Title: Tan to Tamarind: Poems
about the color brown
Author: Malathi Michelle Iyengar
Illustrator: Jamel Akib
Publishing Company: Children's Book
Press
Copyright Date: 2009
Pages: 32
Genre/Category: Multicultural
I chose this book in hopes of
finding a color that fit me. This book is a collection of fifteen poems about
the color brown. All the poems use imagery in some ways, such as smells,
sights, sounds, tastes, and textures helps to bring the hues to life.
A mug of hot chocolate,
smooth and creamy brown.
Tasty, toasty brown.
Delightful, delectable brown.
The poems celebrate the diversity
and the connections in nature, culture, place, and language among
African-Americans, Latinos, Indians, Native Americans, and many mixed-race children.
The last poem talks about all things brown and is accompanied by a picture
of smiling brown children’s faces.
Illustrations are done in warm
autumn colors of brown on double-page spread. My favorite illustration was the
last page with all the children representing a different shade of brown. On the
last page, there is an author’s note on why she wrote the book. I truly can
connect with her reasoning.
This book is recommended for second
through sixth grade. I would name a color and ask the students to spend one
or two minutes writing down something that comes to mind when they think of
that color. I would allow the students to create poems about their favorite
color of brown. The poems can be used with two students as a class script. It
can be incorporated with an “All about me” unit. It could be used in art
as an activity to achieve one of the shades of brown mentioned in the book.
This book has one award 2009 Asian/ Pacific Award for Literature Honor
book.
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