Bright Brown Baby

August 1, 2021
The Pinkneys, prolific creators of books for children, offer a guide for caregivers to affirm their babies' senses of self-worth. This treasury has more text directed to caregivers than to children. An introduction headed "Welcome to Joy!" invites caregivers to hold their babies while reading to them and sharing words and pictures that "will hug them tight." Each of the five sections, with titles such as "Bright Brown Baby," "Count to Love," and "Peek-a-You," begins with a meaningful quote, four from great African American leaders and one from a Sanskrit poem. Then a series of instructions to caregivers ("Get ready to make a big list of blessings") is followed by illustrations of brown babies with their adults accompanied by short, simple text in the style of board books for babies. (In fact, the separate sections will be released over time as stand-alone board books, with Count to Love! releasing simultaneously.) A final note to parents instructs them to go back through the pages of the treasury and read the quotes aloud to their babies as they take in the images of brown families. Brian Pinkney's signature swirling curves and saturated colors create a sense of movement in the playful scenes on the book's pages, while the combination of encouraging text aimed at adults and simple text aimed at babies extends a hand to new parents wanting to tell their little ones how precious they are. The treasury offers a vehicle to carve out the time to do just that. A lovely gift and guide for new parents. (Picture book. 1-3)

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Starred review from September 1, 2021

Baby-ToddlerWith brown babies and their twinkling eyes burrowed into blankets, nesting amid the love that infuses each page, this book will have most lapsitters feeling as if they are right there, nesting, too. In this treasury of five poems that will be released as five separate board books (the first, Count to Love, is already out), the text is lilting and perfect, "Brown baby, born bright./ Greet the world. Spread your light./ Sparkling eyes blink hello./ Bright brown baby, you will GO!" In happy domestic scenes, there are parents, also brown, connecting with their children; babies will want to lean in for the cadence of the language and bright colors, while toddlers will want to repeat the lines out loud with whomever is sharing this book. The universality of the big and small world of the baby-everything is so new, but the sensation of being coddled is soothingly familiar-makes this a book for all families to share and savor. VERDICT For every collection, this treasury invites snuggling.-Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 29, 2021
In a five-section treasury of poems with directions for adult readers, married collaborators Davis Pinkney and Pinkney (Loretta Little Looks Back) speak directly to children of color via joyful nursery-style rhymes and glad images of brown-skinned babies and adults with various skin tones. A brief quotation, from figures including Langston Hughes and Michelle Obama, prefaces each section, as does text for caregivers (“Begin by telling your Bright Brown Baby what you’ve always known: ‘When I count my blessings, I count you twice.’ ”). Davis Pinkney’s affirming lines conjure families playing peekaboo and counting, and include a sequence each for boys and girls; Pinkney’s signature bold-hued ink and paint spreads, meanwhile, capture affectionate, playful moments in kinetic scenes that center cuddling adults and children. Front matter sets the tone (“What to do with this book: Speak it. Sing it. Bring it.”), and creators’ notes exhort caretakers to “let the Bright Brown Babies in your life know how truly special they are” and emphasize “the precious affection that every child needs.” A radiant evocation of love. Ages up to 3.

December 1, 2021
Preschool In this treasury of five simple short stories, meant for the youngest listeners, the author provides gentle instructions for caregivers--in a kind tone that will help inexperienced adults gain confidence--on how to share the book and ways to talk about elements of the text. Brightly colored, energetic illustrations, rendered in gouache, acrylic, and India ink, depict Black and brown family members in various combinations (parents and child, woman with a baby, man with a daughter). Warmth flows from every page, furthering the message that "beauty begins with you." The brief stories, which could be viewed as rhythmic poems, are paired with inspiring introductions, such as poems originating with Langston Hughes or ancient Sanskrit, as well as quotations from Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Michelle Obama. The story titles, "Bright Brown Baby," "Count to Love," "Peek-a-You," "Baby Boy, You Are a Star," and "Hey, Baby Girl!" leave no doubt about the positive tone of the collection. Affirming and inviting, this book will be well used in baby storytimes and family read-alongs.

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