When I first became a mom I knew Kaila was going to need help understanding how beautiful she is and why she was not the same color as me or her dad. Kaila often asks why she doesn’t have the same features as other girls at her school or why the color of her skin is different. She also asks me if not having these features is a problem and I always answer no. She is perfectly made by the Lord and she could not be more beautiful to Him, or me. I have been looking for books for her that highlight her differences in a positive way and remind her of how beautiful she is on the inside, but also on the outside as well. Here are my top five books that I recommend for young mixed girls:
1.) I Am Enough by Grace Byers: This book reminds young mixed girls that what makes you different makes you beautiful. The title alone is so special for them to read. The girl on the cover has hair that is curly and beautiful just like Kaila’s and that was so exciting for her to see. One of my favorite quotes from this book is “I know that we don’t look the same: our skin, our eyes, our hair, our frame. But that does not dictate our worth; we both have places here on earth.” These words are so powerful and they definitely made this mama cry when I read them to Kaila. The final page says “I am enough.” I want Kaila to always know that her differences make her even more beautiful. She is enough and always will be.
2.) Beautiful, Wonderful, Strong Little Me! By Hannah Carmona Dias: This book celebrates acceptance and the idea of self love. It tackles the hard questions like what are you and where do you come from? It also reminds little girls that their skin and their hair does make them stand out, but that is not what they are all about. One of my favorite quotes from this book is “It’s great that I am different, I’m proud of my looks! I’m not your plain princess from all of the books. I’m a beautiful, wonderful, strong little me. And I don’t need explaining to any degree!” Another thing that I love is that in the back of the book there is an activity that asks the girls to write positive words to describe themselves. It then has a blank space for a picture which is used to draw all the things that make them unique. What a powerful way to show the girls to love who they are inside and out!
3.) Honeysmoke by Monqiue Fields: In this book Simone is the main character. She is asking everyone if she is black or white. Everyone keeps telling her she is a little of both, but she only wants to be one color. One that shows who she is on the inside and the outside. She looks at both her parents and describes different things about the color of their skin and what it reminds her of and then she brings both of their descriptions together and comes up with her color word which is honeysmoke. She is black and white, but she has a color that she created all for her own. She found a way to be excited about her color and feel beautiful in her own skin. At the end of this book there are two pages filled with color words and then it asks “what is your color word?” This is a great way to show the girls that they can create their own color that uniquely represents them and makes them feel special. What a creative way to remind them of their beauty and how special they are to the world.
4.) Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry: This book is about a little girl named Zuri who has very curly hair. It shows different hairstyles and the way they make Zuri feel. Then she wants to have a very special hairstyle and her dad offers to help her. They try multiple styles and one even ended up with Zuri in a hat and she told her daddy he could do better than that. She really wanted her hair to be special for when mommy came home. Then her daddy had a great idea. They watched a video and her daddy did the perfect hairstyle and she was so happy. She realized how special her hair was and that it was a perfect representation of her, her mommy and her daddy. The book ends with a photo of the three of them saying “It’s hair love!” This book is a reminder that even though Zuri’s hair can be challenging at times, she still loves it and loves the way it looks on her. Kaila often complains about how her hair takes a long time to do and how she doesn’t have the patience to sit and wait for me to deal with it. This book made her realize that other little girls struggle with this too, but it is worth being patient to get her hair done so that she feels good about the way it looks too!
5.) Not Quite Snow White by Ashley Franklin: This book is about a little girl named Tameika who wants to audition for the part of Snow White at her school’s play. She loves to sing and dance and is perfect for the role, but people are talking about her in a negative way. They are saying she’s too tall, too chubby and too brown. All of these things made her question the way she looked. She thought to herself, “How could a girl with brown skin play a princess like Snow White? Maybe she was wrong for wanting to be a princess.” These comments really brought her down and made her sad. She tells her mom what happened and her mom tells her that she is enough and perfect for playing a princess. What her dad says is so perfect. He says “Snow White is just pretend. You’ve always been my real princess.” You’re just enough of all the right stuff.” She goes to her audition and sings with confidence and everyone was smiling at her. She wasn’t too much of anything. “Maybe she was just enough of all the right stuff.” Such a powerful message for little girls who are mixed. Kaila baby girl, you are just enough of all the right stuff and you are my real princess.
If you have a mixed little girl who is starting to question why she is different or feeling negative about herself, I highly recommend these five books. The illustrations are very well done and they are relatable to Kaila which I couldn’t love more. I want her to celebrate her differences and be confident knowing that she is enough and will always be my princess. When the twins get older I will show them these books too. How do you remind your daughter that they are beautifully different and just enough of all the right stuff?
Until next time, XOXO, Meg
My oldest two ask the same questions. These look really good and I will have to check them out. I’ve had my eye on “I Am Enough,” but haven’t read it yet!♡