Review Request for Children's Book that Teaches Children to Love Their Skin Color All Year Long

[Tiffany]

Author Name: Tiffany Obeng (myself)

Title: My Summer Skin is Radiant

ISBN 13: 978-1959075028

Publication Date: e-book 8/2022, paperback 8/2022, hardcover forthcoming

Book cover image: Attached

Synopsis: Through gorgeous art and lyrical text, My Summer Skin is Radiant chronicles two children's summer days and delivers an empowering celebration of their darker summer skin tones. By the end of this book, everyone of all ages will be encouraged to love all shades of themselves and others.

[Michel Montvert]

From what I see of the cover and what you said, I like it already! I'm a retired teacher and very aware of good children's books. I was a bilingual teacher and so usually looking for books that were in Spanish or both languages. But... I had black students too and I'd love to have them read your book.

 

Where can I see the entire text? Is it online somewhere?

 

Good for you, for putting out these good thoughts. I know it is needed. Example: in Watts I was teaching 4th grade. 2 black girls were drawing self-portraits, as was the entire class. I looked at their pictures. These girls were both dark-skinned. Their pictures showed light-skinned girls with blue eyes. I said, "Are you sure you got the colors right?" and one of them responded, "Hey we want to be pretty, not all black." Well I made a few appropriate comments about how lighter isn't necessarily prettier, and there's not a thing wrong with y'all... but this runs deep and they'd been programmed by a lot of TV. etc, to think like that.

 

So, yeah, Hoorah for you and your book!

[Tiffany]

@Michel Montvert Thank you so much for your kind words! Thanks for sharing the story about the 4th graders; it is completely heartbreaking yet common. This book was born out of this past summer's experience. My son had been attending summer camp and coming home more and more tanned each day. My mom and I were constantly commenting about it until finally I realized, "Why?" Why did it matter? The answer is, it did not matter but for so long our community has been programmed to think that getting darker was not good. So, I did something about it and I truly hope it will resonate with all families. My mom actually came in from playing with my baby daughter at the park and I commented that my daughter's skin had gotten red from that little time outside. My mom replied upbeat, "Her summer skin is radiant" and I smiled so wide. I wish to hear this chant over and over again, as time goes on. 

 

Yes, you can see more of the book here: www.sugarcookiebooks.com/books. Let me know if you would like me to send you a copy.

[Michel Montvert]

19 hours ago, Tiffany said:

@Michel Montvert Thank you so much for your kind words! Thanks for sharing the story about the 4th graders; it is completely heartbreaking yet common.

That syndrome exists among Mexicans too. I knew someone who's mother had tethered her beneath a tree when she was young, so she wouldn't get in the sun and become darker. On both sides of the border it is advantageous to be lighter.

 

I'll go there and read it... just woke up... thanks.