Of course the first time I saw this book cover, I immediately thought of my precious daughter! The fiery red hair and beautiful curls are an exact match for my lil firecracker. An added bonus is the story line. If there was a book that ever represented my sweet girl, this is IT!
However, I will admit was hesitant to buy it. The idea of race is such a complicated and touchy subject, I was unsure how it would land with my kids. We have explained race as something that was started a long time ago to group people but not actually based in science. We are all human. My daughter can regurgitate this definition without hesitation, but I was not sure she really understood it. So, of course I looked for help in a picture book.
HONEYSMOKE is a picture book about finding your own color. The main character, Simone is determined to figure out if she is Black like her Mom or White like her Dad. Monique Fields, the author, crafts a cute story that empowers children to choose their OWN identity.
I absolutely loved the illustrations by Yesenia Moises in this book. The bright, vibrant colors really bring this story to life.
I would recommend this book to all families and not a particular family esthetic. It is recon for children 3-6 but my I would say a better age range is from 3-8. It is a very simple way of letting children define who they are and not any one else doing that for them. After reading this book, my daughter decided on chocolate peach because I am chocolate and her Dad is peach! I am thankful she has a wonderful book that empowers her to be who she wants to be!
You can purchase Honeysmoke here or where all books are sold.
Thank you for reading!
Enjoy
Maya
