I am going to cheat and give you the publisher description:
On a hike with her grandparents, a young Indian-American girl makes note of all the things in the wilderness that are brown, too. Includes instructions on how to make a scrapbook.
Why am I cheating? Because that is all you need to know about the story. What I want to focus on is how awesomely awesome this book is. We know that story, but this time we have a voice that is poetic, sweet, powerful, strong and is complemented with some amazing illustrations. There is a simplicity that hides the deeper, emotional context of being proud of yourself, where you come from, and where you are going.
Brown is Beautiful is a love story written by Supriya Kelkar. It is the love they have for themselves, their family, their culture and who they are when all of that comes together. Noor Sofi just blows us away with the colors that surround us, the beauty of all the browns in the world. But is more than that. It is about the family and love that is wrapped up in it all.
Do not allow yourself to be distracted by the delightful text. You must experience the illustrations, too. They are side-by-side companions that cannot have one without the other. There are hidden gems that come full circle by the end. One of the things I love about the book is that is just celebrates. You can go on the simpler side and celebrate the color brown, nature, and love. Or you can go on the grander scale that the books main theme is. There are no limits to how good this book is.
And there is a scrapbook at the end that ties what is happening on the left side and right sides on two different pages. This hidden gem should not be a surprise but is a delightful surprise as well.
