“Brown Like Me” Books for Little Boys

There are LOTS of picture books that my little boys like for me to read aloud to them. This is a list of some of their favorite “Brown Like Me” Books!

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands by Kadir Nelson

This book is so cute! It features a boy and his family with the lyrics of the old spiritual turned into a picture book. After a few pages we were singing along to the words of the song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” The kids had a blast trying to figure out what the next lyrics were based on the pictures, which, by the way, are awesome.

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Bigger Than Daddy by Harriet Ziefert

My boys absolutely love this book! It is about a little boy (Edward) who want to be big…as high as an airplane, as tall as a tree, as fast as a firetruck. He wants to be as big as his Daddy so much so that he and his Daddy play a game where they switch places. Edward soon decides that he has had enough pretending and he no longer wants to be Daddy. He wants to be Edward. His Daddy lists off a number of great things that he and his son could not do together if Edward was indeed as big as a whale. This is a great story about a father and son spending time together. We love this book!

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Did I Tell You I Love You Today? by Deloris Jordan 

My kids really enjoyed this book! It is a wonderful story about a mother expressing her love for her son. The book documents the many tangible ways that she shows that she loves him each day. “I take the time to tell you, child, “I love you” today.” This is a great book! I was most moved by the final page which says, “…quietly I sit praying that in all I’ve done and was moved to say, I’ve done my best in telling you, child, that “I love you” everyday.” As a mother I feel like I am always “doing” for my children. This book is a great reminder that although we show our love for our kids in so many tangible ways, we need to be sure to tell them that we love them each and everyday! We love this book!

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A Wild Cowboy by Dana Kessimakis Smith

This is a cute little book about a little boy who likens his day headed off to grandma’s house to that of a cowboy. He mounts his horse (his mother’s back) and meets up out West (grandma’s house). This little boy has quite an imagination, which makes this a fun read that my boys really enjoy!

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Designed by God So I Must Be Special by Bonnie Sose

I think this book is adorable. It talks about the different body parts (eyes, ears, nose, skin, body, mind, heart, and Spirit) that God has given us and how we are able to use them. The book is written in a lyrical/poetic format which I think is called a quatrain (where the 2nd and 4th line of each stanza rhymes). I love the bright, vivid colors and the overall message of the book, “He designed me with Special talents, gifts and abilities you see, which let me know that He has something Special in mind for me.” I think this is the cutest little book and I love reading it to my kids!

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Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs

This book is about a little “chocolate” boy with friends who tease him because of his skin color, puffy hair, wide nose, and bright white teeth. However, despite their teasing his mom tells him about his velvet fudge skin and soft cotton candy hair! “Chocolate is sweet. Chocolate is smooth. Chocolate is beautiful and delicious.” I love how this book teaches you to love and embrace yourself and encourages self-appreciation!

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The Snowy Dayby Ezra Jack Keats

My kids LOVE this story! It is about a little boy named Peter who wakes up to a winter wonderland. You get to follow him through his day as he explores and plays in the snow. After a long day in the snow, Peter comes home with the snowball that he saved in his pocket. Feeling sad that his snowball melted, Peter dreamed that the sun melted all the snow away. Much to his relief, he woke up to another winter wonderland of fresh, new snow.

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Fish Schoolby Nancy Poydar

Charlie got a goldfish for his birthday and he vowed to teach Wishy everything he learned! Attempting to follow through with his promise, Charlie secretly hides Wishy in his backpack and takes him on the school field trip to the aquarium! After he misplaces his backpack, Charlie and his classmates stick together like a school of fish and search for Wishy together! This is a really cute  book! My kids LOVED it! In fact, the proclaimed that they wanted to get another fish and name him Wishy. However, fish tend to have a short life span in our house, so I really do not see a Wishy in our near future!

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A Trip to the Hospitalby Kim Watson

We are Little Bill fans and of course this book was a hit with my boys. Little Bill is playing cowboys with his friend Fushia when he falls and breaks his arm. He goes to the hospital to see the doctor. A bit afraid, Little Bill is brave and lets the doctor look at his arm and take an x-ray. After getting a cast on his arm, Little Bill announces that he now wants to be both a doctor and a cowboy. This is a great book if you have a little one who is fearful of doctors.

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Golden Bear by Ruth Young 

This a cute little rhyming book about a little boy and his golden bear. The boy and his special playmate do all kids of things together. I absolutely love the illustrations and the little boy is just adorable! My kids really enjoyed this book; as did I!

 

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