Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown
Poems by Malathi Michelle Iyengar, Illustrated by Jamel Akib
Children’s Book Press, 2009
Book Review by Pooja Makhijani
From Kahani Summer 2009


In the author’s note of this beautiful book of poetry, Malathi Michelle Iyengar writes: “I longed to trade in my brown complexion for peachy-pink. I still remember sitting in the bathtub and hoping that if I just scrubbed hard enough the brown would go away.” As she got older, though, she began to discover wonderful stories about poems written by proud brown people; Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown (Children’s Book Press, 2009) is Ms. Iyengar’s important contribution to this category of literature. From sienna to sepia, bay to beige, Ms. Iyengar’s warm words and Mr. Akib’s inviting illustrations celebrate the spectrum of shades of brown.