I love books that tackle different races in the midst of the family context. Genetics is such an interesting thing! But we are still a part of a family. They are you and you are them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This is such a beautiful story and such a wonderful message. It is important for all children to find self love, which can be difficult when a child feels different. I loved this!

This is a really sweet story about familial bonds and parental love. The art was also really pretty.

I loved this book! Very touching and helps foster a sense of belonging. The child in this story begins to feel sad and confused as to why she and her mom look differently from one another. She wishes to be beautiful like her mama, so her mama points out all the uniquely beautiful things within her child and reiterates that she is part of her mama, and her mama is part of her. ❤️

Beautifully done!

This book is so important and a great addition to any library or collection trying to represent the diversity of peoples. Children who look different from their parents will see them self in this story and we need more books like this. It’s a story of love , family and being proud of oneself and has gorgeous illustrations.

Izzy has a warm and loving relationship with her mother. Then she starts to realize that they don't match. They have different physical attributes: different skin colours and different hair. Izzy wants to be "Mama's kind of beautiful." Each time she says something to her mother about it, her mother points out that,

"You're part of me
and I'm part of you.

I'm beautiful like me
and you're beautiful like you."

It's a gorgeous refrain that is repeated across the book.

When they take a walk outside, they see that in the animal world, babies and mothers do not look the same.

In the end when Izzy's mother notes that they have different eye colour, it's Izzy who repeats the refrain.

I love the story line here. It's even more profound knowing that this story of a "multiracial child navigating identity and belonging draws from author Tasha Spillett-Sumner's own experience growing up as an Afro-Indigenous girl."

Selina Perera's illustrations are full of bright colour and tenderness.

I couldn't help but make a connection to this book since I have multiracial grandchildren who are half Korean. In my case, my granddaughters don't really look like their father. Still the refrain works for them too. I can't wait to read this book to them. I'll let you know what they think later.

Your library needs this book. Every library needs this book.

Thank you to Owlkids and NetGalley for providing this review copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a gorgeously sweet story about a girl who learns to love her differences and celebrate both her own and her mother's uniqueness. The thoughtful refrain gives the story gentle predictability that both parents and young children will appreciate. It also makes a great addition to any preschool/kindergarten classroom, as it's a great tool for teaching children confidence and empathy. The illustrations add just the right amount of softness to accompany the words. I can see this becoming a favorite for many children, something they can return to again and again when they want to feel safe and loved. This is perfect for families, teachers, and librarians everywhere who want to add a little more joy in the world. It also makes a lovely story time book for all ages, with plenty of opportunities for conversation. Everyone should read this book!

From the Publisher:

A child who looks different from her mother finds beauty and belonging in this new book from the creator of New York Times bestseller I Sang You Down from the Stars

Izzy’s favorite place to be is in Mama’s arms—skin to skin, safe and warm. One night, cuddled up on Mama’s lap, Izzy notices something she’s never noticed before: her skin is the color of chocolate, but Mama’s skin is the color of sand.

When Izzy realizes she’s different from Mama in other ways, too, she feels sad and confused. She wants to be beautiful like Mama! But Mama addresses Izzy’s disappointment with a gentle, loving refrain: You’re part of me, and I’m part of you. I’m beautiful like me, and you’re beautiful like you. Finding lessons from nature and repeating her affirming message, Mama encourages Izzy to see her own unique beauty.

This story about a multiracial child navigating identity and belonging draws from author Tasha Spillett-Sumner’s own experience growing up as an Afro-Indigenous girl. Lyrical text and warm, lively illustrations show Izzy’s journey as she learns to celebrate the differences that make her uniquely beautiful, and the connection to her mother that transcends physical traits.

My Thoughts:
I visited my father in Minneapolis last week and he shared a story about picking up his granddaughter from school, Charlie Kai. My dad is half Japanese and half native Hawaiian. My stepmother is Norwegian, so Charlie Kai's mom, my sister is half Norwegian, 1/4 Hawaiian and 1/4 Japanese. Charlie Kai's dad is a mixture of ethnicities, but all of them Caucasian/white. Charlie Kai, then looks white. So when my dad, her grandfather stopped at the school to pick up Charlie, the educational aide looked at all the little preschoolers waiting to go home and just could not find any Asian or part Asian kids. He had to call her by name and she came running but I wonder if the educational aid had to make a quick decision to believe a 4-year old that this was indeed her Papa because nothing in Charlie looks like she belongs to my dad (eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, coloring. . .)

This book is for the multitude of mixed race children who do not always look like their families. It talks about love beyond looks.

Ways to use this in the middle school classroom:

mentor text about identity
discussion text about family
starter text for a YA novel about unique families
Publication Information:
Author: Tasha Spillett-Sumner
Illustrator: Salini Perera
Publisher: Owlkids
Publication date: October 18, 2022

Beautiful You, Beautiful Me
by Tasha Spillett-Sumner
Pub Date: October 18, 2022
Owlkids
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGallley for the ARC of this book.
What a beautiful message this book presents!! I'm beautiful like me, and you're beautiful like you!! This story about a multiracial child navigating identity and belonging draws from author Tasha Spillett-Sumner’s own experience growing up as an Afro-Indigenous girl. Lyrical text and warm, lively illustrations show Izzy’s journey as she learns to celebrate the differences that make her uniquely beautiful, and the connection to her mother that transcends physical traits.

Adored this book! 5 stars

This is such a sweet and lovely book -- we've just placed an order and can't wait to get it into the library! I'm sure it'll be a hit for read alouds in the local schools. What a wonderful message with a really skillful tie-in with a range of creatures whose babies all look a little bit different.

Adorable! This book is a great representation of what it felt like to be a mixed kid who didn't look like their mother, and the conversations the mother and daughter have are loving, kind, and sensitive to the topic. I was already excited for this book to be on our shelf, but now I'm just as excited to find out that it's evenly paced enough for an older-child storytime as well.

Izzy adores her Mama and loves spending time with her. She wants to be just like her, but one day she realizes...she and Mama don't match! Their skin is different, their hair is different, and even their eyes are different. Izzy is puzzled, and maybe a bit troubled by this, but Mama explains it in a beautiful way and also looks to nature to show young Izzy that families may not always match, but they love and belong to each other just the same.

This is such a sweet and lovely book that got me a bit verklempt. It's such an important, reassuring message about how we're all different and beautiful in our own ways, and how what bonds us together is much stronger than what we see on the outside. This would make a great snuggle time or bedtime book to celebrate the love in families.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

A celebration of individuality, multiculturalism, self love, Spillett-Summer has put bi-racial children in the spotlight in this gorgeously illustrated book.

Young Izzy loves to be hugged and held by her mother. She knows she is safe and secure there. But she notices that Mama's skin is a different color than her own. The more she pays attention to it, the more Izzy realizes how different she is from her mother. These realizations leave her feeling sad because she wants to be just like her mother. She feels like if she doesn't look like her Mama, she isn't beautiful. But Mama isn't putting up with any of those nonsense thoughts. She lovingly reminds Izzy that she is a part of her and she is beautiful just like her too. It is a special moment between mother and child as she teachers her the importance of seeing and embracing her own unique beauty.

This was a wonderous tale with valuable lessons that just because we may look different on the outside does not change our beauty internally or externally and that everyone is beautiful. It also is an important book for parents of bi-racial children to read when their children are first exploring their identity and questioning why they may look different from both of their parents. This would be the perfect opportunity to talk about how we are all parts of our parents and share the amazing traits we get from each one.

As a grandmother I loved reading this book to my granddaughter. It shows the color of someone skin means nothing because a child looks at how they are being treated. Great read with lovely pictures.

Goodness how lovely this book is for biracial children to be seen in such beautiful artwork. And the message- yes you may get a bit misty-eyed! I sure am and wish I had had this one to read to my sweet niece when she was younger as she would have related to so much of this. Definitely add this one to your shelves!

A colorful celebration of identity. Lush, vivid illustrations set the stage for a little girl's journey in discovering who she is after noticing her skin is like "chocolate" but her mama's is like "sand." Izzy wants to be like Mama and isn't sure she likes that they don't "match." Mama assures Izzy that "You're part of me, and I'm part of you. I'm beautiful like me, and you're beautiful like you. " This journey of self-discovery is a wonderful lesson for all ages in embracing who we are, what makes us different and unique, and the similarities that bind us together. Through it all, the love between mother and daughter is delightfully portrayed as Izzy learns that it's okay to be different. The vibrant illustrations create warmth and comfort, and the gentle cadence throughout the story reinforces the idea of self-love and acceptance in a way that children of all ages can relate to.

In this book, a daughter begins to see the differences in the way that she and her mother look with respect to her hair and skin colour. Her Mom's soothing, calm words tell her that they are both beautiful in their own ways, and that there difference is okay. While walking with her Mom, the young girl sees animals and their babies that are different in appearance and this helps her to learn that it is okay that she doesn't look exactly like her mother.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot tells a sweet story about a mom and daughter who look different, but are both beautiful in their own ways. This story was reaffirming story that reminds children they don’t have to look like others in order to be beautiful.

Adorable book that tackles an important topic. Suitable for children of all ages. Vibrant gorgeous drawings with a cute little poem said throughout like a chorus. Definitely would recommend this book to any family with young children, including my own. Well done!