“Does your brown skin ever make you sad?" asked the African American author's small grandson. She was stunned and heartbroken. Elsewhere, in a blog on parenting.com, a white woman was stunned when she asked her small daughter why she didn't like a nanny applicant and the child asked back, "Because I don't like her brown skin?"

Our children will never be color-blind, but they can be color-appreciative, if we have the tools to teach them.

I Like My Brown Skin Because… is a timely, necessary conversation launch pad for parents and children of every background. It's for all who want their children to live without the limitations of prejudice. It's for those who want to understand what's behind today's "racial" tension. Most importantly, it's for the author's grandson, and the probable millions like him, who should be confident in their own skin--never saddened by it.

From early West African civilizations, through slavery, to the civil rights movement and on to the present day, I Like My Brown Skin Because… is a fascinating story, filled with incredible people demonstrating the importance of education, morality and hope for the future. It's a book for Black History Month and beyond.

Categories: Children's Nonfiction, African American History