Skin Again [Hardcover]

bell hooks (Author), Chris Raschka (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: P and up

The skin I'm in is just a covering. It cannot tell my story. The skin I'm in is just a covering. If you want to know who i am You have got to come inside And open your heart way wide. Celebrating all that makes us unique and different, Skin Again offers new ways to talk about race and identity. Race matters, but only so much-what's most important is who we are on the inside. Looking beyond skin, going straight to the heart, we find in each other the treasures stored down deep. Learning to cherish those treasures, to be all we imagine ourselves to be, makes us free. Skin Again celebrates this freedom.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4–As they did in Happy to Be Nappy (1999) and Be Boy Buzz (2002, both Hyperion), hooks and Raschka have created a verbal and visual celebration. This time the subject is skin, both what it is and, more importantly, what it is not. "The skin I'm in/is just a covering./If you want to know who I am/you have got to come inside/and open your heart way wide." While the message comes across loud and clear, the author's deft handling of language renders it gently persuasive rather than didactic. Raschka's impressionistic pictures amplify the theme as they shift from large, bold cartoons showing the outside of both white and black children, and then move to the inner patchwork of thoughts and feelings that make up "real" individuals. The illustrations will invite lengthy study, as Raschka shows the children passing through the various boxes as they reach inside to know each other and then come outside to see skin again with fresh eyes. Whether shared with a group or one-on-one, this is an excellent vehicle to initiate discussion on a sensitive and perennially important subject.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. The poet and the artist who created Happy to be Nappy! (1999) and Be Boy Buzz (2002) take on another big identity issue with exuberant, playful imagery that will open discussion. The simple words spell out the overt message ("If you want to know who I am / you have got to come / inside"), and the pictures move from big, full-page portraits of kids with various skin colors to patchwork-style pages showing all the shifting bits and pieces inside each individual. Raschka's images, in many colors and shapes, shows everything from active children; winging birds; and a smiling snake to arms reaching out and dancing feet. The art vividly celebrates history and the realism, fun, and fantasy inside each one of us--the dreams of "all the way I imagine me." This is about skin color, but it's also about diversity within a group and within one child, and about finding the story inside the stereotype. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Jump At The Sun (October 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078680825X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786808250
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #669,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant---for those 2 to 202! Verbal art & visual art in their purest forms., July 22, 2008

By 

HappyReader "HappyReader" (Raleigh, NC, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Skin Again (Hardcover)

I can't say enough good about this work. This is an example of two talented people who collaborated to create a work of art, far greater than simply the sum of "writing" plus "illustrating." This is magic. It is honest. It is challenging. And it's totally life- and spirit-affirming! It is not to be missed.

The message and presentation are absolutely not "dumbed down" for kids! (Thank you, thank you!!!) Yet it IS accessible to the preschool set. At the same time, I can imagine this book used with great success as a learning tool/discussion starter with older kids---and even on college campuses and in adult workshops!

Bell Hook's poem goes straight to the heart of the matter---what does define a person? And how do I understand who I am and who you are? Chris Raschka's illustrations reflect the complexity (and simplicity!) of this particular mystery.

What a joy to make a "find" like this!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book about tolerance, December 8, 2011

By 

C. O'Neil (Westborough, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Skin Again (Hardcover)

I saw this book online when purchasing other books. I HAD to buy it! The pictures are modern, but the words hit home. Our skin is just a cover...you know me by looking on the inside. What a great book to start the school year!

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from Books That Heal Kids, March 25, 2010

By 

Books That Heal Kids "Roxanne" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skin Again (Hardcover)

Ever wanted to open a discussion up with a child or a classroom about skin color? Diversity? Then this is your book! It is so beautifully written. I fell in love with Skin Again the moment I read it. I work as a school counselor and I was overcome with such an exciting feeling when I thought about sharing it with children. It's a book that helps children understand that we are more than just our skin color. What counts the most is what is within. Children soak up this message because that is how they are built. They are born to love and accept others. This book is a lovely reminder of that. Find room on your shelf for it.