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Sandra L. Pinkney
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Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children Board book – Picture Book, January 1, 2006

by Sandra L. Pinkney (Author), Myles C. Pinkney (Photographer)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 694 ratings
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The best-selling picture book is now available as a board book.

I am Black / I am Unique / I am the creamy white frost in vanilla ice cream / and the milky smooth brown in a chocolate bar...Using simple poetic language and stunning photographs, Sandra and Myles Pinkney have created a remarkable book of affirmation for African-American children. Photographic portraits and striking descriptions of varied skin tones, hair texture, and eye color convey a strong sense of pride in a unique heritage. A joyous celebration of the rich diversity among African-Americans.
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    1 - 5 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    26 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool and up
  5. Lexile measure
    NP0L
  6. Dimensions
    5.75 x 0.75 x 5.25 inches
  7. Publisher
    Scholastic Inc.
  8. Publication date
    January 1, 2006
  9. ISBN-10
    0439802512
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0439802512
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The beauty of African-American chidren is celebrated in this joyous picture book. School Library JournalIndeed, there are many shades of black, and they are beautifuly exemplified in this photo album that depicts the varied palette that makes up black skin.BooklistThis bold, beautifully photographed book should be a first choice for most libraries and will be especially popular during Black History Month.Kirkus

About the Author

Myles Pinkney, along with his wife Sandra Pinkney, is the creator of the NAACP Image Award winning Shades of Black, along with A Rainbow All Around Me, and Read and Rise, a collaboration with the National Urban League.

Myles illustrated each title in a dazzling multicultural photo essay style. They show the diversity of skin color and other characteristics of African American children, and feature appearances by their own children, Myles ("Leon"), Charnelle-Rene and Rashad.

Myles Pinkney is a free-lance photographer who, in addition to collaborating with his wife, has illustrated books by celebrated children's author, Nikki Grimes. Myles graduated from Marist College with a BA in communications; however he has been studying photography since he was a child.

Myles and Sandra Pinkney live in Poughkeepsie, New York.


Sandra Pinkney, along with her husband Myles, is the creator of the NAACP Image Award winning Shades of Black, along with A Rainbow All Around Me, and Read and Rise, a collaboration with the National Urban League.

Each title was created in a dazzling multicultural photo essay style. They show the diversity of skin color and other characteristics of African American children, and feature appearances by their own children, Myles ("Leon"), Charnelle-Rene and Rashad.

Sandra received her CDA in Early Childhood Development from Washington, and went on to become the owner and director of a daycare in Poughkeepsie, New York. She is also actively involved in the organizations, which aim to help the development and enrichment of young children, including the New York Association of Early Childhood, and the National Black Child Development Institute.

Myles and Sandra Pinkney live in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scholastic Inc. (January 1, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Board book ‏ : ‎ 26 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0439802512
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0439802512
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 - 5 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ NP0L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.75 x 5.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 694 ratings

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Sandra L. Pinkney

Sandra L. Pinkney

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
694 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Leila
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for biracial kids and blended families
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
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Love this book and the representation of all shades of black
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Tiblanks
5.0 out of 5 stars Great message & pictures
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2023
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The book has a great message and I love the pictures. I first read it to my nephews and now my daughter (she’s one now but I’ve been reading to her since she was an infant). I’ve always had a captive audience when I read this to my nephews when they were younger. My daughter enjoys it as well. I also buy it as part of baby shower gifts.
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another newmama
5.0 out of 5 stars great for black and mixed kids
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2013
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I have to respond to the unfavorable reviews calling it racist (or, as they put it, reviving the one-drop rule) to describe white-looking mixed-race kids as "black." I am mixed (50/50 African and European, so classified by most North Americans as black). My husband is white, and my son is also completely white-looking, as far as anyone I've met can tell. (People are often very surprised that he could be my son.) There are really, really good reasons to encourage a black identity in kids like my son. First off, the white-looking kids in these pics probably have siblings, parents, grandparents and cousins who do "look black"--it's not racist for them to want to be part of all the cultures that comprise their family. Kids who "look white" may have cultural connections that most uninformed observers would not suspect. That's not the one-drop rule: it's life in the 21st century.

By contrast, there's no need for special positive reinforcement of white identity--he gets that in the hundreds of other kids' books he has where the main characters (or all the characters) are white. He gets that from the culture, when people compliment his white features (such beautiful blond hair! such lovely green eyes!). If mixed parents like us didn't offer positive reinforcement of black and African culture and identity, a child who looks ours could go through life completely ignoring the part of his heritage and culture that comes from his African grandmother, aunties, uncles and cousins. He could absorb mainstream cultural values that valorize white as good and normal--and devalue blackness as deviant, bad or simply invisible. I'm surprised and delighted to find a book that encourages kids of all "shades," including his, to feel good about their black culture and identity.

Talking about race is a bit like sex ed. We have to do it even if it feels uncomfortable, bc if we say nothing, our kids will pick up erroneous facts and objectionable values from mainstream culture, their peers and maybe even their schools. Racism doesn't go away if we just ignore it. Teaching racial equality goes against the current, but it's worth it.
196 people found this helpful
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M. L. Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars Multicultural
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2022
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I used to read this in my classroom when I taught preschool. I recently bought this as a gift for a young mother starting a library for her newborn. The book comes in paperback and hardcover and board book. The Pages are full of actual photographs of beautiful human children of all colors. Rich text describes many shades of black. This is a must have book for any family or classroom teacher who wants to emphasize the beauty of black.
One person found this helpful
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J
5.0 out of 5 stars conveys such a wonderful message without browbeating
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2007
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I love this book

While I purchased this book for the benefit of some of my students with racial identity issues, I found that all children seem to love it.

It conveys such a wonderful message without browbeating. No one can "make" a child have positive self-esteem. I can tell a child all day that he or she is beautiful, intelligent, or talented but he or she won't necessarily buy into the idea. It is more important to SHOW children. This book celebrates diversity and not by chanting about beauty but by photographing children beautifully and articulating their gorgeous attributes. I cannot put into words the delight I see in several children's faces when discovering a child that resembles him or her in this book. Children loves saying that's MY HAIR or MY EYES ... with delicate streaks of amber. I found that Caucasian children enjoy the book as well with ravenous curiosity and enjoy the vocabulary that is relevant to their individuality.

The book creates an appropriate forum for discussing ethnicity and pulls children away from the horrid question, "What is you?"
13 people found this helpful
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Robbie McDuff
5.0 out of 5 stars Black is a wide spectrum
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2019
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Whether you buy the board book or the picture book, you will be intrigued by the wide range of beautiful Black children featured. Black doesn't just mean dark skin and kinky hair. Skin tones cover a broad palette, hair can be of varied textures, eyes can be the color of gemstones. As the book says, "All of my hair is good," and this book presents positive text and full color photographs that show that whatever shade your skin is and however your hair is combed, it is all good.
17 people found this helpful
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Jhewel F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for individual use
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2021
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Love the book and the fact that it's printed on cardboard and not just paper. I wish I had paid more attention to the size because the book is pretty small and i couldn't use it for a read aloud with a group of students. I was able to get each student their own book and it worked much better that way. A great addition for any child's library!!
One person found this helpful
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MesKhenet
4.0 out of 5 stars Cute
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2016
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Cute book...i like the comparison of the skin tones to different foods...however, i did question whether some of the children were actually African american....i know we definitely reflect a variety of shades, but, i didn't feel certain about a couple of the children. ..again, cute book.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Mrs P
5.0 out of 5 stars Really good book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2023
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Love the illustrations. Very colourful pictures of children of colour. It's quite inspiring for children.
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Christine Vernon
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2020
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Great book and very durable
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A. Melzer
5.0 out of 5 stars Ich bin Schwarz - Ich bin Einzigartig
Reviewed in Germany on May 8, 2018
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Übersetzt ist es ein tolles Buch für Kinder, die ihre Schönheit in den
unterschiedlichen Kindern erkennen.
Jede_r für sich ist EINZIGARTIG !
One person found this helpful
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Winsilvia
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful!
Reviewed in Italy on December 16, 2013
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A very nice photographic book for kids. I have two mixed race children and I live in Italy so it's very difficult for me to find books with black or mixed race characters and this is what I needed to show how beautiful and unique everybody is with any shade of color!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
I love this book. This is the second time I am buying it first time for my child second time for a friend's child. Great inclusive book no matter what shade of black you are. My child loves the pictures of the children and the descriptions.
One person found this helpful
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