Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown [Hardcover]

Malathi Michelle Iyengar (Author), Jamel Akib (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In Tan to Tamarind, poet Malathi Michelle Iyengar asks young readers this question: When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Through her colorful poetry she travels the rich spectrum of shades within the color brown, from swirls of henna decorating ochre hands and feet at an Indian wedding to cinnamon lips smiling over a cup of café con leche to leaves drifting like stars onto upturned russet faces in the fall. The poetry, along with Jamel Akib's pastel illustrations, encourages young ones to embrace each other's differences while building self-esteem and a healthy self-image.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—Fifteen poems celebrate many shades of brown. Words that conjure up smells, sights, sounds, tastes, and textures create imagery that helps to bring the hues to life. "A mug of hot chocolate,/smooth and creamy brown./Tasty, toasty brown./Delightful, delectable brown." Spreads done in pastels are rich, warm, and inviting, but often fail to highlight the featured poem's shade of brown, some of which may be unfamiliar to youngsters. The final selection calls attention to the many shades of skin tones, eyes, and hair. This exploration of the diversity within the spectrum of brown is a lovely tribute to the color. An author's note briefly describes how Iyengar learned to love and value the color of her own skin.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA
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From Booklist

Brown is beautiful in all its shades of skin color and in what children see, feel, taste, smell, and touch everywhere. Illustrated with pastel pictures in warm autumn colors, both dark and light, the simple poems celebrate the diversity and the connections in nature, culture, place, and language among blacks, Latinos, Indians, Native Americans, and many mixed-race kids. All the names for brown—from tan and sienna to honey, beige, and ocher—show the wonder of the senses: the tastiness of cocoa (the dark, sweet chocolate of the drink and of the hands that hold the cup), the crunchiness of autumn leaves, the big view of reddish-brown rocks and mountains in the Southwest, the brown topaz stone on the ring finger of a mother’s brown hand. The joyful graphic details range from the ocher-brown mehendi design on an Indian bride’s hands to an adobe home on the windswept desert. In a note, Iyengar remembers hating her brown skin as a child; her book shows how lucky she feels now. Grades K-3. --Hazel Rochman

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Children's Book Press (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892392274
• ISBN-13: 978-0892392278
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,181,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Brown!, January 16, 2010

By 

The Book Doctor (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown (Hardcover)

There needs to be more books like this. Wonderful poems that really hit home about skin colors from light to dark brown that actually make kids feel good about themselves and shows the beauty of the word brown (most Americans say brown is their least favorite color and associate it with dirt -- combine that with only a handful of picture books for non-white audiences and you can see how children might feel). The pictures are fantastic and show children from Southwestern/Native American to South Asian to African American to Asian American to Hispanic American; it does not just sit on one on one race/ethnicity. The book has lead to wonderful discussions with my daughter also; I agree with the reviewer above.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brown IS Beautiful, January 2, 2010

By 

rkwpnw "rkwpnw" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown (Hardcover)

My daughter (4) absolutely loved this book. The poems are just simply beautiful. We live in 74% Caucasian Portland, OR. And it was hard for my daughter to even imagine other kids who look like her. This book really breaks through in recognizing all the shades among minorities. We also love Malathi's account of her own experience being brown at the end of the book. It made my daughter realize she is not alone, as we compared our brown hands before going off to bed.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for raising self-esteem of all preteen kids, March 19, 2009

By 

Bridge Guy (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown (Hardcover)

Apart from helping with raising self-esteem of minority kids who look different than others in the class and feel isolated, this is a great book to learn poetry, vocabulary and learn to appreciate beauty all around us. Poems are very pleasing; vivid and beautiful illustrations add to the message. All kids of all skin colors can benefit from the message of the book.