You Are my Favorite Color

A lyrical story of parental love that celebrates and takes pride in the many shades of brown skin. Perfect for fans of I Am Enough, Hey Black Child, Hair Love, and Our Skin.

When you ask me why your skin is brown,
I will tell you that you are my favorite color.
I will say that your skin was decided long, long ago.
Time was just waiting for you.
  
So begins a mother’s celebration of her children's brown skin, told through warm and vivid poetry. With sweeping descriptions of what brown skin means—it is the brawny bear whose paws know the ground of its home, the sequoia tree that reaches up and touches the sun, the glossy shell of roasted chestnuts—this is a book that empowers as it embraces, and that reminds young readers that they have shades of color that only they can discover and express.
 
With beautiful, lyrical text by powerhouse poet Gillian Sze and vibrant, engaging art by illustrator Nina Mata, the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of LeBron James's I Promise, this is more than a story of love—it is a song that rings out for brown kids everywhere.

Brown is beautiful.

On a hike with her grandparents, a young Indian-American girl makes note of all the things in the wilderness that are brown, too. From a nurturing mother bear, to the steadiness of deep twisting roots, to the beauty of a wild mustang, brown is everywhere! On her way, the girl collects the beautiful brown things she encounters as mementos for a scrap book to share with a very special new addition to her family—a baby brother.

Brown is you.
Brown is me.

Here is an uplifting, tender exploration of beauty, joy, and self-love, with playful illustrations by rising star and South Asian illustrator Noor Sofi.

Gillian Sze (she/her) is the author of multiple poetry collections, as well as books for children, including My Love for You Is Always, illustrated by Michelle Lee, and The Night is Deep and Wide, illustrated by Sue Todd. She studied creative writing at Concordia University and received a PhD in études anglaises from Université de Montréal. Originally from Winnipeg, Gillian now lives with her family in Montreal, where she teaches creative writing and literature

Nina Mata (she/her) is a New York Times bestselling illustrator who received her degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She has illustrated many books, including American gymnast Laurie Hernandez's She's Got This, NBA superstar LeBron James's I Promise, and the Ty's Travels I Can Read series. Nina currently lives in New Jersey with her husband, their daughter, and Tabitha, their cat