Call Me Black Call Me Beautiful [Hardcover]

Alicia Terry Henderson (Author), Jennifer C. Kindert (Illustrator), Jennifer Kindert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Multicultural Children's Book Series

Call Me Black Call Me Beautiful cleverly addresses the issues of racial awareness, racial identity and difference for the younger audience. It is a story that will foster the inquisitive minds of children, and one that they will want to read over and over again!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-A poor treatment of a child's understanding of ethnic identity. A mother attempts to assuage her son's hurt feelings because a friend calls him black. She angrily asks why he was called black, and then in a revelatory tone responds, "Well, honey, you are black." Richard examines his skin and matter-of-factly states that he is brown. His mother then begins a nonsensical explanation of black and white as colors used to describe "families of people": Richard is "caramel brown," daddy is "dark chocolate brown," and mama is "honey brown," which makes them part of the black family. The next time Max calls Richard black, his mother instructs him to "smile at him with joy" and explain how they both have "friendly hearts, eyes, hands and feet, and you are both absolutely beautiful!" The unrealistic advice and overly simplistic ending does not offer any insightful knowledge of self-identity. Nor are there any images that reflect a culture or heritage that Richard can take pride in. Even his mother's exaggerated yellow skin is garishly unappealing. The illustrations appear to be bad caricatures of the "Dick and Jane" reader series and add nothing to the text.
Ajoke' T. I. Kokodoko, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Author

It has been proven that individuals who are comfortable with their racial selves and accepting and understanding of those who are of a different race have healthy self-esteem levels. This story not only addresses the issues of racial identity, but it also addresses the issues of racial awareness and difference. In essence, Call Me Black Call Me Beautiful is a necessary tool for healthy self-esteem development in children.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Royal Regal Books (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971949018
• ISBN-13: 978-0971949010
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,539,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Learning and Understanding!, October 3, 2002

By 

P.A. Savoy (Ft.Washington, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Call Me Black Call Me Beautiful (Hardcover)

Highly recommended for day-care centers and early-learning centers for story-time. Very helpful to all children especially bi-racial and foreign nationals. Also a great start for the younger children--they understand everything!!!
Dr. Henderson..... "you go, girl"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much Needed and Long Overdue!!, March 3, 2003

By 

Melody R. Johnson, Ph.D. (Ithaca, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Call Me Black Call Me Beautiful (Hardcover)

"Well, honey, you are black." Richard looks down at his hands and arms and says matter-of-factly, "No I'm not. I'm brown."

The social construct of race is a concept ambiguous to many adults, and can be incomprehensible to young children, particularly those of color. Able to accurately identify the Crayola colors in their environment, African American youth are often bewildered when their own chestnut/walnut/pecan/ebony/beige/mahogany/red skin tones are universally referred to as "black". And in a society that typically assigns negative connotations to the word "black", racial identity becomes even more problematic.

Call me Black Call me Beautiful addresses the question of racial identity through Richard, a young African American boy. As the story begins, Richard is portrayed as a happy child with a multiethnic array of peers, both on the soccer field and in the classroom. When Richard's demeanor turns sullen, his concerned mother prods her son for an explanation. It is then that Richard reveals that a white friend, Max, has called him "black", a label perplexing to Richard as he stares at his hands and arms, which are clearly brown to him.

In simple yet poignant terms, Richard's mother first affirms her son's observations: "You are my caramel brown baby, Daddy is smooth, dark chocolate brown, and I am honey brown." She then explains that "black" and "white" are merely terms to describe groups of people. The story's themes of self love and appreciation for others resound in the mother's advice to Richard: "So the next time Max calls you black, smile at him with joy. Explain to him that despite your different skin colors, you are both absolutely beautiful!"

Central to the story are Jennifer C. Kindert's bold and colorful watercolor illustrations. The characters' skin tones and facial and body features capture the wide array physical characteristics within the African American family. Also captured visually is the ambiguity of race. Indeed, white Max's beige skin tone and facial features closely resemble those of Richard's black great-grandmother, Dorothy. Detailed and synchronized to the plot, the illustrations compliment the text both nicely and appropriately.

Children of all ages will benefit from this book, as will parents, teachers, and librarians. The straightforward and conversational writing style allows for easy understanding by all readers. Call Me Black Call Me Beautiful fills a much-needed place in multicultural children's literature. Dr. Henderson translates potentially difficult concepts in a style that is simple and joyful.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Effort That Is Long Overdue, March 1, 2003

By 

Stephanie Coard - See all my reviews

This review is from: Call Me Black Call Me Beautiful (Hardcover)

I can attest (both professionally and personally) to the many obstacles parents of color face in raising healthy children. The reallity is that there are specific challenges parents of color face in nurturing and guiding our children on a path to success that mainstream children's books simply do not address. Call Me Black Call Me Beautiful makes a vital contribution to children's literature and is an effort that is long overdue.