Mixed Me!

Starred review from September 28, 2015
“See, my dad’s a deep brown and my mom’s rich cream and honey. Then people see me, and they look at us funny.” Diggs and Evans follow 2011’s Chocolate Me! with a boy’s utterly self-confident ode to his family and himself. Mike has his mother’s red hair, and it spills across the pages like a cumulus crowd as he races around the neighborhood and the soccer field—this is a boy on the move. Mike’s unerring sense of self (“I’m a beautiful blend of dark and light”) and the powerful love that surrounds him make this a rewarding, valuable read for families of any makeup. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

Starred review from August 1, 2015
Some kids call him "Mixed-up Mike," but the protagonist makes clear that he isn't mixed-up at all-just mixed. With his curly, red zigzag hair, tan skin and green eyes, Mike likes to skateboard and go fast inside and outside, wearing a colorful patchwork cape. The kids at school tell him that his parents don't match, and other people stare at them when they're out as a family. But Mike loves his deep-brown, bald-headed dad and his cream-and-honey, red-haired mom, and clearly they love him too. What's more, they declare that they mixed Mike perfectly "and got you JUST RIGHT!" Mike's confidence in his own appearance and coolness as well as the way he proudly embodies diversity, including a certain level of androgyny, make this a refreshing read. Evans' integration of rough-textured fabrics into lively and colorful mixed-media illustrations will make readers want to reach out and touch them. Readers will also find this an easy book to set to music or rap, thanks to its rhyme and cadence. The takeaway message remains one that all children need to embrace: "I'm doing my thing, so don't forget it. / If you don't get it, then you don't get it." If all kids had the confidence about who they are that Mike has, what a wonderful world this would be. (Picture book. 3-8)

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Starred review from August 1, 2015

Gr 2-5-A little boy with wildly curly hair navigates the social terrain of being a biracial child. Diggs's short, choppy, rhyming verses convey the busyness of a kid who likes "to go FAST!" All through his day he encounters people staring and asking questions. "See, my dad's a deep brown and my mom's rich cream and honey. Then people see me, and they look at us funny." Diggs very adeptly conveys the feelings a mixed child experiences and also brings a message of acceptance without being didactic. Evans's mixed-media watercolor and pencil illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this well-written, fun story of acceptance, friendship, and love. The text, colors, and design make this a good choice for read-alouds, but there are many details in the artwork (usually containing the word mixed or a synonym thereof) that make it good for one-on-one sharing. VERDICT A stellar first purchase and a necessary book for all collections.-Jennifer Steib Simmons, Anderson County Library, SC

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2015
Grades K-2 Diggs and Evans follow Chocolate Me! (2011) with another joyful story about embracing who you are. For the millions of mixed-race Americans who have to endure the constant questioning of their identity, Mixed-Up Mike has an answer: I'm a beautiful blend of dark and light, / I was mixed up perfectly, / and I'm JUST RIGHT! Mike has ochre skin and a bouncy, ginger-colored afro that he loves, even though it makes people look at him funny. He exudes energy and confidence, his parents adore him, and he is friends with everyone, setting doubters straight when they try to make him align himself with one race: There are so many flavors / to savor and taste! / Why pick only one / color or face? Pages of bright colors and expressive faces match Mike's ebullient personality and distract from the text's clumsy rhymes. The story's joyful message will resonate with multiracial readers and their families, leaving them with the cheeky takeaway: if you have a problem with me, it's your problem.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)