Book Review: Brown Boys Rule
by Ashok Banker, Illustrated by Brittney Bond
Beaming Books (Jan 28, 2025)
Hardcover, 32 pages
Fiction
Target Age Group: Picture Book
Book Reviewed by Clarence V. Reynolds
While listening to a recent meditation session on the app Happier—one of my favorites—I was reminded of the importance of embracing words that encourage self-care and self-motivation. We all want to be “happy, healthy, peaceful, safe, and live with ease,” taking on actions that encourage us to be our best selves. Even more so, we all want the same for our children. We want the young people we engage with to know they are worthy of respect, capable of fulfilling their ambitions and dreams, and should be recognized for their individuality and their abilities and talents that will require nurturing.
More and more, there are books being published to boost the confidence and inspire self-expression of the children within our orbit. These books are aimed to make sure children of all ethnicities and races discover a sense of acceptance, belonging, and pride and feel included and represented in society, no matter how chaotic the world is becoming. Among these titles is Ashok Banker’s I Am Brown about self-love and acceptance to brown-skinned children. In 2023, they published Brown Girls Rule to uplift young girls of color. Add their recently published Brown Boys Rule to the roster of books for young kids to “celebrate the skin you’re in.” Brown Boys Rule centers on and celebrates young boys of color, and the book has been described as “one part love letter, two parts battle anthem.”
The entertaining pages offer one or two short sentences that describe the career opportunities a young man can make: “We are explorers,” “We are adventurers,” “We are wizards.” However, much of the text imparts a sense of belonging and promotes positive attitudes of self-identity and self-esteem and community activism: “We are partners and brothers, working shoulder to shoulder, with always a kind word for one another.”
While the main message here is that you can be anything you set your mind to being, solidarity is also an important message Banker wants to emphasize: “We march for freedom. We stand by our sisters. We speak up for our rights.” The author wants readers, young and old, to understand that all lives matter: “You know the power of kindness.” Brown Boys Rule will also appeal to the emigrant and migrant young boys who may find it challenging to adjust to their new environment.
Illustrator Brittney Bond’s drawings reflect the diversity of hues of brown skin; and the full-page colorful drawings capture the emotion, humor, joy, and strength of the book’s theme of developing self-empowerment during one’s youthful years. Bond’s joyful drawings depict friends playing video games, boys enjoying time with family, taking part in school and community activities, and simply being energetic young boys going about their day at home and at school. Positivity and self-assurance are represented throughout this uplifting book.
Today, as libraries and bookstores face many challenges, it is crucial that stories and voices from every culture be expressed and shared. Ashok Banker is an internationally acclaimed author of more than eighty books and a pioneer of the fantasy genre in India. With their offerings of Brown Boys Rule along with their other children’s titles, it is heartwarming to have their storytelling shared with new audiences to encourage self-love about their background, culture, and heritage.