Not Quite Snow White By Ashley Franklin | Book Review


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We rated this book 5/5 Afropuffs!


"Tameika is a girl who belongs on the stage. She loves to act, sing, and dance—and she’s pretty good at it, too. So when her school announces their Snow White musical, Tameika auditions for the lead princess role.
But the other kids think she’s “not quite” right to play the role. They whisper, they snicker, and they glare. Will Tameika let their harsh words be her final curtain call?


Not Quite Snow White is a delightful and inspiring picture book that highlights the importance of self-confidence while taking an earnest look at what happens when that confidence is shaken or lost. Tameika encourages us all to let our magic shine."  -Amazon.com

We are always on the lookout for books that build cultural competence and boost social emotional learning. When we came across this book at Target we knew this would be the perfect read-a-loud! 

As parents of black and brown girls we understand that you long to see your child's hair texture and skin color reflected in images that represent beauty, power, success and happiness. This is often times due to the fact that as parents, you have the troubling task of explaining to your young daughters that despite the prominent images they see...that they are still beautiful. When black girls are not able to see themselves represented in these ways they can begin to internalize feelings of inferiority or exhibit a level resentment and hatred around the ways in which they show up in the world. Not Quite Snow White written by Ashley Franklin and Illustrated by Ebony Glenn demonstrates, through soft visual imagery and affirming statements, that despite what others may think, you have to belief in yourself! For young girls, this does not mean that the words of others will not hurt, because they will! But Tameika showed how to rise above the criticism of others and still reach for your goals. 

We are happy that Ashley Franklin was able to capture the self-doubt, sadness, and pain that can sometimes exist for black and brown girls who dare to be different and challenge social norms. 

Because of that...we rated this book 5/5 Afro Puffs!

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Social Emotional Learning Domains from the Book: 

  • Self Management
  • Relationship Skills
One of the Social Emotional Learning Domains taught in the book Not Quite Snow White is Self Management, "managing one's emotions and behaviors to achieve one's goals." Tameika displayed sadness, hurt feelings, and confusion in the book. These are often big emotions for children that can turn into anger, rage, or lashing out at others. Children can also become withdrawn or may shut down. Tameika was able to overcome these feelings and discover the positive side of her situation. 

The other Social Emotional Learning Domain taught is Relationship Skills, "dealing effectively with conflict." Tameika could have let the scoffs and remarks of her peers stop her or get her down. She could have yelled at them and called them names. She decided to work even harder to reach her goal. 

We are so excited to feature this book as one of our July Read-a-louds. Be sure to check out our activities link to download our supplemental worksheets. They are designed to help teach these critical Social Emotional Learning skills to your child. 

2 comments:

  1. I am a white parent and bought this book for my 2.5 year old daughter. I like the concepts that you pointed out and the Insite you have given is a great way to look at this book! I also want to use this book to start talking about race issues and how to be anti racist. Do you have any suggestions? Right now we talk about how Tameika is just as good as Snow White. She is kind, helpful, and loves animals. Thanks so much for your help!

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