Customer Reviews

Black, White, Just Right!

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a Haitian-American woman married to an Italian-Americanman. While we don't have children of our own yet, his daughter fromhis previous marriage to an Italian woman enjoys the book tremendously. It helps her to appreciate differences in others as something wonderful. END

My 4yr old daughter loves to have this read to her. She used to identify with herself as I'm "BOTH" (black & white), now she says "she's just right too". It's so light and age appropriate, while touching on the differences and similiarities of others. I love that the diffrences that are pointed out in this book between the mommy and daddy are not stereotyped by a the like's or dislike's of the black/white race. Beatiful illustrations and catchy rhymes. A definete must get.

This book remains one of the most consistently re-read books in my 6 year old daughter's substantial book collection. Thanfully devoid of the prevailing liberal viewpoint that you "are what society sees you as" the book calmly reinforces the concept that it is quite okay for mixed race children to celebrate their ENTIRE racial and cultural background.

Simple text with rhyme and readable cadence makes this an enjoyable read for a preschool classroom. The little girl enjoys many things with her black mother and white father, AND has many tastes and interests of her own. A bi-racial girl in my class was immediately drawn to this story, as were other children who simply enjoyed the story.

What a wonderful story! I wish I had this book when I was a child. The protagonist is a beautiful little girl whose mother is black and her father is white. She describes their differences in color, but they are united in love. She describes how her color is "just right." What a gentle and lovely way to explain the physical racial differences, similarities and self identity and pride.

My favorite uncle who was a very astute man used to say, "God mixes and adds more colors so there are more colors to love. Birds, butterflies, flowers and peacocks have all these beautiful colors and God picked our colors for us as well. He wanted more beauty for the world, so He was always thinking up more beautiful colors to add to it."

I also recommend "David's Drawing," "Colors Come From God Just Like Me," "The Two Mrs. Gibsons," a book about a beautiful little girl whose mother is Japanese and her father is black and "How My Parents Learned to Eat," another delightful book about a bi-racial child and the two cultures she happily shares. This book deserves a place of honor! It is for everybody!

My 4 year old (bi-racial) son really enjoys this book. It is nice to have a story with a diverse family. I am glad that it mentions race only briefly and shows that it is just another difference in their (& our) lives...just as their size, tastes and talents are different. The prose is a little mature for him and I have to explain what most of it means after each page...but he still loves it.

Description of parents and child, their personal likes, and disklikes told in upbeat, honest, and rhyming context!

We began reading this book to my daughter when she was 16-months-old. Within a few weeks, she would say with us, at the end of the page:"Just right!" Even at this age, toddlers can interact with the story by pointing to objects that they recognize, such as the balloon, the cat, and the dog, the mom and the dad, as you read the story. I imagine she'll continue to enjoy the book for years to come.

I ordered this for my son. He loves it, even though the story is about a little girl. :) It is nice to have a book with a white father and black mother that he can relate to. I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

Kids can be both kind and cruel, particularly when society at times requests that you 'pick a side' of racial identity to define yourself as an individual, from life as a child through the end of your journey. Issues of race, identity become a part of a lifelong landscape. Knowing who you are and moving forward with that knowledge not as a handicap but as distinctly right for you, can make or break you on your journey of self awareness and actualization.

Growing up biracial can have its own unique set of challenges. As young people begin to develop their sense of identity, being a part of more than one culture can be a celebration of this uniqueness. It's important that families nurture a sense of self and family pride, and do so early, so that when youth step outside into the larger world, they are equipped with healthy self esteem, including a set of values on which they can rely and further build upon no matter what challenges come their way.

This book provides easy to digest grains of truth about biracial identity for a young girl, who is taking charge of her identity--she is black, white and will be alright because she knows her history as well as its value, just right. Interestingly enough, with widespread children's rhyming taunts, antagonistic songs, dirty dozens, etc., the book's title is an empowering child's comeback mantra. Say it loud, say it proud.