Ours

by Ruth Forman, Talia Skyles (Illustrator)

From the bestselling author of Curls, Glow, and Bloom comes a board book that joyfully celebrates skin tone self-love with a mirror for little ones.

I love mine (mine)
she loves hers (hers)
he loves his (his)
I love theirs

Show young readers how to see themselves and others with confidence and love with this beautiful rhyming board book toddlers and parents alike will love.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, African American

24 pages, Board Book

Published August 30, 2022

Reviews

[Elizabeth Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dynamic duo has done it again! Ms. Ruth and Ms. Talia must keep doing what they do best: sharing stories and illustrations that touch readers of all ages! Thank you both for another beautiful book!

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a small board book, which packs in tons of confidence. There are few words, but then, few are needed to bring across the point. Love flows in all direction as well as acceptance of self and others.

The illustrations are well-done, portraying moments readers can easily identify with. The care and good vibes are clear on every page, and every scene carries energy and joy.

While this, according the the blurb, surrounds skin-color, it actually encompasses much more and can easily include other aspects as well. The message is warming and encouraging, and it makes a great read aloud for groups as well as individual situations.
I received a DRC and enjoyed the simplicity and warmness.

[Kim Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teacher it's always exciting when my TK-1st grade students fall in love with a book. "Ours," is that book! Discovery of their own unique beauty is offered on each page and affirmed with the image of themselves in a mirror. Each child saw something beautiful about themselves. This book is a must in a children's library and a great joy to read and share!

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poem in this one didn't hit quite the same as some of the previous 3 (Curls, Glow, & Bloom), but the message and illustrations are still a stand out.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, the illustrations are lovely, but the text is super vague and insubstantial.

[Elizabeth]

Ruth Forman's One was one of Betsy Bird's Great Board Books of 2023, and when I requested a copy from the library, I also requested copies of her other board books.

Having previously read, e.g., Curls , I assumed this book was also about Black hair. The text is very unclear -- "I love mine, she loves hers, he loves his, I love theirs" -- and the only written clue is the dedication: "For all of our beautiful shades. You are loved." (The back cover just says, "we love ours. you love yours?") I hadn't noticed the dedication and didn't figure it out until I was looking at GR reviews (which also clued me in to the dedication).

I absolutely support resources to help kids of color love their skin (and other body parts that white supremacist society teaches them is less-than-ideal), but I wish the book had been clearer that that's what it was actually about. The first illustration does have the dark-skinned girl putting on sunscreen, but it definitely wasn't clear to me initially that I was supposed to be focused on her skin.

(My partner also winced that we break the rhythm partway through -- "I love mine / mine // she loves hers / hers // he loves his / his // I love theirs / theirs" and then "we love ours" without an echoing "ours.")

This book does include a Black boy (and one kid who joins the crowd later and is somewhat ambiguously gender-coded) -- as opposed to most of Forman's board books exclusively feature Black girls.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confidence and acceptance surround the children who go to the park. There's a great mirror in the middle where the child can see themself.

Honestly, though, I was lost. The text is unclear. "He loves his" - and a boy is looking in the mirror. I had to explore a bit to figure out where Forman was taking the reader. I believe, based on Forman's dedication, that the theme of the book is loving your skin color. The characters are all children of color

Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com

[Andrés · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred this to Forman's "Light," though the text is similarly vague. In fact, I thought hers, his, theirs, ours, yours referred to hair, though upon reading the dedication, I believe it refers to skin shade. The illustrations on some pages more strongly support both / either. I liked the insertion of a mirror in the middle to engage the reader, and I liked the group image with no text at the end. The message throughout is self-confidence and self-love.

[Jacob Schmitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accompany these individuals as they gather at a park for a playful meet-up. Each page vividly captures the delight of engaging in activities with friends. The text, presented in verse, encourages both self-appreciation and affection for others.

[Jocelin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are the true gems. The rhyming prose of this book doesn’t really bring the story to life.

[Falicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful!

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Great read ing for kids that do not have confidence about their abilities to see them self as beautiful and incredible smart.

[Satangan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read with wonderful illustrations.
Reading the text was kind of vague but nice…

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such great representation and encouragement