Black History Month Children Book Recommendation Part 4 : In Your Hands by Carole Weatherford

Hi everyone! Since black history month is almost coming to an end (this does not mean we should stop celebrating and honoring the achievements of black Americans. We should continue to learn and educate ourselves). I thought I share one last book which caught my interest — In Your Hands by Carole Weatherford. 

In Your Hands is a 32-page picture book written by Carole Weatherford. The picture book was published in 2017 for young children between the ages of 4 - 8 years old.

In the picture book, the story begins by introducing a new mother, describing her hopes and dreams for her newborn son. The mother knows that as her child grows older, she won't be able to protect him from all the dangers and difficulties of the world, so she sends prayers to god to protect her black son; this book sends a reminder that all lives matter, reinforcing the Black Lives Matter movement. 

This picture book tells a powerful, heartwarming story that touches on important themes like motherly love, social justice issues like the Black Lives Matter movement and discrimination, the struggles and fears of people of color, and many more. 

Overall, the picture book is accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Brian Pinkney. Pinkney's illustration was very captivating and somewhat abstract with the use of loose sketchy illustrations with the use of watercolor and gouache. Another thing I loved about Pinkney's illustrations is the dominant use of yellow, green, and blue to symbolize the idea of hope. 

For the most part, I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was very moving and beautifully written expressing a mother's fears of raising a black son. However, one thing I did not enjoy about the book is that it comes across as religious — can be very god-centric — at times.