Sandra L. Pinkney

Everyone is beautiful. No matter what skin color, what type of hair, how tall or how short, you are beautiful. This book portrays African American children who are proud of their heritage and most of all proud of their color as they should be. They all have something in common yet they are all so different. This book proves that every skin color or shade is unique; no two skin colors are alike. In this book we see African American children proudly describe what makes their skin unique. One show more child describe himself as being "the midnight blue in the licorice stick." Another even describes her self as the yellow in the popcorn. The last line in the book really says it all, "I am black, I am unique. I am proud to be me." This book is a beautiful pictorial depiction of diversity. It is okay to be different, in fact everyone is different. This book embraces a child's uniqueness and I think children of every color should read this book. This is definitely a book I will want to read to my class one day. This book teaches children self confidence and loving your self for who you are. show less

Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children is a picture book that features photographs that encourages the idea of diversity amongst black people. The children's characteristics are compared to various things we encounter in life such as foods, plants, and stones. Throughout the book the sentences "I am black. I am unique." is repeated . I felt the author and illustrator did a wonderful job of combining photos and statements that can be thought provoking to those of many ages. Overall, I show more really enjoyed the book and the way it promoted uniqueness, acceptance, and self love . This book can be appreciated by small kids , teenagers, and adults. show less

Shades of Black is a small book based on African American young children and the different shades of beautiful they are. Although I wasn’t sure I wanted this book because it didn’t seem challenging enough for me, I was glad that I had picked it. Looking at the illustrations which are photographic portraits showing the uniqueness of each child were very beautiful to look at. I feel as if this would be a great book to read to a classroom filled with young students, and it is also important show more to show that all colors of the skin are important. In today’s generation, I feel as if a lot of people look down on African American’s, and they are not treated as equal as they should be. Something as simple as reading this to a group of young students may show the importance and help these student’s gain confidence and a sense of comfort being in the classroom. show less

Shades of black is an awesome book that shows all the different shades of black people and their hair types. This book shows kids that people come in all different shades and they are all beautiful. The phrase "I am black I am unique" is repeated throughout the book which is great because it reminds kids to be proud of who they are and that it's okay to be different. I think this book would help kids of all races be more comfortable with their unique differences!