Reading, Writing & Pondering

This is my first Chichi and Didi book but this is actually their second children's book from Peace Amadi and Ndidi Amadi. Chichi and Didi Find Their Gifts is fun and the illustrations are cute and colorful. Chichi and Did Find Their Gifts share the stories of Nigerian sisters, Chichi and Didi as they learn what they are gifted to do. One girl figures it out easily and the other girl has a longer quest to find out her special skills and interest that work best with her personality. This hardcover illustrated children's book is 40 pages long and measures just under nine inches square. I love how the illustrations feature the girls throughout the book with colorful, fun illustrations to help tell the story. The book is aimed at children ages three to seven. I love that it is inclusive as the girls are Nigerian. I think most children could relate to the story. As a foodie, I wish that they had shared the recipe and talked more about the Nigerian food they were preparing in part o...

I am a white middle-aged woman. I don't have a brown son. HOWEVER, I have friends with brown children and I want to support them and all the brown people My Brown Boy is well-written. I also love the gorgeous full-color illustrations. This book shows how brown boys can be whoever they want to be. The author's brown son was followed by a policeman at a young teen even though he did nothing. I don't know what it is to be profiled based on my skin color but my heart goes out to this child. Also, I have son that is neurodivergent. He does things his own way and his skills unique to him. I like how the author shares how her son is unique with his own skill set. I also appreciate how she shares that he sometimes gets scared. I think this book does a good job of sharing how we sometimes judge by skin color when we need to look at everyone's heart.   I received a copy of this book from the publisher through the Amazon Vine Program. All opinions are my own.

  Mama's Sleeping Scarf is a beautifully written and illustrated children's book. I was impressed with both the story and the bright illustrations. Mama's Sleeping Scarf is aimed at children ages 3 to 7. It measures about 10 by 111/2 inches in size. It is 32 pages long and is a nicely dust-jacketed children's picture book. Mama's Sleeping Scarf tells the story of a young girl with her mama's scarf that she wears at night to keep her hair soft. The young girl takes the scarf and magically plays with it all day while her mother is at work. This book shares her adventures with the special scarf.  This is a beautiful story. I like that it is about an African-American family. I love how the mother is going off to work and the rest of the family cares for the young girl. And the young girl has a lovely imagination with the scarf. I think it is inspiring for young minds. The illustrations are bright and beautiful. It is a nice bedtime book to read aloud. I received a c...

  A Door Made for Me by Tyler Merritt is a beautifully written and illustrated book. Lonnie Ollivierre's illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. This book is aimed at children ages five to eight. It greatly saddens me that children this age need to read books like this in our day and age. The book is 40 pages long and measures roughly 9 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches with a dust jacket.  A Door Made for Me is a good reminder that no matter what color you are, what you look like or what you are wearing, you are unique and special just as you are. I love how the grandparents affirmed their grandson in this book. I also liked how they said to not give up on the boy who wasn't nice and to keep hoping he would change for the better. There is a page at the back of the book , A Note from the Author, where the author explains how this was his story and the impact it had on his life as a boy and how he wanted to share that story with others. A Door Made for Me invites discussion among ...

    Do you know the story of Juneteenth? I didn't know much about this holiday until I read Juneteenth by Dorena Williamson. I honestly didn't realize it took so long for some African Americans to realize they were free but in Texas it took over 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation for them to know--on June 19, 1985. Juneteenth celebrates that newly learned freedom in Texas--and then nationwide. Juneteenth is a board book that is easy for small hands to hold with thick cardboard pages and a size of approximately six inches square. This book has brightly colored pages with realistic illustrations that work great for this book that includes history in a simple format for all ages to understand. This would be a great book for young children to learn about this holiday and more of our American history. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

  Crowned with Glory by Dorena Williamsonson is an adorable book aimed at young black girls. I love how this book is affirming in both the pictures and the storyline for little girls of color today. This book is aimed at children ages 4 to 8 years old is 40 pages long and about 8 1/2 inches square--it is a nice size for young children to hold and it is a good size to read to them. The words in this book are affirming and are aimed at today's children. There are a couple of slang words that are in use today that make it relevant to our times.  As the cover shows the young girl with her beautiful, black hair, this book talks about how that hair is from God and is their "crown of glory." I'm not a black girl so I don't know the challenges they have with their hair but I do understand that it can be challenging. As a white woman with extremely curly, kinky hair throughout my life, I can resonate with that encouragement through Crowned with Glory and I love it. It al...