CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

The young brown-skinned girl narrating this picture book starts by explaining she was once asked the question “What are you?” and didn’t know how to answer, but kept thinking about it. Across these pages the girl provides an answer that is as complex and multifaceted as she is. “I am a girl. I am human. I am a human animal,” she begins. She goes on to make additional statements about many other aspects of her identity, such as who she is in relation to others—daughter, granddaughter, “Amma to my guys [stuffed animals]”; dark-skinned in comparison to some, pale in comparison to others. She is someone who loves animals but is nervous around them; who might be an artist even if she doesn’t win an art competition; who can be selfish or generous, mean or kind, scared or brave depending on the situation. Eventually she also says, “I am an American. I am Indian.” An eloquent concept, simply stated, captures the complex and sometimes contradictory identities that are part of being any child, and part of being human. Illustrations created with pencil, watercolor, and Photoshop provide a cheery accompaniment to an upbeat story that concludes with an author’s note addressing what many readers will implicitly understand: The question “What are you?” is often asking about race, and is both rude and invasive. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Divya Srinivasan

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 5-9
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Affirmation Asian Americans Difference/Individuality Identity Indians and Indian Americans Racism
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklists: Wisconsin Social Studies Standards: Suggested Books for K-5  Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin 

Publishers: Penguin Random House, Viking
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780593204016
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Srinivasan

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