No Mirrors in My Nana's House: Musical CD and Book

by Ysaye M. Barnwell, Synthia Saint James (Illustrator)

A little girl discovers the beauty in herself--and the beauty of the world around her--not by looking in the mirror but by looking in her Nana's eyes. Synthia Saint James's gloriously bright illustrations in this paperback edition show young readers how to see the beauty, and the accompanying CD of Sweet Honey In The Rock singing the song lets them hear it.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Cultural, African American, Childrens, Self Esteem, Fiction

32 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Faloni © · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for young readers and Is inspired by a song “no mirrors in my nana’s house” and I really like what the message is about. “The beauty in this child’s world is in her Nana’s eyes. It’s like the rising of the sun.” Love conquers all and beauty is skin deep. No Mirrors in My Nanas House is definitely a great title and good read.

[Clotie Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had wonderful faceless illustrations that really worked with the message of the book. The author on more than one occasion talks about how all the beauty in everything was in her nana's eyes. The author explores how she cherishes the environment around her due to the fact there were no mirrors in her nana's house. I loved the rhythm you could read the story to, how it is written is in a poetic way lends to the feeling the main character gives you exploring her nana's house. It is a simple yet vibrant book both inside and out lending a message to other’s that what you look like is of no matter, but how you move and take in your environment that truly matters.

[Rossy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the song.

[Cora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per my second graders: I loved it because I liked the way the music sounded. I liked the part where she said, "Chil', look deep in my eyes".

[Tori Serrano]

No Mirror’s in my Nana’s House by Ysaye M. Barnwell is a book about a little girl living in her Nana’s house. The Nana’s house had no mirrors in it so she does not know what her face may look like, how hear clothes may fit on her, but she knows that she is beautiful in her Nana’s eyes. She saw things that are normally negative and took them as a positive. She admired her Nana and how everything that her Nana saw was beautiful. At the end the Nana said to look deep, deep into her eyes.
I think that this story can give an important lesson to students. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and some homes may be different than others. It is important to stay positive about all kinds of situations. There is a part in the book where it says, “I only knew love, and never knew hate.” I think that can be a very important lesson. This little girl did not think about what she looked or dressed like, she only knew that she was beautiful in her Nana’s eyes. I think that it is an important lesson for students to learn to love yourself and know that everyone is beautiful.
These illustrations are very bold and bright. There are not a lot of details that are in the illustrations, and the illustrations keep to very simple shapes for all the characters and surroundings. The Nana is very round shaped and the illustrator probably did this to symbolize that the Nana is nurturing and loving. Her body, head, and hair are all round but it also creates a curve to show that she is a lady. The characters in the story don’t have any facial features, but you can still interpret how they feel without it.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This song-lyric-to-picture-book-prose book provides an endearing story about a young girl and her grandmother. The granddaughter repeatedly notes that while there are "no mirrors in my Nana's house" it does not keep her from enjoying the cracks in the wall and the trash in the hallway - all wondrous and beautiful to her - as well as her grandmother's beauty ("the beauty in everything was in her eyes like the rising of the sun"). The book ends with the girl's grandmother repeatedly saying, "Chil' look deep into my eyes." It's a nice picture book that reaffirms familial bonds and the importance of seeing beyond one's physical appearance in search of love and self-acceptance. I really enjoy Saint James' paintings as well, as the color blocked images really work well with the text. This is a really interesting read when considering lots of other African American picture books that celebrate beauty and individualism of the black body by encouraging children to look and admire their physical appearance. This book, instead, wants children to feel pride in their environment and through the love of their family members and neighbors.

[Heather]

Text-To-World

This is such a gem of a book (and the song that it was created from is simple and catchy) and is so important for today's children and adults alike. We live in an age where perfect appearance is such a stressed goal and identity. From billboards to advertisements, technology and media are always in our face (and our children's faces) reminding us that we need longer and shinier hair, bigger or smaller bodies, less ethnic or more ethnic features! Children today have such access to the world at their fingertips that they see these messages from the media and from their peers. This book is refreshing in that it shows us a home where reflections of ourselves are in our surroundings, our hearts, and our minds instead of just mirrors. What would it be like if we cared less about how we matched up with others in terms of outward appearances and cared more about the beauty of "cracks in the wall" and the light our Nana's eyes? In this story the daily, small things make life beautiful because the mirrors aren't there to distract us from them.

[Nani Yanagi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl who learns to see the beauty in everything through her eyes. Her Nana does not have any mirrors in her house. Her Nana also told her that "the beauty of everything is in her eyes." The little girl never noticed that her skin color was so different than everyone else. She never noticed that her skin was too dark. And she never noticed that her clothes never fit her. She learned that the beauty comes from what we see within ourselves. I found this book to be very simple when it came to literature, but it had a wonderful theme and story line. After reading this story, I realize that I look in the mirror so much times throughout the day. I look for my flaws and try to fix them. I try to blend myself with the crowd and look like everyone else. But this book showed me that the beauty is not what is shown back in the mirror, but is within the person and what they want to see.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was first introduced to this book (and song) when I found it linked to the website Storyline Online:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAG1j_...

My kindergarteners really enjoyed how Tia and Tamera Mowry read the book because of their enthusiasm and passion for the message behind the story. Of course, my students wouldn't necessarily understand everything that was mean by Ysaye Barnwell; yet, they understand and can discuss the reason there were no mirrors in Nana's house. Instead avoiding discussion about diversity and differences within a classroom, this book would allow for children to be open, honest, and hopefully aware of cultures which may be different from their own.

[Kristine Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book online at storylineonline.net. It is read by Tia and Tamera Mowry. The book also includes a CD of the book being sung. Vibrant colors are used to share a young girl's experience of discovering true beauty. The characters are faceless, allowing the reader to visualize his/her "nana" as the one in the story. Without mirrors, she is forced to find beauty around her, in her environment and in her grandmother(presumably her primary caregiver). She was able to focus on and enjoy her surroundings and not see her flaws and physical imperfections.

[Madeline Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It values relationships more than vanity. It teaches the children there is more to life than good looks. The illustrations are very unique and the story is a great read aloud

[Kathy Honsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Mirrors in My Nana's House is a captivating picture book about a girl who notices how life can be perceived differently without mirrors. Once the young girl sees there are no mirrors at her Nana's house, she begins paying attention to the world around her and notices details of objects and traits of others that she was not aware of before. She is able to look past the mirror and see the beauty within her and surrounding her. The colors in the story are vibrant and illustrations of characters vague so as to focus more on details around the characters. The story is written in a rhythmic way just like a song and certain repetitions focus on the message being conveyed. A young audience would find the story engaging and meaningful.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning

[Ike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated tale that highlights the love and wisdom of a Grandmother for one and all.

[Davonni · Rating 4 out of 5]

No mirrors in my nana house is a story told by a little girl who lives with her Nana. These are the only characters in this book. The little girl narrates the story be telling how she never noticed the imperfections around her, because her nana had no mirrors in her house. She lived in a low income neighborhood, her clothes did not fit, she looked differently than most kids around her, but she never knew any different because her nana always showed her loved. At one point in the story the little girl says “I never noticed how dark my skin was, and how big my noise was because there were no mirrors in my nana house.” I love that statement, no matter what others around her may have thought about her she was always taught to love yourself and your surrounds by her Nana. The genre of this book is mainly for the African American community, although other cultures could find similarities as well within the text. As a literacy teacher I wouldn't use this book inside my classroom. This was a good book, but I feel like it is more appropriate for a middle school classroom. The books talks about how the little girl never noticed the “bad” things around here. I would have liked if it focused more or praised the things around the little girl instead of looking at them as negatives. The author and the illustrator to a good job in showing the relationship that the little girl and her Nana had between them. They were also able to show that no matter what other people may think about you, it doesn’t matter as long as you know who you are. This book relates to my topic on the fact that it has to deal with stereotypes. I would recommend this book for middle school teachers who may be discussing stereotypes in their classroom.

[Amber Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book No Mirrors in my Nana’s House is a fiction book about a young African American girl who enjoys going to visit her Nana, whose house doesn’t have any mirrors. The young girl’s Nana zones in on the young girls inner beauty instead of focusing on external appearance. The little girl learns that there is beauty in everything by how her Nana treats her.
As a literacy teacher, I would use this text in the classroom to teach students words and their meanings. This book focused on many emotions, however the illustrations in the book did not portray any faces. I would have students try to figure out what they thought the faces of the individuals would have looked like based off of the emotion words.
The author, Ysaye M. Barnwell, has such a diverse background which may have contributed to her writing on a topic that discusses embracing your inner beauty. She has worked in many fields, including being a composer, actress, singer, teacher, author, and much more. The illustrator, Synthia Saint James, is a popular multicultural artist who has illustrated numerous children’s books, and even designed the first Kwanza stamp for the USPS. This text can teach children to be accepting of others and to recognize that there is beauty in everything around us, no matter what race or gender we are. I would recommend this book to teachers because it shows children people are not locked into a certain role in life due to race or gender, and to also be accepting of others around us.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Mirrors in My Nana's House is a beautiful story about a girl who learns to see the beauty in her surroundings through her Nana's eyes. Her Nana's home doesn't have mirrors, and therefore the girl learns to focus on the internal beauty of the people and things around her rather than depend on external appearances.

Barnwell uses what Fletcher calls "unforgettable language" which makes you long to see the beauty that the child sees. The repetitive language constantly reminds you that "the beauty in everything was in her eyes like the rising of the sun." The reader is constantly reminded about the lack of mirrors and the need to focus on something other than what you can see. This idea of seeing beyond the physical is enhance even more by the lack of facial features in the illustrations. The girl, her Nana, and other people in the pictures have blank faces which causes you to wonder what they look like, but further encourages you to get beyond that.

I would have students model the writing, using the repetitious lines to write about the beauty in something they have seen or observed.

This book is an excellent choice for teaching self-esteem and acceptance!



**Fletcher, R. (2013). What a Writer Needs (2nd ed). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.**

[Hannah Parks · Rating 3 out of 5]

"No Mirrors in my Nana's House" by Ysaye M. Barnwell and Synthia Saint James tells of how a young black girl sees beauty in the world and in herself when her home has no mirrors on the walls. Because there are no mirrors on the walls, she does not realize that her skin is considered by society to be "too black," or that the clothes she wore didn't fit her right. Instead she looked for beauty in the cracks on the walls, the dust dancing in the air, the sounds of the world outside, and in her Nana's eyes.

This book comes with a CD with a sung version of the poem, making the story interactive and unique. In the classroom, this book could be used to teach children about the diversity of literature- that stories can be told through poetry and that poetry can be made into song. It could also lead into a lesson on cultural differences and how people from different economic standings live. A discussion on racism in America and Western beauty standards could relate to this story. In addition, it could be used in a unit on symbolism. What does the dust in the air symbolize? What about Nana's eyes or the cracks in the walls?

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book based on a song by Sweet Honey in the Rock. The book I got was accompanied by a CD of the song, and I preferred it when I played the song and turned the pages to when I read the book alone.

The book (and the song) has an important message, and while I agree with the previous reviewer who pointed out that avoiding mirrors is not the solution, I think the book suggested that there were mirrors in the form of loved ones' eyes and the community's treatment of her, and those things did not reflect flaws but acceptance. We may not all eliminate mirrors in our homes, but we can eliminate judgement and celebrate diverstiy.

I also think that while the child depicted is of African descent, this book could appeal to any child and an adult could talk about what physical characteristics are sometimes considered "flaws" by others, but why they shouldn't be, because maybe they're just what make us different, and sometimes even what make us beautiful.

Readers will enjoy the simple yet vivid illustrations accompanying it.

[Brittany Martz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A girl lived at her Nana’s house which had no mirrors. The girl did not know what she looked like. She did not realize her clothes were too small or her skin was really dark or that her nose was too flat. The girl thought of herself only through the view of her Nana who told her what she looked like. The young girl only saw the positive in everything because everything was known through her Nana's view. The young girl thought the cracks in the wall were interesting and the garbage, the loud noise in the hallways, and the outside world was just wonderful. Instead of seeing, the negative in the world she saw the beauty in everything. In my classroom, I could use this book to talk about diversity and how everyone is different. I could bring in mirrors and have everyone look at themselves in the mirror and then draw what they see. After everyone is done I can hang them all up and discuss how everyone is different and unique in their own way and we can see that by our drawings. (Realistic Fiction)

[Tess Gatof · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first time I have come across "No Mirros in My Nana's House" and I fell in love! It is such a gorgeous story of finding beauty from the inside and from the natural world, rather than focusing just on appearances. The illustrations are gorgeous, presenting bright colors and tons of movement, yet do not have specific facial features painted on the faces, as to show that other things like music and nature as the focus. The repetitive nature of the storyline is almost sing-songy (it is actually inspired by a song with the same title) and would definitely keep young children's attention. The main characters in the story are also African-American, which gives children who do not identify as African American, a new group of people in their stories, and gives children who do identify as African-American, representation on their own classroom bookshelves. The book highlights, love, happiness, and family, and for that I am definitely rating this book five stars.

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and I watched this together on Storyline Online. He is 5, so I don't think he fully understood the message, but I thought it was great. It's a lyrical (literally based on song lyrics) story about a child growing up in poverty but seeing all the beauty in the world reflected in her grandmother's eyes. It's a story about seeing the glory where you com from, no matter where that may be. I especially liked the illustrations featuring faceless characters, which makes perfect sense in the context of a home with no mirrors. You can find love and beauty no matter where you are, or what you look like. The book was accompanied by the song that inspired it, which is really great.
This book really touched me, and made me think about how young children are so open-minded and aren't even aware when they are living in a world that is supposedly "less than" as long as they are given the love of someone who finds beauty in them.

[Ralyn Tyler]

This book is about a young girl who Is staying with her grandmother who has no mirror in the house. The young girl only sees the beauty of herself within her grandmothers eyes. She is unaware of how her hair looks or how her clothes fit, but knows how beautiful she is. I chose this book because not only was it a story on beauty, self-image, love, and confidence; but because it was clear to me the young girl lived with her grandmother and they both lived in poverty. It is very common In an African American household that children live with their grandparents; it is also common that these children can loose sight of their true beauty and have a low self-esteem.
The best part of this book is that it is relatable and has no negative stereotypes of some African American households. The illustrations go along perfectly with the story and the children will enjoy to sing along with the book for it is also a song.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The love of a little girl’s grandmother helps her to see the beauty in herself and in her world, even though she is in poverty.

This interactive eBook is read by Tia and Tamera Mowry of the T.V. show Sister Sister. The eBook can be found at the website http://www.storylineonline.net/. The book’s message of the importance of loving oneself in spite of one’s situation is important, and the love between the granddaughter and her grandmother is touching. The narrators of the story are animated and will keep children interested in this video. The viewer actually experiences the story twice. After the initial reading, the book is set to music and the story is “read” once more in song. The presentation could have been a little stronger if the storytellers had discussed the book a little, and talked about what the book meant to them, but overall this was a great presentation.

[Laura Mincey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this is a great book to share with young students! This book by Barnwell describes a young African American girl who loves to visit her Nana, who has no mirrors in her house. This is a great book to share with children when discussing self-image. Children will undrestand from this book that beauty is truly within instead of on the outside. Nana doesn't judge her grandchildren on their outward appearance, but rather, the content of their character. I would recommend ANY elementary school teacher to have this book in the classroom library to share with children of diverse background, and self-esteem issues. LOVE LOVE this story for building confidence and self image... young children will love it, too!

[Kristen Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great book about a little African American girl who visits her Nana. Her Nana does not have any mirrors in her house and does not treat and judge the little girl based on her outside appearance. She focuses on the girl's inner beauty. This book shows that no matter what we look like or where we are from it's what's inside that matters! This is a really important topic in Elementary School where the children are becoming exposed to all different types of people and things. They sometimes think that just because something is "different" than they are or have seen it is weird or odd. This book teaches just the opposite; it teaches non-discrimination and builds self-esteem. LOVE it!

[Nick Molinet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was good because it shows a good relationship between grandmother and granddaughter and also because it about looking at the beauty within and forgetting all stereotypes. In the book the little girls is saying that there are no mirrors in her Nana's so she doesn't know that cracks on the wall that she sees as beautiful most would see as ugly. This is a good book because it teaches children that sometimes when we stare into a mirror we only see what we don't like about ourselves and that sometimes when there are no mirrors around we can learn to appreciate the beauty in all of us.

Learning Extension: You can give the children a piece of paper in the shape of a mirror and write in it all the things that they love about themselves and the world around them and discuss afterwards.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first problem with this book was simply that my daughter was not the audience that this book was intended for (which she checked out from the library). This book was written for young children of color who are trying to come to terms with their physical differences with the world around them (speaks of "skin too black . . . nose too flat"). Another concern I had with this book though was that the answer this author had for self acceptance was that her Nana had "no mirrors in [her] house." I want to teach my daughters to love, respect, honor and celebrate themselves flaws and all, not to avoid and simply ignore their gifts, challenges and differences. Overall not a book I would suggest.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that should be used with students in preschool through about second or third grade. This book can be found on the website http://www.storylineonline.net where it can be read aloud by Tia and Tamara Mowry. This website allows students to hear a story read by famous people. This book however is a great way to share the idea of "inner beauty" to our youngest students. This book shows our readers how we can see the beauty in everyone if we just look hard enough and learn to understand who they are. The CD that goes along with this book is also a great touch because it allows us to hear the beauty that this story explains.

[Tajsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated the message this book conveyed or rather the lesson I thought the book was teaching: self acceptance.
What I found intriguing, though, was the fact that the illustrations had no faces. I understand the concept of being judged by "the content of character" (to quote MLK, Jr.); however, I felt that by not giving the characters any facial features silenced the "voice" of the book. At the same time, the muted voice spoke volumes because there was no dependence on mirrors and facial features for the characters to know that they were beautiful and loved anyway.