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Sulwe

Genre: Fantasy

Title: Sulwe

Author: Lupita Nyong'o

Illustrator: Vashti Harrison

Awards: Coretta Scott King Award

Age Range: 3-8 Years old


Summary: Sulwe, whose name means star, does not feel beautiful because she believes her skin is too dark. The kids at school call her mean names because she does not look like the others. Sulwe's mom explains to her that she has brightness in her and that she is beautiful because it is how she thinks of herself that matters most. Although, Sulwe still has a hard time believing what her mom has told her. At night, a shooting star came and took Sulwe on a journey while telling her a story of the sisters, Night and Day. They share a similar story like Sulwe and her sister for Night was given mean names while Day was loved by all and received nice nicknames. Night got upset, so she left. Eventually, everyone began to miss Night especially her sister Day. When Day found her sister Night she was able to convince her to come back to earth because she was needed just as she is. It is only Night that can help everyone get rest because of her beautiful darkness. This story helped Sulwe to see that she is beautiful on the inside and on the outside. 

Evaluation: This book is great for students in Kindergarten through the third grade. I liked reading this book because I love the message behind it. I think everyone needs to feel loved and beautiful. I think this story does an excellent job of showing little girls that they can be beautiful no matter how light or dark their skin is.  However, I am unsure if I would use it in my class because the little girl prays to God. If I teach at a private Christian school I would use it, but if I am teaching at a public school I may not use it or would skip certain parts that way it does not cause conflict. I would use this book to help teach students about kindness and share that we should not be mean or bully others. Also, an activity that I would have students do is after reading the story they would create an "I am..." poem that way they can focus on the good things about themselves and share how they are uniquely beautiful. 

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