Bright Eyes, Brown Skin

October 30, 2000
The first book in the Feeling Good series follows four African-American children through a busy day at preschool. A gentle, catchy rhyme meanders through the pages as bright, realistic illustrations show the children playing games, drawing pictures, dancing and simply enjoying one another's company. Though the text is not particularly subtle and the drawings are slightly stiff (on some pages the children look like short adults), the book goes a long way toward achieving its stated goals: to present ``happy children, brimming with confidence and self-esteem,'' and to ``celebrate positive images.'' The need for books that meet these goals is great, and few titles like this one are available. Ages 2-7.