It’s important to me that my children see characters that look like them in literature. The stories become more relatable and I believe it opens pathways for them to explore their own infinite capabilities. So I actively seek out books with brown faces. Below is a list of books from our last book haul with my thoughts. As a bonus, my 7 year old son decided to review one the books as well (see video below).
I WALK WITH VANESSA by Kerascoët
Rating: Thumbs UP
First things first, this is a picture book! There are no words. I didn’t realize it when we purchased it but we had a great time with it nonetheless. Since there was no text the kids and I created our own story using the imagery provided. It’s a story about a girl,Vanessa, who is bullied at school and how one person’s simple act of kindness and thoughtfulness can make all the difference. We all took turns guessing what was going on by looking at the pictures and filled in our own text. They loved it! The best part is this book can change each time you “read it”.
What If… by Samantha Berger
Rating: Thumbs UP
Now this! I was most pleasantly surprised by this book. Probably because I am a creative myself. But it’s a beautifully illustrated story about a little girl’s will to create by using her imagination and simply using whatever she has access to in order to continue creating. I could read this book over and over again by myself. But definitely a good one.
The Breaking News by Sara Lynne Reul
Rating: Thumbs DOWN
I wanted it to be great but it didn’t deliver. I was hoping it would jumpstart a conversation about coping when bad things happen in our world. The illustrations are nice but the story was so simple and vague that it was lacking. Something bad happened but it never says what. As the main character tries to understand the story is fueled by more vague replies from adults in his life. By the end I found myself thinking “That’s it?” I think it would’ve been more successful as a poem. Overall I was disappointed.
EllRay Jakes (Series)by Sally Warner
Rating: Thumbs UP
This is a series of 9 chapter books. These are for a more mature reader. There aren’t many pictures and when there are they are black and white. It holds a special place in my heart because it led to an interest in reading for an 8 year old who hates reading. My son literally said,”EllRay Jakes is making me like reading!” with a big old smile on his face. My heart melted. I chose it because it seemed relatable and it certainly was. Soon after reading many similarities between EllRay and my son emerged. EllRay is 8yrs old in the 3rd grade. He is a brown little boy with 8 yr old problems that he lives out over the course of this series. My son easily read through 4 of these books at a pace at which I had never seen him read before. There are times where I feel EllRay is a little fresh and culturally, I didn’t buy that his tone or actions would’ve been accepted but I could be wrong. Either way these are a win.
The Supadupa Kid by Ty Allan Jackson
Rating: Thumbs UP
This is also a chapter book which means less pictures and also in black and white. I mention it just to mention it because it certainly didn’t make the stories less enjoyable for the children. The book came autographed which made it feel special and it opened up a conversation about autographs. My 7 yr old tackled this one with much excitement. This story is about a kid who somehow gets struck by lighting and develops super powers. The story unfolds with his exploration of his new powers and identity as well as his interactions with neighborhood bully. See my son talk about this book in the video below.
*Sidenote: Shooting and editing this video was a fun lesson in and of itself. Everyone participated, even if that only meant being quiet on the set. Lol. The process introduced presentation skills and editing skills. Now everyone wants a chance to review their books on camera!
Danny Dollar Millionaire Extraordinaire: The Lemonade Escapade by Ty Allan Jackson
Rating Thumbs WAY UP
As mentioned in the above video, my 7 yr old couldn’t wait to get started on this one. It,too, is a chapter book. This book explores Danny Dollar’s entrepreneurial adventures as well as his interactions with a neighborhood bully who is trying to ruin him (we always need an antagonist right?). It introduces financial terminologies which leads to questions and further understanding of financial matters. It explains investments, bartering, profits and expenses!! And my favorite part is it gets the children thinking about being business owners and saving money opposed to consuming all the time. And truth be told I learned some thangs myself! This book will definitely be mandatory reading for all my children.
The Word Collectorby Peter H. Reynolds
Rating: Thumbs UP
This was a read aloud for the kids. It was a cute little book about a boy fascinated by words. He collects them and ultimately uses them to create. What I like most about this book is it got the children thinking about the meaning of words and this was a nice introduction to our new dictionary.
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