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.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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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
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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!
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!
By AF
Format:Hardcover
bell hooks and Chris Raschka have teamed together again to create another memorable book for children, young and old. I read this book last week in preparation for a children's African American Read In. I enjoyed it. Some of the language (words) in the middle and in the end could have been streamlined, but overall I highly recommend that every parent buy this book and make it a permanent addition to their home library. Parents of all cultures and skin colors will appreciate the universal message of acceptance and worth, a message that speaks to the universal heart.
By C. O'Neil
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review from Books That Heal Kids
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. Read more
Published on March 25, 2010 by Books That Heal Kids
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!
This book is great, like anything by bell hooks. My kids love it. It leads to some excellent conversations with them. :)
Published on April 1, 2007 by N. Sneed
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