Reading level: Baby-Preschool
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Just Us Books (November 1, 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0940975238
ISBN-13: 978-0940975231
Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.1 inches
Here, Cheryl Willis Hudson co-author of: Bright Eyes, Brown Skin,
helps young children see the beauty of their physical characteristics.
Bright eyes, brown skin
A heart shaped face
A dimpled chin
Bright eyes, cheeks that glow
Chubby fingers, ticklish toes
A playful grin
A perfect nose
Very special hair and clothes
Bright eyes, ears to listen
Lips that kiss you
Teeth that glisten
Bright eyes, brown skin
Warm as toast
And all tucked in.
"For many African American children and also other
brown children, Bright Eyes, Brown Skin affirms cultural identity."
I wrote about one half of the words of that poem shortly after our son Stephan
was born. He was a big baby—weighing in at 8 pounds 6 oz. And he was 21 inches
long. He had a nice round head, freckles (that quickly faded after a few weeks)
light brown skin and an infectious lopsided smile.
Stephan's eyes were bright and hopeful and he jetted into the world. I
immediately felt I knew who Stephan was and to the amazement of my obstetrician
and the midwife on duty, I laughed heartily out loud on the delivery table when
he took in his first breath. They washed him up, put him on my chest and I
remember thinking, "He's exactly what I expected, a beautiful black baby boy."
But I also said a silent, wordless prayer shortly afterward—a prayer I believe
most African American mothers say knowing the challenges their male offspring
face on their journey from birth to manhood.
I quickly put any negative thoughts aside and embraced our new son and the
fullness of his possibilities for the future. I stoked his skin, I kissed and
counted his fingers and his toes, I rubbed his bottom and brushed his still
silky brown hair. I rubbed my nose on his nose. I smelled his baby fresh smell.
My husband, daughter and I brought him with great joy.
Stephan's birth was the inspiration for writing
Bright Eyes, Brown Skin, (Just
Us Books, 1991). Years later, I took the original words of my poem to my friend,
Bernette Ford, a children's book editor. Wouldn't this make a great baby board
book? I thought.
She agreed and with her expert editorial skills, Bernette helped to expand it
into a picture book (very different from my original concept) that her husband
George Ford illustrated with four children rather than one. The final result was
a picture book about pre-schoolers that has become a great teaching tool for
celebrating diversity. It is a book that deals openly with racial
features—Negroid noses, full African-American lips, lush sculptural African
American hair and varieties in dress and skin colors.
In Bright Eyes, Brown Skin facial features are presented naturally and
positively. A nose is "perfect" for a face (not broad or derisively flat); hair
is neither "good" or "bad" but simply a crown on a child's head; skin is not
dark—it's a range of browns; eyes are not rolling or buck—they are bright and
inquisitive. African American features that for so long have been presented and
associated in stereotypical ways in children's literature (akin to minstrel show
imagery) are now being rendered directly and simply with no value judgment or
racist baggage. The simple, straightforward text invites children of all
complexions and ethnicities to take turns identifying their eyes, ears, noses,
hair and clothes and to talk about similarities and differences among their
friends.
There is a need for a broad range of books about African American children that
are presented in a natural and accessible way.
Bright Eyes, Brown Skin presents all children with opportunities to talk about
differences and similarities and familiar things because it places children in a
natural, everyday pre-school setting. The associations are warm and positive and
affirmative and Black children can see themselves realistically in the story
line. For many African American children and also other brown children,
Bright Eyes, Brown Skin affirms cultural identity. It helps children of color to see
themselves as valued participants in the world and encourages them to talk
openly about racial differences without feeling embarrassed, ashamed or
marginalized.
Copyright (c) 2007 by Cheryl Willis Hudson, all rights reserved.
Permission granted courtesy of Just Us Books, Inc.
Bright
Eyes, Brown Skin