Mixed Blessing: A Children's Book About a Multi-Racial Family

by Marsha Cosman, Kyra Kendall (Illustrator)

A young son discovers he does not have exactly the same skin colour as either parent. He questions this revelation and his parents explain using animals during a visit to the zoo. A candid look at children of mixed race and multiculturalism learning about their identity for the first time through a colourful illustrative story. The author uses her own experience to write this book about children questioning their appearance and acceptance in society. A fun learning book for any age which will aid in the prevention of bullying and the acceptance of differences. ****CHECKOUT MIXED BLESSING 2 - A DAY AT THE AQUARIUM****

Genres: Childrens

26 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2012

Reviews

[Megan Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jackson is a bi-racial child who wants to learn more about his background after visiting the zoo. He notices he look different from his parents. His mother explains she is from the Caribbean while his father is from Ireland. There is a page in the story that shows his parents and it is easy to see why he would question why he does not look like either parent. Marsha Cosman is a mother of a bi-racial and was inspired to write this story because she could not find material her son could relate to. Kyra Kendall does a great job with the illustrations. They are bight, clear, and modern. As a teacher I will use this story to embrace self-image, not only for mixed children, but children who may look different.

[Alora · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great contextual book for the time in which we live today. I loved the way in which the story tells the process of the boy realizing that his skin is not like everyone else’s to slowly gathering a familiarity and acceptance as to who he is in this society.

This book is very appealing visually and gives a great, full picture for the students in which you would read this to. I found that this is such an important topic and this is a very light way of opening into a discussion similar to something like this.

Overall, I am giving this book a rating of 4. I do believe that the book as a whole was great. However, I think that there could have been more examples throughout the text.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mixed Blessings by Marsha Cosman is about a young boy who notices he does not have exactly the same skin color as either of his parents. He questions this revelation and his parents explain using animals during a visit to the zoo. The author uses her own familiarity to write this book about children questioning their appearance and acceptance in society.
This book would be perfect for teaching children to accept their racial identity. This text can be used in a whole class read aloud as well as for an individual going through an identity crisis or with low self esteem. It is important to have many texts similar to this one to give students the opportunity to see their family dynamic in multiple texts.

[Michelle Marcano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cosman, Marsha. Mixed Blessing. Lexington: n.p., 2013

Subgroup: Multiracial families

Genre: Non-Fiction

Topic: Family

Synopsis: After a visit to the zoo a young boy names Jackson becomes curious about learning where he came from and why he looks different from his parents. the boy explains that his mother is from the Caribbean and his dad is from Ireland. As they navigate around the zoo the boy sees animals families that look the same and families who look different. His parents explain that he is a "beautiful mix" of the two of them. This book helps explain that unique qualities are what makes us brilliant.

[Jessica]

Mixed Blessing is a story about a little boy who goes to the zoo with his parents and games to the realization that his skin color doesn't match either of his parents. his mom is from the Caribbean and his dad is from Ireland and he doesn't see that he fits in his family. His mom explains to him that his family is unique and special and thats what helps him embrace who he is in society. This is a good book to read aloud because it goes outside of the norm in identify how the child realized that there was a difference in his family and it helps with discussing racial identity and building up self esteem. the illustrations in this book help bring the story to life and gives the readers a real depiction of their journey to the zoo.