Nina Bonita
Jun 4, 2008 Race, Read/heard/seen
Yesterday Madison got a book in the mail from Lillian who is from Brazil and who knew about a Brazilian picture book that she really wanted Madison to have so she sent it.
The book is called Nina Bonita and it’s about a beautiful black girl and a white bunny who wants to know how she got such lovely black skin. Nina Bonita isn’t sure so she makes things up. Umm, maybe she got ink spilled on her when she was a baby. Maybe she ate lots of blackberries or drank too much black coffee when she was a baby.
Eventually the rabbit asks her in front of her mother (who has lighter skin) and her mother says, “Oh! Nina Bonita looks just like her beautiful black grandmother!” (Then the rabbit marries a black bunny and they make all sorts of variously shaded bunnies.)
I read it to Madison last night and she giggled, she wriggled and she grabbed the book and kissed it. She seriously loved this book. When Nina Bonita came up with her various theories Madison would laugh and shake her head. She said, “She has black skin because she was in a woman’s uterus who has dark skin!” She was happy to see the mommy had lighter skin than Nina but that there was a picture of NIna Bonita’s grandmother. “Just like me!” she said. “Like me and you!” Then she kissed the book and said, “Pennie has skin like dark chocolate and I have skin like Mexican chocolate! Pennie is beautiful!” She had Noah read it to her later and Noah liked it, too.
Lillian, this book couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s just what Madison wanted to read and I wouldn’t have ever known that if you hadn’t sent it. Madison literally danced around the room with it after hearing it twice. I told her that someone named Lillian bought it because she knew she would like it and she thanks you. I thank you, too. It means so much to both of us!!!!!!!!
Edited to add a link from a teacher who used the book to open up an interesting discussion in the classroom.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:06 am
Madison is so smart! Her comments made me smile big. What an awesome book! I love the cover. I would like to get a copy for my girls.
June 4th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Dawn, thank you so much for mentioning this book. I’ve already put in a request for it from the library.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Sounds like a great book. This whole “skin color” thing never occurred to me until I stayed in DC for a few months and rented a room in a black neighborhood and was the only white person shopping in that particular Safeway. I was a minority all of a sudden. Weird feeling. I could totally see how important it must be for a kid to be surrounded by people, books and dolls that look it him or her. Being color blind is all well and pretty, but we all need to fit in somewhere, specially kids. Madison is lucky to have a mom that doesn’t gloss this over.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:12 am
How wonderful. When Madison is happy, I’m happy too. I’ve never heard of the book but I will look for it on Amazon. I have nieces and nephews of all skin colors so I think this will make a great gift. Thanks Dawn, and Lillian.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:38 am
I just bought one! It sounds wonderful.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Oh, I’m moved to tears here. I KNEW she’d love it, I KNEW! I’m going to buy the other versions in Brazil, I just wish you could get the French version, it’s absolutely amazing.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Lilian (one L! I spelled it wrong!) I’ll get a picture of Madison reading it. She was talking about it today when they were driving me to work!! Thank you SO MUCH!!!
June 4th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I couldn’t resist buying it!
June 4th, 2008 at 11:05 am
I LOVE that book and I LOVE your story!
When I was very young I asked my Black friend why she was so brown. She said because she got a lot of sun. So I asked why her gums were also brown, and she said because she smiled a lot. It’s been about 32 years or so, and we’re still buddies.
June 4th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
We have a great book called “The Colors of Us,” where the girl and her mother talk about all the different people in their lives and how their skins are all different colors. It’s been important for our girls to have that language already available to talk about skin color–
I’ll be picking this one up as well!
June 4th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
that’s awesome. we’re a brazilian-indian-swiss family, living in switzerland, and it’s very hard to find books with black characters here (and in brazil, too, i might add). i have a bunch of us-american books but that doesn’t cut it once the kids start reading. hopefully i can get hold of this.
June 21st, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Yes, thanks for this post. I just put the book on my wish list. Looks great!