GILLIAN SZE

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You Are My Favorite Color

9780593203101 | Picture book
Illustrated by Niña Mata
Published by Philomel Books (Penguin USA), June 2022

A lyrical story of parental love that celebrates and takes pride in the many shades of brown skin. Perfect for fans of I Am Enough, Hey Black Child, Hair Love, and Our Skin.

When you ask me why your skin is brown,
I will tell you that you are my favorite color.
I will say that your skin was decided long, long ago.
Time was just waiting for you.


So begins a mother's celebration of her children's brown skin, told through warm and vivid poetry. With sweeping descriptions of what brown skin means - it is the brawny bear whose paws know the ground of its home, the sequoia tree that reaches up and touches the sun, the glossy shell of roasted chestnuts - this is a book that empowers as it embraces, and that reminds young readers that they have shades of color that only they can discover and express.

With beautiful, lyrical text by powerhouse poet Gillian Sze and vibrant, engaging art by illustrator Niña Mata, the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of LeBron James's I Promise, this is more than a story of love - it is a song that rings out for brown kids everywhere.

Recognition:

⌘ Finalist for the 2022 Quebec Writers' Federation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children's and Young Adult Literature
⌘ Longlisted for the 2022 OWL Awards (BookPal)
⌘ Selected for the Fall 2022 issue of Best Books for Kids & Teens (Canadian Children's Book Centre)

Available online and hopefully at your local bookstore.







Some kind words:



The flow of metaphor in this paean to a child's skin tone is breathtaking, masterful. If I were the child being read this story, I would come out the other end feeling like the most beautiful creation under the sun.

—QWF JURORS



Sze's text unspools a letter of love...This is a sweet, languorous celebration of brown skin in all its infinite shades and of multiracial, multifaceted families. Lovely.

KIRKUS REVIEWS



A lyrical, affirming celebration of brown skin, self-love, and family. Recommended.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL



The poetry is absolutely beautiful and lush with a great rhythm that roll off the tongue beautifully ... You Are My Favorite Color is a lovely poem to share with young readers.

YA BOOKS CENTRAL



You Are My Favorite Color beautifully uses matters of diversity as a forum for the celebration of love and family. Highly Recommended.

CM: CANADIAN REVIEW OF MATERIALS



Sze's lyrical text, along with Mata's jubilant illustrations, make this a perfect read for any mother looking for the right words to reveal the wonder a child brings.

THE CRIMSON REVIEW