*Disclaimer: I received the book for free in exchange for an honest review.*
Synopsis
“A young biracial girl looks around her world for her color. She finally chooses her own, and creates a new word for herself―honeysmoke.
Simone wants a color.
She asks Mama, “Am I black or white?”
“Boo,” Mama says, just like mamas do, “a color is just a word.”
She asks Daddy, “Am I black or white?”
“Well,” Daddy says, just like daddies do, “you’re a little bit of both.”
For multiracial children, and all children everywhere, this picture book offers a universal message that empowers young people to create their own self-identity.
Simone knows her color―she is honeysmoke.”
Worth the purchase?
I would say this book is worth the purchase. This book is not just relatable to families with biracial children, but any kid can relate. Some themes and topics in this book that I believe are very relatable are skin color, looking like mommy and daddy, loving the skin you’re in, being misunderstood, and compassion. The main character’s friends in the book couldn’t pinpoint what color she was to them, but they also didn’t care. They weren’t her friends because of what color she was, they were her friends because of who she was inside. My kids starting asking me about skin color and “matching” with mommy and daddy as young as 3 years old. Kids are smart and they are usually very observant about the world around them. I imagine in a household with parents of 2 different races, there could be some confusion. I grew up with kids in my class who really didn’t know what side of the fence they belonged. They were desperate to find “their place”. I think being able to teach kids to identify with both sides and appreciate differences and similarities is a great thing. The character in the book was able to recall memories and traits of her family members to help her find her true color. I think this book can help parents dive into a potentially awkward conversation, on a child’s level. Kudos to the author who is writing from the point of view of someone raising multicultural children.
Feedback from the kids
My 4 year old was completely enamored with the artwork in this book. The images are beautiful. The cover was something that immediately caught my eye to be honest, and made me read the book’s description. It was the perfect length to retain interest. My daughter was very curious as to why Simone was searching for a color because to her, she was just brown. My daughter immediately said “she’s brown mommy”. This was part of her problem. She wasn’t truly brown. Simone was a mix of colors and it took her a while, but she finally found her perfect match. We really enjoyed reading this book and looking forward to more from the author.
Book Details
Author: Monique Fields
Genre: Picture Book
Book type: Fiction
Publisher: Imprint
Ages: 3-6