The Skin You Live In

Great baby shower gift!!

The stated age for this book is four and up. It's a beautifully illustrated book, but the language is so figurative and complex that I think it's more appropriate for older children. Here are some sample passages so that you may decide for yourself if this book is appropriate for your child's developmental level (my daughter is a new five-year-old):To describe the different shades of skin (there are several pages like this):"Your pumpkin pie slice skin,your caramel corn nice skin;your toffee wrapped,ginger snappedcinnamon spice skin!Your butterscotch gold skin,your lemon tart bold skin;your mountain high apple pie,cookie dough rolled skin!"To explain the purpose of skin:"It's trembling fright skinand cringes at night skin,but turn off the lightsto make birthday-cakebright skin."To discourage stereotypes (This part really confused my daughter. I had to explain these were BAD things to think. She seemed confused by all these negative thoughts that suddenly appeared in such a happy, celebratory book)."It's not dumb skin or smart skin,or keep us apart skin,or weak skin or strong skin,I'm right and you're wrong skin.Nor she skin or he skin,you're better than me skin;I'm lesser than you skin,it's me against you skin."To make you appreciate yourself. This was right after the stereotype part, and my daughter said, "This is still bad right?" I think the language was just too complex:"You're a gifted creationwith imagination.You're a new day desire to reach even higher."My daughter told me that the meaning of the book was you needed to take care of your skin and not let it tear. We have re-read the book several times, and I have been careful to explain, "This is a really fancy way to say, "People come in all different colors and that's good," or "We like all skin colors." If I had been able to read the complete book before buying it, I would have chosen a different book that's message was a lot more direct and clear (just my personal preference). I hope these samples will allow you to decide of this book explains the message in a way your child can understand.

I wanted a sweet story that would help with discussions around acceptance for when a time came to have that conversation with my little one. I did a lot of research because being a black mom with a black daughter in a society that could be better makes you prepare to have certain conversations, sometimes earlier than you wish to and you NEED a book! (and maybe a drink, but we'll stick with reading here) Some books told a sad story of being black/different. Some books didn't really get the real heart of the matter. Some books perpetuated the same " micro-aggression" we are trying to escape i.e I see brown faces like my nanny etc. Then there is THIS book. this book GETS IT! One, it does not focus on one race. Like it says, we are ALL beautifully different and all the same.So, being different comes in many shades and we see all of them here. The rhyme is whimsical and fun, but hits the nail on the head. The pictures are fun and vibrant. This is a great book to add to the library for a fun story time or for that "conversation" if you ever need to have it.

I really like this book! Beautiful pictures, sentiments, and what a nice flow! It's a truly fun and loving read! A must have for anyone wanting to introduce concepts of color, race, ethnicity, and love. The book is also good for a variety of age ranges and could be used as a model to help kids to be inspired and write their own books, too!

This is a good book, it is on the longer side but I really like that it breaks down the subject of skin color on a childs level quite well. My Son is 5 and we live in the south, so there is some ignorance in the schools from time to time. i wanted to teach him about how those people are wrong but in a way that he would understand. This book does a good job at that. It's 22 pages long so if your kid doesnt focus well, then you may have to split it up a little. All in all, its a good book that teaches that everyone has their own skin they are in, they dont choose their skin and it doesnt matter their skin. A+ book.

This was a good book. I sent this book to the school because my son was being bullied by a kid in class. My son is In the 4th grade and didn't like the book that much.

I am white. I live in one of our country's most segregated cities, but I live in a relatively mixed race neighborhood. A few years ago I first read a report about the fact that white parents discuss race with their children at substantially lower rates than non-white parents and I was not surprised. However, when I became a parent, I decided that I wanted to be more intentional about discussing race with my daughter. It's particularly urgent following the murder of Trayvon Martin. This book is on our bookshelf and its beautiful, poetic descriptions of the rainbow of skin colors provided one avenue for it to be normal to discuss and celebrate peoples' differences. More than anything, the language and illustrations are beautiful, so our whole family enjoys reading the book. One reviewer said that the language and concepts are difficult for young children to grasp. I disagree. I believe that the beauty in this book is that it is written as a poem and that it should be read aloud to children to emphasize the different parts.

I felt like the cadence was off in this book, but I enjoyed the whimsy and the artwork. I thought the overall message was very positive, but I also think that the moral message was a bit heavy handed. I was looking for something a bit more related to celebrating differences, but it moved very quickly to " I'm rich and you're poor and you'll never have more skin" which is a conversation that I'm not quite ready to have at this age.

Nice book with a sing-song text. A bit wordy / longer than I expected, but my son will grow into it. So thankful to have something that shows so much diversity.

Super cute illustrations, rhyming text that our toddler loves!

kids love this book. great buy

Too complex

This book helps to make young children aware of different coloured skin, but teaches them that no matter what the colour of our skin, we are all the same, but different but special at the same time.