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Summary
Summary
A New York Times bestseller!
Featured in its own episode in the Netflix original show Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices !
Recipient of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award
Recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children's Literary Work
From Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within.
Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.
In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong'o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.
Author Notes
Lupita Nyong'o is a Kenyan actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in the film 12 Years a Slave , for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as multiple accolades, including the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Critics' Choice Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the NAACP Award. She has since starred in Mira Nair's Queen of Katwe , Star Wars: The Force Awakens , Ryan Coogler's record-breaking box office hit Black Panther , and most recently in Jordan's Peele's critically acclaimed horror film Us . Nyong'o earned a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in Danai Gurira's play Eclipsed . She lives in Brooklyn.
Vashti Harrison, author and illustrator of the bestselling Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History , is an artist, author, and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. She earned her MFA in film and video from California Institute of the Arts, where she snuck into animation and illustration classes to learn from Disney and DreamWorks legends. There she rekindled a love for drawing and painting. Now she uses her love for both film and illustration to craft beautiful stories for children.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Sulwe, "born the color of midnight," has close-cropped hair and the darkest skin in her family. "Mama was the color of dawn, Baba the color of dusk, and Mich, her sister, was the color of high noon." When Sulwe's schoolmates call her names, she endeavors to lighten her skin, and even her mother's wisdom ("Brightness is not in your skin... Brightness is just who you are") cannot convince her of her inherent worth. A nested fable shows Sulwe what happens when Night and Day, two magnificent sisters, react to peoples' initial preference for Day's light. In frustration, Night retreats, taking dreams and secrets with her, until Day, and humankind, begin to miss Night: "we need you just the way you are." Though the fable strikes one odd note ("we need you so that we can... keep our secrets to ourselves"), the story draws its power from graceful prose by actress Nyong'o, making her authorial debut, and expertly executed animation-style art by Harrison (Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History). By turns beguiling (as when Sulwe's mother counsels her tearful daughter) and magical (a shooting star darts into Sulwe's room to share the story of Night and Day), the volume also clearly conveys that colorism is real, and it hurts. Sulwe's story confronts it head-on, with words and images that celebrate the "dark and beautiful, bright and strong." Ages 4--8. (Oct.)
Horn Book Review
In a story partially based on the authors childhood in Kenya, Sulwe was born the color of midnight. So begins a journey to self-love for a little girl whose name means star and who, because of her dark skin, does not feel beautiful. At school she is treated differently from her lighter-complexioned sister, who is given nicknames such as Sunshine, Ray, and Beauty, while Sulwe is hurtfully called Blackie, Darky, and Night. Desperately attempting to make herself lighter, the despondent girl tries to remove a layer or two of her darkness with an eraser, eats only light-colored foods, and offers fervent prayers to God, but nothing works. Then one night a visit from a shooting star changes everything. Swooped up into the cosmos, Sulwe learns about two sisters, Night and Day, from the beginning of Time. Through the allegorical tale the star tells her (unfolding over much of the book), Sulwe comes to understand that her ebony skin is beautiful and that darkness and light are equally necessary to the universe. Glowing illustrations capture the beauty of both light and dark; Nyongos text is clear and engaging. An authors note expresses the hope that more and more children begin their lives knowing that they are beautiful. Monique Harris January/February 2020 p.76(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Sulwe's night-shaded skin sets her apart from the people around her. Classmates call her names, she can't make friends, and no trick of makeup, dieting, or prayer succeeds in lightening her color. Then, one night, a shooting star carries her out from her bedroom into the origin story of Night and Day, two goddesses of starkly different shades. After the dark Night runs away to escape the world's cruelty, everyone realizes that they need her darkness just as much as they need the Day's light. This parable helps Sulwe understand that all skin tones have value, and she returns feeling beautiful. It's a lovely offering from Oscar-winner Nyong'o, whose own life inspired the story. Harrison's expressive illustrations a duet of dark purples and light golds infused with heart and starlight make it impossible to deny the beauty on display. A welcome celebration of Black girls, an important lesson for all kids (and grownups), and a necessary message for any child who has been made to feel unworthy of love on account of their looks.--Ronny Khuri Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--A sweet story that discusses colorism and emphasizes self-love. In lyrical prose, actress-writer N'yongo tells the tale of young Sulwe, "born the color of midnight." Sulwe feels isolated from her lighter-skinned family, and from the children at school who call her racist names. She resorts to trying to lighten herself by wearing makeup, eating light foods, and even using an eraser to rub away her dark skin. Though her mother reassures Sulwe (whose name means 'star' in the Luo dialect) that she is beautiful and her brightness is internal, the young girl remains sad and skeptical. That night, she is taken on a journey by a shooting star and told the tale of Night and Day, two sisters who brought light and darkness to earth. Bullied for her darkness, Night disappears, leaving earth to suffer in perpetual sunlight. Eventually, Day brings her back, apologizing and assuring Night that she's exactly who she's meant to be. Sulwe wakes up from her nighttime adventure energized and confident, "dark and beautiful, bright and strong." Readers who are familiar with this experience will feel seen, while others will relate to feelings of being an outsider while learning about colorism. Harrison's art is captivating: warm golden tones blend flawlessly into rich, purple-hued night scenes, gorgeously accented with iridescent blues and galactic sprinkles of white. Youngsters who may miss parts of the lesson will remain enthralled with the artwork. VERDICT Though a bit uneven in its storytelling, this beautiful book covers an important topic rarely addressed for young audiences, with tenderness and joy. Sure to gain attention in picture book collections.--Ashleigh Williams, School Library Journal
Kirkus Review
With the help of a legend about Day and Night, a dark-skinned black child learns that she is beautiful inside and out.Sulwe is "the color of midnight," the darkest in her multihued family, and is teased in school. She tries everything to lighten her skin: an eraser, makeup, eating light foods, prayer. Her mother tells her she is beautiful and that her name, Sulwe, or "star," refers to an inner brightness, but she can't see it in herself. Then a shooting star comes to her window, sent by the night, and brings Sulwe out to tell her about Night and Day, two sisters who loved each other but were treated differently. When Night left after people called her names like "scary," "bad," and "ugly," the people realized that they needed her. The stars added that "some light can only be seen in the dark." After learning how Night and Day are both needed, Sulwe knows that she is "dark and beautiful, bright and strong." Harrison's glossy illustrations faithfully render the features of black people, allowing the beauty of different skin tones to shine, with deep purple tones in the darkness, reinforcing the story's message. In an author's note, Nyong'o shares her own past struggles with her complexion. A thoughtfully layered text and powerful illustrations address this sensitive topic in a uniquely nurturing way. (Picture book. 4-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
