Sulwe

by Lupita Nyong'o

[nannah]

Ahh, this was the sweetest and most lovely book. I’ve been trying to read more children’s and MG books to recommend for my mother’s classroom, and I’ve discovered that there are so many gems out there in a genre I wouldn’t normally read. This is most definitely one of them.

Content warnings:
- colorism

Representation:
- everyone in the book is Black

A young Black girl, Sulwe, is the darkest in her family and has a sister whose skin looks like noon sunlight. While her sister gets lots of attention and makes lots of friends, Sulwe hides out by herself. Then one night the stars she’s named after tell her an old story about Day and Night, and why it’s important to be who you are and love who you are.

The art, by far, is what shines here. Each page and spread is like a masterpiece, colors and textures and everything bringing the text to life in the best way. I’m going to look up what else this artist has done or illustrated. Absolute magic.

The story itself is also very nice, and I’m glad there’s a children’s book talking about issues and problems within marginalized communities, not only the existence of marginalized communities themselves.

All in all, a wonderful read.