No Mirrors In My Nana's House

No Mirrors in My Nana’s House is a multicultural book that can also fall under contemporary realistic fiction. The book was written by Ysaye Barnwell and illustrated by Synthia Saint James in 2005, for children ages 5 and up. No Mirrors in My Nana’s House is also a musical. This book is about a little African American girl who sees her beauty in the eyes of her nana. There are no mirrors in their house but the grandmother is able to teach the girl what true beauty is without the use of a mirror. The little repeats in the book that she only knew love and never knew hate, or the color of skin. This little girl was able to see not only her beauty, but the beauty in everything. This book can be a tool in the classroom to help with problems that young people might go through in today’s society with image and self-esteem issues.

 

The illustrations are bright, colorful and exciting. The illustrator uses a mixture of cool and warm colors. The illustrations are captivating and grabs the reader’s attention because although there are no facial features, you can still see the beauty of the drawings.

 

 

 

Discussion Questions:

What does the word beauty mean to you?

What does it mean to look at beauty from within?

What does the girl mean when says she knew love and never knew hate?

How does the girl see her own beauty in her nana’s eyes?

 

Self-Esteem Activity:

Make a list of at least five strengths you have.

Make a list of at least five greatest achievements in your life. You can work towards these goals.

Make a list of 20 things you know how to do.

 

Books By Author:

We Are One

 

Resources:

Barnwell, Ysaye. (2005). No Mirror’s in My Nana’s House. HMH Books for Young Readers Publishing.