Loving the skin you’re in
Caribbean Life, NOVEMBER 22-28, 2019 55
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Other kids can be so mean.
In your classroom, they call
you names and whisper bad
things. On the playground,
they tease you, and it hurts
your feelings. You wish you had
more friends, and that things
were different. But in the
new book “Sulwe” by Lupita
Nyong’o, illustrated by Vashti
Harrison, life can change, and
it starts on the inside of you.
For a long time, Sulwe hated
her skin.
It was dark as midnight and
because of it, she didn’t look
like anyone else in her family.
Her mother’s skin was as bright
as the day. Sulwe’s father was
like sundown, and her sister
was like “high noon.” Almost
nobody at school was darkskinned
like Sulwe, either, and
they called her names for it.
Sulwe’s sister had all kinds
of friends. Sulwe had almost
no friends, and it wasn’t fair.
Maybe, she thought, she
could scrub the dark away but
ouch! That didn’t work.
Maybe Mama’s make-up
would help make her skin lighter
but it just made a mess.
She tried to eat bananas,
white bread, and other light
foods but that just made her
full.
Praying didn’t work, either,
and when Mama saw that
Sulwe was sad, she tried to
help. Mama reminded Sulwe
that her name means “Star”
and that a star’s brightness
comes from the inside. Beauty
comes from inside, too, and
“it begins with how you see
yourself...”
All that day, Sulwe thought
about what Mama said. Could
it be that there was light inside
her darkness? Was there beauty
in skin like midnight? She
thought and she thought, and
she fell asleep thinking about
Mama’s words.
Not long after Sulwe’s eyes
closed, they opened again!
There in the middle of her
room was a shooting star, inviting
her on a journey where
dark and light were sisters and
the people learned that everything
was wrong if they didn’t
have both.
Was that a lesson Sulwe
could use?
Definitely, yes. And if your
child has started to notice skin
tones, this is a book she can
use, too. “Sulwe” tells a wonderful
tale of differences and
loving the skin you’re in.
You aren’t going to see that,
though, until later. No, much
like the story itself, the first
thing you’ll see is the outside
of “Sulwe,” and it’s absolutely
beautiful. Indeed, the
illustrations by Vashti Harrison
almost glow, and you may
have a hard time keeping your
hands off.
Go ahead, though, and
open the book. There, author
Lupita Nyong’o tells a child’s
tale that, she says in her endof
book author note, is somewhat
autobiographical: like her
character, she was teased for
being “night-shaded.” Nyong’o
goes on to offer advice to children
who wish to be lighterskinned,
or who are bullied for
being who they are. Not only
is this comforting, but it could
serve as a great conversationstarter.
Give this book to your child,
read it aloud, and enjoy the
gorgeous artwork, too. “Sulwe”
is a book you’ll both love, as
a beautiful story loaded with
meaning.
“Sulwe” by Lupita
Nyong’o, illustrated by
Vashti Harrison
c.2019,
Simon & Schuster
$17.99 / $23.99 Canada
48 pages
“Sulwe” author Lupita Nyong’ o. Nick Barose
Book cover of “Sulwe” by Lupita Nyong’o.
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