Black, White, Just Right!

by Marguerite W. Davol, Irene Trivas (Illustrator)

Overview

This simple story celebrates how the differences between one mother and father blend to make the perfect combination in their daughter.

As this little family moves through the world, the girl notes some of the ways that her parents are different from each other, and how she is different from both of them. With each difference she lists, she highlights the ways that their individual characteristics join together to make her family. The fact that her mother is African American and her father is white is just one of the many interesting things that make this little girl and her family "just right."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807507865
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	01/01/1993
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD570L (what's this?)
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Marguerite W. Davol taught young children for many years at the Gorse Child Study Center at Mount Holyoke College. She wrote numerous titles including Heart of the Wood, How Snake Got His Hiss, and Papa Alonzo Leatherby.

Irene Trivas illustrated over 100 books for children and worked in the music industry and in advertising.

Editorial Reviews

More a concept book than a story, this work is narrated by the daughter of an interracial marriage. In free verse, the bubbly, confident girl describes her African American mother's face as ``chestnut brown. / Her dark brown eyes are bright as bees.'' Her father, on the other hand, ``turns pink in the sun; / his blue eyes squinch up when he smiles. My face? I look like both of them-- / a little dark, a litte light. Mama and Papa say, `Just right!' '' The girl then describes her parents' different preferences in music, art and food, and the idiosyncrasies that make each family member an individual. The energetic brush strokes of Trivas's ( Annie . . . Anya! ) bright gouache illustrations heighten the sense of a world beautified through a blend of colors, while her compositions warmly depict the affection and positive self-image exuded both by the child and by her parents. Though Davol doesn't address the difficulties some children of an interracial marriage may experience outside the accepting realm of family, the book's upbeat tone is welcoming and refreshing. By moving beyond physical differences, Davol successfully shows how families are composed of distinct individuals whose love is the key to securing a child's sense of self. Ages 6-8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A mixed-race child celebrates the rich inclusiveness of her life in a joyful picture book. Mama's face is chestnut brown, Papa's face turns pink in the sun, the child's a little dark, a little light, "Just right!" Each double-page spread shows how members of the family are individuals with likes and dislikes, hobbies and habits that move beyond stereotype. Mom orders vegetarian; Dad orders ribs and bagels; the child likes it all. Mom does ballet; Dad dances to rap. Mom likes African masks; Dad goes for modern art; the child loves the Egyptian part of the museum. Each page has a rhyming refrain that ends, "just right." In keeping with the upbeat text, Trivas' energetic gouache illustrations are full of movement and affection.

Hazel Rochman

"The narrator enumerates qualities inherited from her parents—a face that's 'a little dark, a little light,' somewhere between Mama's 'chestnut brown' and Papa's fair skin; hair that's 'halfway in-between' blond and black…Trivas's freely rendered art portraying this happy family of three is upbeat and attractive. A photo of the author with her 'just-right' grandchildren (also evidently from an interracial family) is included."—Kirkus Reviews

"The book's upbeat tone is welcoming and refreshing. By moving beyond physical differences, Davol successfully shows how families are composed of distinct individuals whose love is the key to securing a child's sense of self."—Publishers Weekly

"Biracial readers may identify with the specific examples given, while all young children can relate to inheriting characteristics from their parents. The text varies from prose to a rhyme that can be followed; throughout both, the refrain 'just right' consistently rings."—The Horn Book Guide

From the Publisher