Written by: Phil Mendez and Carole Byard
First line: Somewhere in a lonely grass hut in western Africa, an aged storyteller prepares for the arrival of the village children.
Why you should read this book: Jacob, a young boy disdainful of his family's economic status and ethnic, cultural heritage, announces that "Everything black is bad" before grudgingly agreeing to help his little brother Peewee build a snowman—a black snowman—with the dirty snow in their neighborhood. When Peewee scrounges a magical kente cloth, brought from Africa centuries earlier, to dress the snowman, their creation comes to life and does its best to teach Jacob to take some pride in the richness of his ancestry. Although not immediately convinced, Jacob gets a second chance to understand who he is and what he can do right now, as catastrophe looms and the snowman's wisdom and history help Jacob save the day.
Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't let your kids touch anything you perceive as being dirty.
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