This joyously affirming picture book follows a young boy throughout his day as he plays, paints, and bakes, making positive associations with the color of his skin.To Benny, brown is more than just a color. Brown is his Gram’s coffee and his Gramp’s morning kiss. Brown is the wooden spoon he uses for mixing and baking. It’s the ground that grows the tomatoes he loves and it’s the log he plays on. Brown is the fuzzy blanket he takes to his room at the end of the day. Brown is him and brown is love.
In tender, lyrical text and warmly exuberant illustrations,
What Does Brown Mean to You? celebrates all the brilliant and beautiful shades of brown, encouraging children to explore and see the beauty of their skin reflected in their families, communities, and the world around them.
Ron Grady is a preschool educator and researcher. His website, Childology.co, hosts his blog and illustrated resources for educators, parents and caregivers.
Praise for What Does Brown Mean to You?:“This
vibrant, positive narrative follows a brown-skinned boy through his day as he celebrates the many shades of brown in his family and world. . . with
curiosity, energy, and joy. . . A welcome addition to all collections promoting positive skin tone discussions and leading to personal explorations of the title’s question.
Provocative and generous.” —
School Library Journal
“
Rooted in appreciation of familial love, the
natural world, and
creativity, this rhyming day-in-the-life story of a young boy
reads like a gentle embrace. Blocky unlined pencil and digital art in a cut-paper style appears against a white background. . . Images of
making, sharing, and gratitude prove emblematic of the word, as the narrator paints, cooks, and dines with family . . . It’s
a simple, positive picture book affirmation that
celebrates brown across ages, stages, and shades.” —
Publishers Weekly“There is repetition and rhyme throughout this
upbeat, encouraging tale as Benny describes how the color brown appears throughout his daily activities and the emotions that arise. Many scenes
evoke readers’ senses as the boy and his family explore what brown means to them. Simple illustrations, created with pencil and finished digitally, in a neutral palette complement the text.
An affirming celebration of being brown.” —
Kirkus Reviews
