The Me of Me

Skin Again by bell hooks ill by Chris Raschka

The significance of identity is explored through thought-provoking concepts and striking illustrations. Distinguished academic and author and bell hooks' lyrical text begins with the statement that skin is "one small way to see me." The essence of an individual is revealed when you "come inside and open your heart way wide." hooks asserts that each individual is a composite of personal stories, both "true to life" and "all the way I imagine me." The notion that both reality and fantasy comprise a sense of self is enlightening.
​Chris Raschka's signature style: bold color palette, deliberate brush strokes, and strong graphic element enhance his stylized human figures. The design is the perfect complement to the text.

Use this picture book as a springboard for an exploration of self portraiture. Students can create a list of words and phrases which describe themselves. Paint would be an excellent medium for illustrating these self-descriptive phrases. Begin by teaching techniques for creating custom colors. Allow students time to explore mixing paint to create a variety of skin tones. Raschka's style frees children from the expectation of a realistic representation and allows them permission to interpret themselves in new ways.
​A classroom gallery of finished self portraits with accompanying descriptive phrases could be titled "The Me of Me."

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Companion Books

"Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through books." bell hooks

Picture books celebrating the richness of African American identity and "The skin I'm in"

Looking Like Me
Walter Dean Myers
​ill Christopher Myers

Shades of Black
Sandra L. Pinkney
​photos Myles C. Pinkney

I'm Your Peanut Butter Big Brother
​Selina Alko

The Colors of Us
​Karen Katz

Mixed Me!
Taye Diggs
​ill Shane W. Evans

Chocolate Me!
Taye Diggs
​ill Shane W. Evans