Woke Baby (edizione 2018)

I found the book Woke Baby by Mahogany L. Brown to be lacking in content. The reading level was around first grade, but the content was for students in pre-school. There are some small analogies being made about how the baby has not yet felt the harshness of the world. The baby stretches to the sky reaching for justice? I think that since it is later mentioned that the baby stops for no one and is unaware of the adversities he will later face, it makes no sense that he reaches to the sky for justice. It knows not about injustice, which is the whole point of the story. I do like that it means to say that babies are pure. They can do and be anything. That is something that people lose over time which is sad. I just wish that it made more sense. The illustrations are very rich in color and detail. ( )

Woke Baby follows the day of an African American baby as he wakes up until he falls asleep. The text is lyrical and has a poetry feel to it. While to the reader it may seem like the actions the baby is doing are simple, they represent so much more. I wouldn't say there is character development happening too much in the story, apart from the baby just going through actions and speaking what he can do. The overall message for the story is that in the world the only way to get what you want is to fight for it yourself. This is an empowering story for children of color to read and to help them see the power they have and that they can change the world. While I enjoyed the story and thought it was cute, there wasn't anything about it that really wow-ed me or stood out to me. ( )

social justice babies ( )

Chubby cheeks, rounded knees, bright eyes and textured hair adorn this beautiful brown woke baby. As hands reach up to his adoring fans, lyrical text tells his story of knowing that this world will only work in his favor if he demands it. Gentle in its story of participating in the social justice movement, Woke Baby will make an adorable gift book and sweet lap-sit read. ( )