Be, Black Girl, Be

Reiterative affirmations from Darks (Wash Day) celebrate Black girls in a picture book that simultaneously amplifies and inspires. Following the titular line, similarly structured phrases encourage Black girls to dance, shine, take up space, and more, each one followed by elucidative text: “Grow/ Black girl, grow./ Plant seeds for your hopes,/ your dreams.// Grounded by your roots, grow tough like a tree,/ soft like its leaves, and wise like its rings.” Upbeat mixed-media illustrations by Miller (Sam’s Super Seats), of Black children with various abilities, hair textures and styles, and skin tones, add to each page a feeling of power in autonomy and community, as when a suggestion to “breathe” spotlights young figures flying alongside clouds and holding the sun in their hands (“Flow with the current/ and shift with the wind,// but trust yourself// and your power within”). Other spreads show kids partaking in playground activities (double Dutch, hopscotch), cultivating passions (baking, painting, sports), and being embraced by elders. Together, the creators craft a heartfelt exhortation to “embrace every inch of who you are,/ in every size, shape, coil and shade.” Ages 4–8. (June)