Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Rose's A--Z affirmation of black children sings with inclusivity and zest. Alongside letters presented in different bold design--the A for "afro" is studded with picks, combs, and brushes--language works to inspire confidence and pride: "Be you. Love you. Always. All ways," "Acknowledge your majesty and act accordingly." References to black leaders--Obama ("Our first black president") and Malcolm X ("Activist. Leader. Revolutionary")-- occur alongside calls for children to define and be themselves, and to "SPEAK OUT for what is right./SPEAK UP when others are silent." Loose, joyful illustrations feature groups of children with a variety of skin tones and hair colors as figures full of verve dance, play, and create, mirroring the note at the end: "No matter your hue or shade. This is for you." A necessary, uplifting volume that celebrates "black girl magic" and "black boy joy." Ages 3--6. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K--This is a joyful tribute to, for, and of black children everywhere. It begins with "A is for Afro. Your hair makes a statement. Embrace the bigness of your hair. Pick it. Fluff it. Love it," and ends with "Z is for zillion. There will be a zillion people telling you to do something else or be someone else. Always be your free, talented, quirky, imaginative, melanated self. The world will adjust." The sentences are abundantly sprinkled with rich vocabulary (i.e., vibrant, unleash, remembrance, unapologetically). Each letter is large and filled with a bright, colorful design that mirrors the message. Many statements and individual words are in bold, upper-case letters to add emphasis, such as "NEVER DIMINISH YOUR SHINE" on the page for S. With this debut picture book, the author seeks to represent black children in ways she never experienced in the books she read as a child. The positive, upbeat vibe will no doubt appeal to most children but is especially aimed to inspire black children. VERDICT A must-have for any library that is in need of books with positive representation for and about black children, as there is no other alphabet book quite like this one.--Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
"Melanated" children get an ABC book to make them proud in Rose's colorful debut.A is for "Afro.Pick it, fluff it, love it." B is for "very Black. Be it unapologetically." C is for "Creative. Paint the canvas of your life with the colors of the rainbow. Sprinkle your Black Girl Magic and Black Boy Joy on the world." Each large letter is itself a work of art, filled with patterns, colors, and themes that frequently directly relate to the word represented. Children of various hues populate each page, pictured at about one-third the size of the letters, enacting the word in some way. They sing, they dance, they march, they wear crowns, they pretend, they dream, they smile at their reflections in the mirror. A few famous names are featuredObama for O, and Malcolm X for X. The white space is splattered with what looks like watercolor paints, in different colors on each spread. Each child pictured is unique, with all sorts of hairstyles and hair colors and skin tones that range from the deepest black to albino and everything in between, including several with vitiligo. Contagiously upbeat, joyful, and positive, this artistic alphabet book is also a series of affirmations for young black children, who will beg to read it again and again.From "Empowerment" to "Worthy," "Genuine" to "You," there are more than 26 reasons to cherish this book. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
