Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs
A Review By: SS
The boy is teased for looking different than the other kids. His skin is darker, his hair curlier. He tells his mother he wishes he could be more like everyone else. And she helps him to see how beautiful he really, truly is.
Chocolate Me! is a story based on experiences of feeling different and trying to fit in as a kid. As a father, Taye Diggs sees more than ever the need for an audiobook that encourages all people, especially kids, to love themselves.
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2019
An installment in a Series? No
Narrator (s): Taye Diggs
This is the story of a little boy with dark skin, big curly hair, a wide nose, and a “different” name, who began the story questioning his unique features. Due to the jokes and offensive questions of children his age, the young “chocolate” boy was quite self-conscious. Fortunately, a heart-to-heart with his mother helped him to see the beauty in himself and appreciate his unique characteristics.
I liked that the boy became comfortable in his dark skin by the end of the book. I liked that Taye Diggs narrated the book himself and was able to read the story using the voice/tone he heard when writing the story.
I disliked that the background music was so loud throughout the story. I think it would be hard for children to focus on the narrator. I also feel the story began on a very negative note. The little “chocolate” boy was teased and ridiculed by the other children for a large portion of the book. Readers never learned the main character’s name that he questioned because it was too different, but we heard the more mainstreamed names of his adversaries more than once. Although the boy became more comfortable in his skin by the end of the story, the story was more negative than positive, in my opinion. I don’t really see how this would help a child who is struggling to accept him/herself or others who look different.
Reading Recommendation? No
Rating: 1 (Nah)
Content Warnings? None
