Customer Reviews

Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is essentially a picture book; but oh what wonderful pictures. The author and photographer, wife and husband, have celebrated the variety of black children by comparing their skin, eyes and hair to positive everyday images---peaches, brown sugar, chocolate, ebony, tiger's eye etc. It is a playful and imaginative way of adressing a serious subject---the self-worth of our children. I purchased this book for a brand new granddaughter---she is a delicious mixture of African, Italian and Irish American. She will grow up being proud of her heritage. BTW, I am the Italian grandmother who grew up with a extremely prejudiced parent-----there is hope

I LOVE this book. I bought it for my grandchildren who are 8,4, and 2. All are different shades of brown with the same mother and father. I wanted to give them something that will teach them that no matter how light, dark or in-between they may be, they are ALL beautiful. Not only to me, but to each other. This book is so beautifully laid out and encompasses all the wonderful shades and hues we come in. The authors are to be commended for including EVERYBODY's color. While books celebrating our beautiful brown babies are to be commended, are our lighter-skinned ones to be forgotten? I don't think so, and obviously, neither did these authors. Thank you so much! Here is a book all three of my grandchildren can read together and all identify with.

On an outing to a bookstore in New York my 8 year old nephew and I came across this book. My nephew prefers not to read books as much as he looks to like at pictures. So, I insisted that we look at the book together as he read the words to me. Well worth the purchase price. Will assist in providing self-image and self worth for children who may be in an identity crisis due to the negative imagery of children of color in the mass media. The book is filled with children of color (african-american/black) of several different complexions from dark to light and all shades in between..The book uses simple but positive words to compare children and their complexions to beautiful and natural things such as stones, minerals, ice cream, the book also compares natural and familiar items to show variations in hair color and eye color. I found the book to be quite a beautiful and powerful display in its simplicity. My nephew even asked if we could take it home.

I stumbled over this book while shopping in Barnes and Nobles. This book is one that should be on every childs bookshelf (especially if they are having an identity crisis). My three year old's friend who is 5 years old has starting calling my child yellow. This book is definitely a christmas item for her friend. At an early age, she is having some identity issues. This is just the book I was looking for to let her know that she is beautiful and that there are all shades of black. I am sure she will enjoy it.

This book is about shades of black people. The part I liked best was the twisted corkscrew in a rope. I think this book is the best because it show people. I learned these new words when I read the book: unique, brassy, and radiant.
By: B.W.
Age 6, Los Angeles

I saw this book and had to get it for my baby girl!! What a FIND!!!! My daughter is a gorgeous cocoa skinned little girl ~ I am white and her Papa is black.

I thrive on showing my daughter how beautiful people of every color are!!! Though she is only a baby now I want to raise her so that she finds the beauty in every human being!

I bought this book to show my little girl even more colorful faces - black, white, yellow, honey, ginger, brownsugar and more! This book is such a gem! What a treasure- gorgeous pictures, lovely text - a message as strong as the smiles on those adorable faces of so many Shades of Black.

Our family resides in an area where African Americans are in the minority of the population. When my children were in pre-school and were 'the only ones'in the class, we made a point of ensuring that we supplied them with as many opportunities for positive self-image as we could. This book does an excellent job of introducing the many variations of hues that are found among us. Yet it is the descriptions of each child that makes this book priceless. To describe each and every person as so uniquely beautiful is a skillful achievement.

We have since bought this book many times over for other friends, including non-Black friends, so they can also appreciate the many colors of us.

The problem is that not many bookstores carry the book. I've actually found it in paperback in discount stores. So, when I do find it, I have to buy several at a time.

I love this book

While I purchased this book for the benefit of some of my students with racial identity issues, I found that all children seem to love it.

It conveys such a wonderful message without browbeating. No one can "make" a child have positive self-esteem. I can tell a child all day that he or she is beautiful, intelligent, or talented but he or she won't necessarily buy into the idea. It is more important to SHOW children. This book celebrates diversity and not by chanting about beauty but by photographing children beautifully and articulating their gorgeous attributes. I cannot put into words the delight I see in several children's faces when discovering a child that resembles him or her in this book. Children loves saying that's MY HAIR or MY EYES ... with delicate streaks of amber. I found that Caucasian children enjoy the book as well with ravenous curiosity and enjoy the vocabulary that is relevant to their individuality.

The book creates an appropriate forum for discussing ethnicity and pulls children away from the horrid question, "What is you?"

I am an 18 year old college student who found this fine piece literature on Amazon. I love this book so much, we have a nightly reading outside and invite all of our friends of all shades. This book has inspired me, particularly with the fact that I am BLACK and I am UNIQUE. The best part of the book is that my girlfriend has hair like a cotton ball and I have hair like the twisted corkscrew of a rope. ALL MY HAIR IS GOOD!!!!

1/1/03 Author Sandra L.Pinkney & photographer Myles C. Pinkney's book "Shades of Black" which give much pride to all skin colors/ using their favorite deserts:e.g.:(pale)creamy white frost/vanilla ice cream;milky smooth brown/chocolate bar;midnight blue/licorice stick;golden brown/sugar;velvety orange/peach;coppery brown/pretzel;radiant brassy yellow/popcirn;gingery brown/cookie...2.hair:soft puffs(cotton);stiff ringlets(lamb wool);straight edge(blade of grass);twisted corkscrew/rope;long;short;"all my hair is good"(even tangled and snarled)..3.eyes delicate streaks of amber(tigers-eye);warm luste of green(unakite);brillant flashes of blue(Lapis);shimmering glow of ebony/onyx..the book gives most of the colors of skin hue(red,dark comlexion,light complexion,mahogoney,medium complexion) and hair grade(straight and wiry) and eye color(bright eye/brown eyes) and fits its description voiced by the children "Unique".