. ...more

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Sep 09, 2020 Meredith rated it liked it

Shelves: childrens-picture-books

Children of color from across the globe celebrate themselves, their cultures, their accomplishments, and their dreams.

"I am brown. I am amazing. I am you."

This picture book celebrates people of color not as disadvantaged, impoverished, downtrodden victims of oppression rising above their tragic past but as powerful creative individuals with agency and drive. Children with brown skin from around the world describe themselves -- what they look like, where they live, what languages they speak, what Children of color from across the globe celebrate themselves, their cultures, their accomplishments, and their dreams.

"I am brown. I am amazing. I am you."

This picture book celebrates people of color not as disadvantaged, impoverished, downtrodden victims of oppression rising above their tragic past but as powerful creative individuals with agency and drive. Children with brown skin from around the world describe themselves -- what they look like, where they live, what languages they speak, what they eat, where they worship, what they wear. They describe their career aspirations, their hobbies, and their accomplishments.

This would be an excellent book for young readers of color who will see themselves represented in diverse and positive terms. This would also be an excellent book for young reader not of color who will see their classmates, community members, and countrymen represented in diverse and positive terms. The focus is heavily South Asian; however, the representation is inclusive for anyone self-identifying as brown.

I do have two small quibbles with the book. First, one of the first positive affirmations is "I am perfect." Perfection is unattainable. The expectation of perfection sets a person up for failure, and the pursuit of perfection often leads to feelings of inadequacy. I would have preferred it if the third line of the opening tercet would have either mirrored the final line in the closing tercet: "I am you" or been a synonym of "amazing" such as fabulous or wondrous. The currently popular affirmation "I am enough" also would have been a good choice.

My second quibble is an incident of unconscious sexism. When the children are playing dress-up in adult clothing and describing what they wear, there is a female character wearing "a prom dress" and a female character wearing "a wedding gown." The authorial intention in this section seems to be a portrayal of people wearing both traditional and contemporary clothing. If this is indeed the case, these two girls could have worn blue jeans, or khakis, or a sundress, or surgical scrubs, or a uniform, or a sweater, or even athletic clothes. They could have been dressed in something modern without negative sexist connotations.

The use of the term "prom dress" instead of "formal wear" or "evening gown" perpetuates a gender stereotype as does the term "wedding dress." The idea that adolescent girls and young women obsess about prom, formal and semi-formal dances, parties, and weddings is a gender stereotype that depicts females as silly, frivolous, superficial, and preoccupied with romance. It displays a gender bias in which women are seen as girlfriends, wives, and sexual objects but not as professionals, breadwinners, and intellectuals.

The wedding dress is even more problematic. Child marriage is a large and ongoing human rights problem that disproportionately affects young girls of color as well as the area of the world heavily featured in this book. I was aghast when I saw the illustration of a girl child in a wedding dress. This is an oversight that an editor should have caught even if the author and illustrator were blind to its implications. ...more

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May 23, 2020 Barbara rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: families, friendship, empathy, identity, self-esteem, community, empowerment, cultural-identity, picture-book, emotions

Digital artwork and minimal but empowering text celebrate the wonders of having brown skin and being able to accomplish whatever goals one sets for him/herself. The book features images of various careers and professions as well as different places of origin for someone with brown skin. Language, dwelling places, clothing, favorite foods and pursuits, and even religious practices are featured as the book moves from exploring one's individual identity to reminding readers that they can find thems ...more

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Oct 08, 2020 Viviane Elbee rated it really liked it

Shelves: picture-books, diversity-picture-books-pb

This picture book celebrates global diversity in an affirming and positive way. The child characters presented in this book range from having light tan skin to dark brown skin, and come with different hair lengths, hair colors and eye colors. They engage in a variety of activities - from creating art, to helping others, to solving crimes, to coding computers. There is an emphasis on the fact that the characters come from all over the world, speak many different languages, and practice many diffe ...more

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Oct 09, 2020 The Library Mouse Tales rated it it was amazing

This book includes a collection of children from lots of different backgrounds. They are really well illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat. They all have brown skin but they are all very different. From the way they look, what they wear, what they eat, the languages they speak and how they pray. They have different talents and abilities and all of they believe that they can grow up to be what ever they want.
This is a very positive book for younger children. It shows the wide range of brown people on o ...more

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Sep 12, 2020 Emily rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-releases, rating-4-star, rep-poc, theme-race, access-library, collection-picture-book, rep-arab-mideast, rep-muslim, rep-asian-pacisland, rep-black

Joyful and affirming book about the many different and wonderful varieties of Brown people. From all around the world, from all different faiths (or no faith), wearing many different types of clothes, Brown is amazing!

The illustrations are adorable, though the choice to only portray children makes for a couple awkward moments-- for example, on the "I wear..." page, one little girl wears "...a wedding gown". It would also have been nice to see some disability representation among the kids, or vit ...more

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About Ashok K. Banker

Ashok K. Banker

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Author. Over 70 published books from HMH, PRH, S&S, Lantana, Scholastic, more. I AM BROWN (2020) is a Book Trust Great Book 2020. A KISS AFTER DYING (Penguin/Michael Joseph 2022). Type "AKB eBooks" on any Amazon website to find my work. ...more