Melanin Origins

Picture Book Review: The Principle of Justice by Jeffery Lee Cheatham II

A background of bright green geranium leaves with red centers. My hand holds the bottom left corner of a bluish tree hardback book. The cover features a Black girl wearing a crown and green dress. She is holding apart a large, mad looking hippo and an angry crocodile wearing a crown. The title is written across the top “The Principle of Justice”. In the corners are silver filigrees.
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The Principle of Justice written by Jeffery Lee Cheatham II, illustrated by Xander A. Nesbitt

A background of bright green geranium leaves with red centers. My hand holds the bottom left corner of a bluish tree hardback book. The cover features a Black girl wearing a crown and green dress. She is holding apart a large, mad looking hippo and an angry crocodile wearing a crown. The title is written across the top “The Principle of Justice”. In the corners are silver filigrees.
Image description: A background of bright green geranium leaves with red centers. My hand holds the bottom left corner of a bluish tree hardback book. The cover features a Black girl wearing a crown and green dress. She is holding apart a large, mad looking hippo and an angry crocodile wearing a crown. The title is written across the top “The Principle of Justice”. In the corners are silver filigrees.

Book description: Journey with Melanin Origins as we share a short story about the principle of justice. A principle that states, “I will be fair in all that I do; I will not cheat myself or others.”

King Hippo’s crown has gone missing and he suspects King Crocodile. Last year the two had a water race and King Crocodile was a sore loser about it. So now King Hippo believes he’s getting back at him for winning. Thankfully Princess Nubia is there to help sort things out. She encourages King Hippo not to jump to conclusions and to do some deeper investigation to find who actually stole the crown.

This is a good mix of parable and fable to demonstrate to kids that we when you are angry and feeling wronged it’s harmful to jump to conclusions and make accusations. It also demonstrates the benefit of getting help to mediate conflict. Hippo is wrong about Crocodile and his accusations just make Crocodile mad, rightfully so. The two of them getting heated is not helpful so Princess Nubia helps them solve the mystery as well as take responsibility for the accusations and their reactions (both to the stolen crown and the lost race the year before).

While this exact story may not play out on the playground or between siblings, it is almost inevitable conflict like this will arise in schoolyards, classrooms, and shared bedrooms. How wonderful to have a story that addresses the issue and models apologizing and taking ownership of your actions. As with the other books in the Ma’at Series, you could read this preemptively or as specific situations arise. Princess Nubia will give you plenty to discuss about how to handle conflict and children will connect with her sense of justice and level-headedness (even if they aren’t always those things themselves). All the books in the series have struck a good balance between being engaging and interesting, offering a lesson, and still not being overly long for their target audience of pre-k, kinder, and first grade children.

I have one small quibble with the story. King Turtle is taken away when it is discovered he is the one who stole the crown and we don’t hear from him again. I would have liked to see some resolution there and some responsibility and restoration take place on his part. However, this is a good opportunity to allow children to use their imaginations to tell what happens to King Turtle and what a good resolution and restitution for his role in the story would be. It’s also possible children will not give Turtle much thought once he’s off page and the main conflict between Hippo and Crocodile is resolved.

This whole series is recommended for libraries that serve homeschooling families and religious communities and also for school libraries that have social emotional wellbeing as part of the elementary curriculum.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links). Please, in this uncertain time, if at all possible, purchase from an independent/local bookstore. They need our help right now.

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture Book Review: The Principle of Propriety by Tamel Lee

A background of bright green geranium leaves with red centers. My hand holds the bottom left corner of a reddish brown hardback book. The cover features a Black man in a blue shirt with his arm around a Black boy also wearing a blue shirt. Behind them are three people in dresses or jeans and a shirt. The title is written across the top “The Principle of Propriety”. In the corners are silver filigrees.
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The Principle of Propriety written by Tamel Lee, illustrated by Fleance Forkuo

A background of bright green geranium leaves with red centers. My hand holds the bottom left corner of a reddish brown hardback book. The cover features a Black man in a blue shirt with his arm around a Black boy also wearing a blue shirt. Behind them are three people in dresses or jeans and a shirt. The title is written across the top “The Principle of Propriety”. In the corners are silver filigrees.
Image description: A background of bright green geranium leaves with red centers. My hand holds the bottom left corner of a reddish brown hardback book. The cover features a Black man in a blue shirt with his arm around a Black boy also wearing a blue shirt. Behind them are three people in dresses or jeans and a shirt. The title is written across the top “The Principle of Propriety”. In the corners are silver filigrees.

Book description: Journey with Melanin Origins as we share a short story about the principle of propriety. A notion that carries a similar meaning to “righteousness” and states, “I will always seek what is best for myself and others; I will not allow others to influence me to do wrong.”

Marlon is bummed that the community center in his neighborhood is mostly abandoned by his neighbors. He misses playing games and getting together with everyone and his attempts to bang on doors and demand people come back aren’t getting him anywhere. In a last ditch effort, Marlon reaches out the mayor to help him out. Mayor Ausar comes through, both with a lesson in getting people engage with you and also in how to affect change in your community.

Propriety is one of those words that can raise eyebrows and put up backs in progressive circles, but here it is not about oppressed-oppressor relationships, but about community coming together and being considerate of each other’s needs. The Principle of Propriety talks about how to go about engaging meaningfully in community and not just making demands that satisfy your own desires. Marlon wants people to come back to the community center, but Mayor Ausar shows him how to ask the people in the community what it is they want to see happening at the community center and then use that feedback to shape a space where the whole community wants to come together.

This could be an effective book for opening discussions around community engagement projects with students. Mayor Ausar functions as a mentor helping Marlon organize and build community and his ideas can apply to a variety of situations that children might want to come together around, such as cleaning up a community space, advocating for new playground equipment, or starting a community garden, amongst other ideas.

The illustrations are sweet and have a lot of African touches that make the book culturally relevant. This would make a great addition to collections in community centers, school libraries, and homes.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links). Please, in this uncertain time, if at all possible, purchase from an independent/local bookstore. They need our help right now.

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture Book Review: The Principle of Truth by Randy Williams

A background of bright green geranium leaves with red centers. My hand holds the bottom left corner of a reddish brown hardback book. The cover features a Black man in a blue shirt with his arm around a Black boy also wearing a blue shirt. Behind them are three people in dresses or jeans and a shirt. The title is written across the top “The Principle of Propriety”. In the corners are silver filigrees.
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The Principle of Truth written by Randy Williams, illustrated by Sandro Perovic

A background of bright green geranium leaves with red centers. My hand holds the bottom left corner of a reddish brown hardback book. The cover features a Black man in a blue shirt with his arm around a Black boy also wearing a blue shirt. Behind them are three people in dresses or jeans and a shirt. The title is written across the top “The Principle of Propriety”. In the corners are silver filigrees.
Image description: A background of bright green geranium leaves with red centers. My hand holds the bottom left corner of a reddish brown hardback book. The cover features a Black man in a blue shirt with his arm around a Black boy also wearing a blue shirt. Behind them are three people in dresses or jeans and a shirt. The title is written across the top “The Principle of Propriety”. In the corners are silver filigrees.

Book description: Journey with Melanin Origins as we share a short story about the principle of truth. A principle that states, “I will always seek to discern what is real, know what is correct, and act accordingly.”

Melanin Origins has been hard at work developing new series that focus on principles and people. The All in All Series covers Biblical figures such as Abraham and Elisha. The Principle of Truth is part of the Ma’at Series and delves into what it means to be truthful and why it’s important for trust and community.

Truth, and the others in the Ma’at series, are great books for preschool and kindergarten classrooms that work on social-emotional skills. They can be read preemptively or as issues arise within the classroom as a whole or between specific children. Truthfulness is a particularly salient issue in young children, as lying certainly happens, usually around small issues with low stakes (not to mention that children are very willing to forgive and move on). Discussing the consequences can really help children grapple with the ethics of being truthful and form good habits before the stakes are higher.

I especially appreciated that The Principle of Truth focused on the importance of truth within building and upholding community. Most books about lying that I have seen moralize about individual responsibility and how trust can damage interpersonal relationships, essentially the neoliberal version of truth. This is certainly an important piece of being truthful, but the damage lying can do to community is also incredibly important. Children can learn that we have a responsibility to a larger group of people than just our parents or one or two friends.

I know books with a capital “M” message can be a hard sell, but these books have a place in curriculums and classrooms as well as libraries. They target specific skills and ideas we want to be discussing with our young people, because being explicit about these fundamental aspects of character will ensure our children think about moral and ethical issues as they grow. Unlike the All in All series, these are not overtly religious although these principles clearly align with religious ideals and would fit just as well in parochial schools and Sunday schools as in secular classrooms and homes.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links). Please, in this uncertain time, if at all possible, purchase from an independent/local bookstore. They need our help right now.

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture Book Review: Elisha: a Man of Gentleness and Self-Control by Rediesha C. Allen

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Elisha: A Man of Gentleness and Self-Control written by Redeisha C. Allen, illustrated by Hatice Bayramoglu

A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a muted teal square hardback. On the cover is a brown skinned kneeing boy in a white top with a red sash and blue shawl. Behind him are several other brown skinned people in Biblical dress. The title arcs across the top “Elisha: A Man of Gentleness and Self Control”. In the corners are gold filigrees.
Image description: A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a muted teal square hardback. On the cover is a brown skinned kneeing boy in a white top with a red sash and blue shawl. Behind him are several other brown skinned people in Biblical dress. The title arcs across the top “Elisha: A Man of Gentleness and Self Control”. In the corners are gold filigrees.

Book description: Journey with Melanin Origins as we share a short story about a mighty man of God named Elisha, and how his life lines up with the Fruits of the Spirit: Gentleness and Self-Control. Meekness may be defined as, “strength under control”, but when one knows he possesses great abilities within– it takes a dose of gentleness and self-control to rightly direct one’s efforts for the glory of God.

Elisha is the next book in the All in All series that shows the lives of Biblical prophets. This reads like a lot of the traditional saint stories detailing the early life of Elisha, his call to God, and his miracles. This is a great starting point for young readers, parents, and educators wanting to introduce these important religious figures.

But the series elevates the simple biographical format by incorporating a characteristic or skill that children can develop with practice and a role model demonstrating what it looks like. Here Elisha represents thoughtfulness and, as the title says, self control. Oh, self control. Such a hard skill for children and adults alike. Elisha takes his time thinking about questions he’s been asked and problems he’s been called upon to help solve. He prays, thinks, and then offers advice. While children won’t read this once and master thoughtful action and answers, they can easily grasp the concept which is gently presented here. And while many people worry about books that moralize to children or contain a Message (capital M), Allen has done a pitch perfect job balancing being clear about what Elisha represents and not preaching in an insulting and too-obvious way. Elisha is clearly someone to emulate, not someone who can be held over the heads of kids who sometimes (or frequently) act impulsively.

Illustrator Hatice Bayramoglu depicts Elisha, and even Elijah, as young boys following the tradition of Melanin Origins’ Snippet of the Life series. I wrote in my very first review of one of those books that I was surprised how it made the person and subject more relatable for my own daughter. Kids like to see themselves in stories and having famous figures shown as children gives them an entre.

This whole series is recommended for churches, Sunday schools, religious homeschoolers, parochial schools, and families looking to feature religious figures at home. Libraries also serve all of these populations and I would recommend they purchase these as well, especially for homeschooling families who frequently use libraries.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links). Please, in this uncertain time, if at all possible, purchase from an independent/local bookstore. They need our help right now.

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture Book Review: The Faithfulness of Daniel by Jalissa B. Pollard

A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a brown square hardback. On the cover is a light skinned smiling boy in a blue top. The title arcs across the top “The Faithfulness of Daniel”. In the corners are gold filigrees.
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The Faithfulness of Daniel written by Jalissa B. Pollard, illustrated by Adua Hernandez

A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a brown square hardback. On the cover is a light skinned smiling boy in a blue top. The title arcs across the top “The Faithfulness of Daniel”. In the corners are gold filigrees.
Image description: A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a stack of three books, the top one is a brown square hardback. On the cover is a light skinned smiling boy in a blue top. The title arcs across the top “The Faithfulness of Daniel”. In the corners are gold filigrees.

Book description: Journey with Melanin Origins as we share a short story about Daniel and how his life lines up with the Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness. Faith and dedication to doing God’s will were key ingredients to the “excellent spirit” that Daniel possessed.

Another standout in the All in All Series from Melanin Origins. Daniel distills the Biblical story of Daniel down for young audiences. Pollard, author of My Grandmother is a Lady, has hit all the right notes; good vocabulary words without over complicating the text, a simple story that still retains the essence, and a clear message that is understandable for the intended audience.

This story feels particularly apt at a time when the world feels scary, even, or especially, to children. Daniel, a wise man, kept his faith despite being tested and ultimately faced a literal den of lions for it. But it was also his faith that saved him. God delivers him from the lions keeping their mouths shut while Daniel was in the den. An exciting story on the outside, but it also points to the importance of putting your faith in God or in something that is bigger than yourself when you feel powerless and frightened. A letting go of the things you can’t control. The book does use religious terms and is, obviously, taken directly from the Bible, but even non-religious/spiritual families can find the message here encouraging.

As always Adua Hernandez has illustrated the story perfectly. Daniel is shown as a young boy making it easy for children to relate. The sets are peopled with the right amount of people and details to make the pictures inviting, but not overly cluttered. All of the books in the series depict the Biblical figures as Black or brown and not the traditionally inaccurate blond haired and blue eyed figures.

This series, and this book, is perfect for families, Sunday schools, parochial preschools and kindergartens. Homeschooling families looking for Biblical additions to their curriculum would also benefit from having these. Libraries too that serve any of these populations should consider them for their collections.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links). Please, in this uncertain time, if at all possible, purchase from an independent/local bookstore. They need our help right now.

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture book Review: Abraham’s Great Love by Louie T. McClain II

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Image description: A watercolor leaf background with tan and pale greens. On it is a blue square paperback book. On the cover is a group of people in biblical robes. In the foreground is a boy with brown skin and dreadlocks. He is looking out at the reader smiling. The title arcs across the top “Abraham’s Great Love”. In the corners are gold filigrees.

Abraham’s Great Love written by Louie T. McClain II, illustrated by Xander A. Nesbitt

Book description: Journey with Melanin Origins as we share a short story about Abraham, the “Father of Many Nations”, and how his life lines up with the Fruit of the Spirit: Love. As a believer dedicated to doing God’s Will, Abraham lived a life that demonstrated love for all mankind.

Melanin Origins has launched a new series, the All In All Series, focusing on figures from the Old Testament. Faith communities take note, these sweet little books are going to be perfect for families, Sunday school, children’s chapel, and holidays.

The first in the series is Abraham. The story follows Abraham through key points in his life while focusing primarily on the overarching theme of his story. These books are perfect for their advertised audience, second grade and below. They feature bright illustrations with big-eyed people. Each page has a short sentence or two which will keep kids engaged through the story. And they don’t get bogged down in scripture, old-fashioned language, or the strange minutiae that can sometimes happen in the Bible.

The book also strikes a balance between telling Abraham’s biographical story and focusing on the message of his story. As you could probably tell from the title, love is the theme here, and even for someone like me who is not religious I can’t help but feel this message is an important one for children, especially in this time. Kids need to feel loved and they need to be taught to love. Moreover, the story demonstrates how love guided Abraham- through difficulty, in relationships with people and the Earth, and in faith. Abraham uses love to guide his decisions in putting others first and how he approaches God.

The illustrations are especially exciting. The people are adorable and very inviting with large cartoon eyes and big faces. Kids will be drawn to them. Many religious books depict characters of the Bible as blonde haired and blue eyed, not exactly culturally or historically accurate to say the least. Here we see a cast of characters that have a variety of brown skin tones and differing hair colors and textures (including the loc’d Abraham). Not only will these illustrations feel more relevant than the typical Biblical illustrations, but they’re more accurate too.

For all you non-religious families, I have a pet theory that Biblical references are everywhere in our culture and to be fully culturally literate it helps to know a little something about the major monotheistic religions and the stories of the Bible. If you don’t know Noah, you won’t understand when someone makes a remark about going two-by-two or building an arc. It’s maybe not totally necessary, but you would be surprised how often these images and references appear if you actually pay attention. If you want a fun way to introduce these stories to your children so they have a general frame of reference, these would be a way to get started.

Abraham, and the rest of the series, is highly recommended for churches, religious schools and preschools, and families alike. Libraries should seriously consider carrying them for their religious families and Christian homeschoolers.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links). Please, in this uncertain time, if at all possible, purchase from an independent/local bookstore. They need our help right now.

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture Book Review: Being Different Is the Name of the Game by MeMe Taylor Davis

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Five friends stand on a hill of green grass. The sun shines above them. There is an alligator, a female lion, a cat wearing a fruit hat, a monkey wearing large purple glasses, and a blue dinosaur. They all wave at the reader and are smiling.
Image description: Five friends stand on a hill of green grass. The sun shines above them. There is an alligator, a female lion, a cat wearing a fruit hat, a monkey wearing large purple glasses, and a blue dinosaur. They all wave at the reader and are smiling.

Being Different Is the Name of the Game by MeMe Taylor Davis, illustrated by Jorge Mansilla

From Goodreads: Being Different is the Name of the Game is story for children to identify differences in the animals. Read along as each character embraces their uniqueness and creates a community of friendship, acceptance, and a celebration of distinct qualities.

In addition to publishing a series of books geared towards supporting Black children, Melanin Origins has a series of books that are excellent for building empathy, respect, and social-emotional intelligence in children. Being Different is the latest in this (informal) series of books.

This will be hard for children to resist with bright, friendly colors and adorable animal kids on the cover. Right off the bat the book is hitting the right notes. Simple, snappy, rhyming text introduces each character making this a perfect read aloud for preschool and kindergarten age kiddos.

Each animal has something about them that makes them different from other animals like themselves. A blue dinosaur, a kind lion, long alligator ears, and even glasses.

The glasses is especially interesting. There are a handful of books that address children needing to wear glasses with the intent of normalizing it and introducing the idea to their peers. Certainly those books are worth reading, but the fact that glasses wearing is integrated into a number of other differences positions it in a larger context of diversity along with skin color, temperament, and physical appearance.

I know books that tackle diversity often use animals as a proxy for humans. That gets criticized for not being more explicit and while that is a valid argument, I think it can veer into the territory of wanting one perfect book to present diversity and discrimination to children. A one-and-done type resource. The reality is children need a host of resources that can act as entry points into lots of discussions about diversity and oppression. As with the books about glasses, this is a great book to have on shelves with other books that open conversations about difference. Pair it with The People You May See for a robust discussion about being respectful and accepting of human variety.

Schools with SEL curriculum and parents looking to up their kids acceptance of diversity should have this on their shelves. Kids will love the illustrations and positive message. I suspect it will be a favorite, read again and again. And again.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links)

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture Book Review: Beautiful Black Girl by Keshia Johnson

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A pink background with large script-like letters along the top that spell out the title Beautiful Black Girl. Below a little girl with brown skin and black hair up in two puffs has her hand on her hip. She is turned slightly and is looking sideways at herself in a mirror. She wears a sparkly yellow dress and two white bows in her hair.
Image description: A pink background with large script-like letters along the top that spell out the title Beautiful Black Girl. Below a little girl with brown skin and black hair up in two puffs has her hand on her hip. She is turned slightly and is looking sideways at herself in a mirror. She wears a sparkly yellow dress and two white bows in her hair.

Beautiful Black Girl written by Keshia Johnson, illustrated by Mark Mas Stewart

From Goodreads: Read along as renowned author, Keshia Johnson of Beautiful Black Girl, tells the story of a young girl Mila, whose grandmother Molly takes her on a journey of falling in love with her beautiful black skin. The story of Mila’s journey to self-love inspires and encourages black girls everywhere to embrace who they are and conquer the world.

Melanin Origins publishes a line of books designed to bolster the self esteem of Black children, and especially Black girls. These books are necessary and it is amazing that Melanin Origins continues to bring them into the world. Beautiful Black Girl joins the ranks with Penelope Embraces Her Uniqueness, Perfect As I Am, and I Love My Mocha Skin.

If for no other reason, Beautiful Black Girl should be on library shelves to tell Black girls they are beautiful, capable, and worthy. This message feels even more urgent in the current time with the pandemic and kids being out of their routines and elements. Morale is low, kids are struggling. Getting some extra love and encouragement to wrap around them and reminding them that they are loved is crucial right now.

This also works as an anti-bullying book. Mila comes home from school feeling sad because the kids made fun of her hair and lips and also her desire to be a doctor when she grows up. This is the beauty of picture books- they are meant to be a shared reading experience and allow for discussion about the illustrations, the story, and/or the messages within the story. If used as a read aloud in classrooms or libraries this first scene can open up discussion about how these comments made Mila feel, what the children could have said instead, how to care for yourself when someone says something hurtful, and what a bystander could have done if they over heard these hurtful comments. Sometimes young children are curious and helping them learn to rephrase their questions or who might be a more appropriate person to ask questions of is an important skill they need guidance with as is the skill of not saying everything that pops into your head and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand how comments can hurt feelings even if that wasn’t the intent.

One of the aspects of this book I love the most about is that the focus is not just on Mila’s appearance. Her grandmother encourages her to dream big and not let the narrow minds of her classmates hinder what she sees herself as capable of accomplishing. I know a lot of Black children, and especially girls, are teased for their appearance- skin that is “too dark”, hair that is “too natural”, etc. – and it is critically important that adults explicitly counter those messages and call out the anti-blackness of them. But girls also need messages beyond their appearance, because they are more than their bodies. Mila wants to be a doctor when she grows up and her grandmother pushes her to keep that dream and elaborate on it.

Finally Mila takes the book out to her friends at the end to encourage them and boost their spirits as well. The model of sharing the love with those you care about is also a critically important skill for kids to witness and internalize. The illustrations here, as with all Melanin Origin books are adorable. Keisha has endearing hair puffs and big, sweet eyes.

I also want to use this as a reminder to adults not to put your own ideas about this book onto children. It is written for Black girls and that by itself is perfect. But even if you have an all white patron base at your library (this should concern you, by the way!), you never know what child will connect with the message. I have seen my own daughter, who is so pale she looks blue, pick up these books in Melanin Origins’ catalog and love them and get a boost from them. I’m not saying kids are colorblind, but kids don’t always need the trappings of race to connect with a book and adults should be mindful of this when offering them books on the library shelves.

All in all, a great addition to the books that support Black girls. There are a lot of possibilities for this book in the hands of parents and educators. It would be perfect for kindergarten, first, and even second grade discussion and reading.

Disclosure: I was sent a review copy by the publisher, Melanin Origins, in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links):

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.

Picture Book Review: Penelope Embraces Her Uniqueness by Katrina Hunt

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Penelope Embraces Her Uniqueness written by Katrina Hunt, illustrated by Adua Hernandez

A purple book cover features a little girl with two hair poofs. She has her eyes closed and her arms wrapped around herself. She is wearing a bright yellow, sleeveless dress. She is being encircled by glowing musical notes. In the background is a baby grand piano.
Image description: A purple book cover features a little girl with two hair poofs. She has her eyes closed and her arms wrapped around herself. She is wearing a bright yellow, sleeveless dress. She is being encircled by glowing musical notes. In the background is a baby grand piano.

From Goodreads: Read along as author, Katrina Hunt, tells the story of a young girl named Penelope who has some struggles embracing all of the things that make her special/unique. Penelope eventually realizes that life is so much more than how she looks, but it’s her wonderful gifts and talents that make her one of a kind, too. Penelope Embraces Her Uniqueness inspires and encourages children to embrace who they are, and let their uniqueness shine through.

Penelope is having a hard time feeling like she’s different from everyone around her. She’s focused on how she looks different- her feet aren’t dainty, her skin is darker than the other girls, her hair is poofy. But one night she visits a fair and starts dancing at the music tent. She’s invited up on stage and discovers she is good at something. All the body criticism falls away and she realizes that it’s okay to be different and that she has had this talent and inner strength all along.

I think these types of books are especially wonderful in school and classroom libraries where there are groups of children who may end up comparing themselves to each other. This is something Penelope struggles with in the story. Not to mention the trend of working with children on their social and emotional intelligences in those venues. Penelope encourages children to find their gifts and talents and the special things that make them them.

I also think that, while every child can benefit from the positive message here, Black children (and a lot of children of color more broadly) will especially benefit from seeing a little girl who looks like them on the page. Traditional publishing still overwhelmingly centers white characters and this is true for those books that show quirky kids being accepted as they are. Librarians who serve populations with kids of color and Black children should be sure to have this on their shelves, especially if they also have books like Madeline, Lady Bug Girl, and Pippi Longstocking.

Adua Hernandez is always a strong illustrator. Her people are adorable and so much of her art features bright, friendly colors and patterns. It’s part manga, part cartoon. Penelope is hard on herself for her looks, but in reality she’s a sweet little girl with her hair in poofs, big brown eyes, and a yellow dress that pops against her brown skin. She also looks a lot like the author’s daughter who can be seen on the dedication page. As always the colors are bright and inviting and draw the reader into the page.

Disclosure: I was sent a review copy by the publisher, Melanin Origins, in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase the book here (not affiliate links)

Final note: If you do purchase this book, please post a review of it on Amazon. This will help other folks find the book and know that it’s worth purchasing. If you use any other book services like GoodReads or your local library’s online catalog be sure to post a review there too! And if your local library doesn’t have a copy, request that they purchase one.