The Book I Want To Give To My Future Daughter: Review of ‘Brown Sugar Babe’

Earlier this year I mentioned that I have a true fondness for children’s books about mommies and babies, more specifically Black mamas and their offspring. I figured that it has something to do with the relationship that I have with my mom, my first best friend and the one who introduced the world of reading to me. I’m much more aware of children’s literature aka kid lit nowadays and I’m always looking for new reads to share for the adults in my life who have kids, like my siblings or my friends. It is always a plus when I can find books that feature little girls and having little Black girls front and center never hurts the recommendation. In Brown Sugar Babe, the creative team of writer Charlotte Watson Sherman and visual artist Akem gives us the most delightful journey of validating Brown skin through the wonders of everything ordinary and extraordinary in the world. We learn that here when a little girl has doubts about the color of her skin, her mama shows her the light. And by light I mean, mama dukes shows baby girl what’s up and also where the lovely color brown can be found–everywhere from our kitchens to the outdoors. Sherman’s lovely prose sets its own rhythm and is never too wordy and is easy to follow along for young readers. Brown is many things: musical…athletic..poetic and it shows through the reading.

From “your brown eyes are chocolate drops brown sugar babe, your hair, a crown of brown curls, fierce as a lion’s mane.” to “Brown is a laughing sound, ras…