Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Bright Brown Baby: A Treasury. Brian Pinkney, Illus. Scholastic⁄ Orchard, 01/2022. [64]pp. $18.99. 978-0-545-87229-4. OUTSTANDING. GRADES TOD-PRE.
Five poems celebrating African American babies make up this treasury divided into chapters. Along with the poem, each chapter contains a quotation from a noted Black leader, along with an introduction to the poem, encouraging parents to read to their babies. The rhyming poems are similar to nursery rhymes, celebrating a baby’s eyes, nose, smile, and beauty. They serve as affirmations to a baby’s importance to a family and worth as people. The fluid, energetic artwork appears to be done with paint, showing parents and babies with deep brown skin and black hair, using a variety of color decorations and clothing set onto white backgrounds. There are also text pages using various solid color backgrounds, inviting readers into these family depictions. Great as a baby gift but also an essential library purchase, use these rhymes in baby storytimes.
Penny Peck, San Jose State University, iSchool