I Am Brown

by Ashok Banker, Sandhya Prabhat (Illustrator)

Overview

Brown-skinned children around the world laugh, love and play together in this infectiously joyful book.

I am brown. I am beautiful. I am perfect. I designed this computer. I ran this race. I won this prize. I wrote this book. A joyful celebration of the skin you're in—of being brown, of being amazing, of being you.

Teach Early Years Award Finalist 2021. UKLA Book Awards Longlist 2021. Derby Children's Book Award Longlist 2021. BookTrust Best Books Guide 2020. A Guardian Children's Book of the Month

“A note-perfect hymn about acceptance, pride and belonging”—The Observer

“Upbeat and uplifting”—Kirkus Reviews

“An empowering book for all children to read and a beautiful reminder about self-love, dreaming big, culture and self-acceptance”—Here Wee Read

“Such a joyful book! A must-have for your shelf, and definitely schools and libraries”—Bookbairn

“A total joy to behold. The gorgeous illustrations and story provide a positive mantra for all children of any ethnicity and background – with the central message that you can be anything you want to be, don’t hold yourself back. Highly recommended”—BookTrust

“This is not just a book about being brown. This book is fundamentally the voice of every child, and every child is amazing. Simply one of the most joyful books I have seen for a long time. I can’t wait to share it in my library”—Book Monsters

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781911373940
Publisher:	Lantana Publishing
Publication date:	03/03/2020
Series:	Lantana Global Picture Books Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	95,554
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ashok Banker is the bestselling author of more than 63 books which have sold more than 3.2 million copies in 21 countries and 61 languages. I Am Brown is his debut picture book.

Sandhya Prabhat is an independent animator and illustrator from India. She has published nearly a dozen picture books. She also animates videos and designs e-stickers.

Editorial Reviews

02/03/2020

Beginning with a child sporting exuberant puffball pigtails and broadening into a community of brown-skinned children, the figures in this joyful picture book love the skin they’re in. “I am brown/ I am beautiful/ I am perfect,” Banker writes in his picture book debut. The figures portrayed—in many modes of dress, including a business suit, a saree, and a salwar and a kameez—know that they exemplify love and friendship, can become anything (play vignettes include doctor, electrician, and prime minister), and do anything (“I design rocket ships” captions two kids flying paper airplanes). Of special interest are spreads that show the diversity of the figures’ experiences through food eaten, activities enjoyed, and homes lived in. In one, children gather around a globe, pointing out continents where “I come from”; another shows languages “I speak” (among them Arabic, French, Tamil, and Urdu); and another states places where “I pray” (“nowhere” is among the possibilities). Readers will take heart at the high spirits and unalloyed happiness that Prabhat (Ignore the Trolls) instills in her characters, almost all of whom are smiling or laughing. Ages 5–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Clearly intended to counter the negative messages that dark-skinned children encounter early in their lives, the book bursts with love and energy, in the images and in the words."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2020-01-21
Brown children around the world celebrate their uniqueness and their ordinariness in this inclusive illustrated poem.

The poem ranges from the outer (“I am brown / I am beautiful / I am perfect”) to the inner (“I am love / I am friendship / I am happiness”); from titles (“I am a doctor / … / an athlete / … / a president”) to actions (“I make art / I design rocket ships / … / I solve crimes”). Together the text and accompanying pictures represent brown children in all their diversity. Each spread features a collection of children in various outfits and costumes who collectively or individually state where they come from (every continent except Antarctica), what languages they speak (a U.N. of tongues including Russian, Tamil, Chinese, and Arabic), what clothing they wear (“a shirt and a lungee”; “a business suit”), what foods they eat (noodles, vindaloo, steak, tagliatelle, etc.), what they like to do, where they pray (or don’t), and who they are (“your roommate / … / your friend / … / your teacher”). The global outlook is a refreshing corrective to often confining Western understandings. The final spread invites readers in with “I am brown / I am amazing / I am YOU.” Prabhat’s lovely, child-friendly artwork abounds in smiles and energy; the browns have a reddish undertone, and beige, blue-green, and orange-red patterns make for a warm palette.

This message of the normalcy and joy of being brown is upbeat and uplifting. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews