bookdragon217's reviews
591 reviews

"I love my natural hair...kinks, curls, and ALL!"

QOTD: What's your favorite book about hair love or celebration?

My Hair is Like the Sun by St. Clair Detrick-Jules published yesterday, and I'm so happy this beautiful book is now out in the world. The illustrations and pictures are gorgeous, and they depict different Black children with varied textures and curl types. The story compares their hair as being connected to or in comparison to aspects of nature and the universe. It normalizes the idea that natural hair is beautiful and worthy of love. The author uses the diversity of the natural world to help children see that having different types of hair makes them unique and special. 

Growing up Afro-latina for me was difficult because of my own family's internalized ideas about beauty standards and the concept of good/bad hair. My hair texture was one of the ways that I have always been othered, and it took a lot of self work to unlearn the bad messaging and reclaim and embrace my natural hair. 

This book made me smile and healed my inner child. I am so happy that Black children have some options of books that provide them positive representation around natural hair and embracing the spectrum of textures. Reading books like this is a great way to help boost self-esteem and normalize natural hair. Reading is also a great way to get children to open up about feelings they may be having about aspects of their appearance.

Parents and educators of younger children, I highly recommend you add this to your libraries. Thanks to @chroniclebooks and @stclairdetrickjules for the gifted copy. 

"Everyone has something that makes them feel different. Sometimes you can see it and sometimes you can't."

Why Me, Mama? by Katherine Lockwood is a beautiful story about an owl with a disability, who is afraid to invite her friends to her birthday party because she feels they won't come because of her disability. She has a lot of fear anxiety around her disability and wonders why she the disability happened to her. Her mother takes her around to hand deliver invitations and shows her what sorts of disabilities and differences her friends have to teach her a lesson about acceptance and inclusivity.

This is such a beautiful story that brings awareness to multitude of disabilities and reminds people that not all disabilities are obvious to the eye. This also teaches the importance of acceptance and accommodation and gives examples of inclusiveness as opposed to tolerance. This is a great conversation starter for children who are curious about disabilities and who have a disability themselves. It help them explore their feelings and begin to normalize differences. It's also a great book to teach empathy, acceptance of self and others and empowers those with disabilities. People with disabilities deserve representation so that they don't feel so alone and isolated and internalize the idea that something is inherently wrong with them. This book also reframes disability as a unique trait to embrace, rather than feel limited by. I loved that the author shared her own disability (cystic fibrosis) & included discussion questions.

Other books that would pair nicely with this one & add to the conversation are:

📚 A Day With No Words- Tiffany Hammond
📚 Just Ask- Sonia Sotomayor
📚 The Boy With Big, Big Feelings- Britney Winn Lee
📚 You Are Enough- Sofia Sanchez
📚 Tag! You're It- Jannesy DeLeon
📚 Abdul's Story- Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
📚 My City Speaks- Darren Lebeuf & Ashley Barron
📚 A Way With Words- Stacy Burch
📚 Moses Goes to a Concert- Isaac Millman
📚 Together Things- Michele Vasiliu & Gwynneth Jones
📚 My Travelin' Eye- Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

Thanks to @hearourvoicesbt & @acorncottagepress for the gifted copy and opportunity to participate in this tour. 

"But many people get tattoos to express important things in their lives."

My Teacher Has Tattoos by Darren López was a great book about a boy who catches a glimpse of his teacher's wrist tattoos when they peek out from under his shirt. He has to face his fears about what this means about his teacher's character. 

This book would make a great tool for children due to its' important themes. The story teaches about stereotypes and how not to generalize groups of people or judge by a single quality. Another theme is how cultural bias can be passed down to children by parents. Children will place more value on their parents' beliefs and negative stereotypes can be reinforced in this way. The book also explores the importance of observation and questioning to a child's learning process. When they are allowed to learn in this way, they are more likely to make more informed conclusions about people. The book also normalizes body modification as cultural practice and freedom of expression. It normalizes body art and dispels the stigma that teaches that tattoos are automatically bad. It also dispels the myth that outward appearance is indicative of character. The book normalizes children's anxieties about the unknown and receiving mixed signals. Allowing children to name the fear & get honest feedback & guidance leads to more empathy & understanding. The book also broadens the worldview for children because it features Puerto Rican and other religious and cultural identities. Using examples from different cultures fosters open mindedness.

Some good companion books for this one are:
📕 Tell Me A Tattoo Story by Alison McGhee
📙 Why Does Mommy Have Tattoos by Marilyn Rondon
📗 My Aunt Has Tattoos by Abby Lyne
📘 Mommy Has a Tattoo by Phil Padwe
📓 My First Book of Tattoos by Robyn Wall

I loved the perspective of this book & think it is a valuable addition to any classroom or personal library. I appreciate the author's note where he shares his personal experience as a Puerto Rican & Colombian teacher with tattoos. Books like these are important because they teach acceptance of diversity and inclusion. Thanks to @soaringkitepress & @hearourvoicesbt for the gifted copy.

"Wars are either fought in secret or they're right in your face."

True True by Don Hooper was a gut pinching read for me because it shines a spotlight on how the education system is stacked against Black students, the Double burden of being a Black immigrant and how the idea of achieving the American Dream through hard work and education comes with a daily dose of violence, racism and microaggressions if youre a Black student. I was triggered by so many of the things that happened to Gil in this book because they were some of my same experiences, which soured me on the idea of  attending college when I was a teenager.

I am, however, grateful that this book exists because it gives voice to the plight of Black American students and those of immigrant parents. Hooper's writing is raw, emotional and honest and it makes this one a book I will forever recommend because of it's importance to Black educational experiences. Thanks to @penguinteen @cocoachapters for the opportunity to share my 10 thoughts on this one.

🇯🇲 Privilege is not only a birthright but a way of life that is taught and modeled by white supremacist parents.
🇯🇲 Black students of immigrant parents carry a heavy burden to make their parents' dreams come true, as opposed to being able to have their own dreams.
🇯🇲 Black students are never safe in all white spaces and face daily racism.
🇯🇲 White women often name themselves as allies without actually doing the work of decolonization and continue to cross boundaries.
🇯🇲 Black people are never centered in diversity & inclusion efforts. HBCU tours are not offered. 
🇯🇲 Black students' intelligence and achievements are always attributed to affirmative action. 
🇯🇲 Black people's work, especially in STEM is often stolen and never credited.
🇯🇲 White supremacists will never give up any power and have no problem flexing their money and influence to ensure their children stay on top.
🇯🇲 Black students have the extra burden of not only representing themselves but their entire race, community, neighborhood, gender, etc.
🇯🇲 In order to achieve true equity in education, Black people need to be in positions of power and have decision making ability.

"The ones who broke the world should not be entrusted with its repair."

Sordidez by E.G. Conde is a story I won't easily forget. It's unsettling because it's set in a dystopian world, but the reality is that if you're Puerto Rican or Indigenous the themes hit close to home. The world Conde created is not so far away from the truth and the story is a reminder of the harsh realities of colonialism, the dangerous impact of capitalism on climate and political movements. The story also gives a multi-layered view of what activism and resistance movements look like and how different motivations shape the methods towards reparations, independence and sovereignty. 

What this story does best is imagine a world that is more inclusive, one that moves forward but always references the past in order to enact change, and sows seeds of hope that lie with the people who are willing to do the work. Conde uses language as a powerful tool to empower, not only Indigenous peoples but also anyone who has been relegated to the outskirts of society. Conde gives you Taino and Maya culture and language and connects Puerto Rico to the history of the Yucatan. He writes a world that uses sign language and normalizes deaf people and he also gives you a trans leader who is a journalist and working towards making the world more inclusive. He highlights how Indigenous people need to be at the forefront of socio-political affairs, especially when it comes to climate disaster. The ones who have been the oppressors cannot be trusted to wield their power and undo all the harm they continue to cause. Conde also shows how returning to ancestral knowledge and ways is the key to reconnecting to community and reclaiming the land. 

Although this was a very short novella, the blending of genres and introduction to memorable characters make for a captivating read. Conde's narrative style of revealing things slowly keep you glued to the pages and make it hard to walk away from the story. The anticipation of how the stories of the survivors connect keep you in suspense.

Conde's revelatory and reflective prose stay with you even after the last sentence and his message of hope is a wake up call and reminder that it is ordinary people that are capable of doing extraordinary things. Staying rooted to our culture and using our ancestral gifts is the key to reinventing the world and undoing some of the damage that had been done to us. There is power in uniting with other Indigenous peoples and learning their history. It is only through this sharing of knowledge that new ideas for political uprisings can come about. If you love stories that are powerful and deep and cause you to challenge the ways that you think about the world, then this one will be a hit for you. Thank you to @stelliformpress for the gifted copy