Happy Black History month, and happy getting to know MORE Black authors on our site. I’m starting with a mixture of old and new, so stick around to make sure you snag the proper books for your library shelves.
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Sili Recio
Sili Recio has been calling herself a writer since she won a trophy in a poetry contest in the sixth grade. She is an Afro-Dominican storyteller, disruptor, and Mami. Sili earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rollins College. She entered the world of social media via her blog in 2010, and has never looked back. Sili lives in Florida with her daughter, the Frog Princess, and tries not to pass on her love of café con leche to her child. She is failing. You can visit her at SiliRecio.com.
Today, I’m presenting her book If Dominican Were A Color as part of our Black History Month presentation of authors. I was one of the lucky few who got to snag this book before it was released to the world, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the illustrations in it, and the singsong rhyming of a mother to her child. Celebration of every single color that makes their culture rich and amazing.
The colors of Hispaniola burst into life in this striking, evocative debut picture book that celebrates the joy of being Dominican.
If Dominican were a color, it would be the sunset in the sky, blazing red and burning bright.
If Dominican were a color, it’d be the roar of the ocean in the deep of the night,
With the moon beaming down rays of sheer delight.
The palette of the Dominican Republic is exuberant and unlimited. Maiz comes up amarillo, the blue-black of dreams washes over sandy shores, and people’s skin can be the shade of cinnamon in cocoa or of mahogany. This exuberantly colorful, softly rhyming picture book is a gentle reminder that a nation’s hues are as wide as nature itself.
If Dominican Were a Color was released September 2020 and is a beautifully illustrated picture book coming to you from Denene Millner Books about a mami’s words to her daughter on what Blackness looks like across her home country.
You can pick up your copy of If Dominican Were a Color today at Amazon, BookShop or your local independent bookstore. As always, do what’s best for you! The book is available in both English and Spanish as well!
Enjoy this gift from the heart of Sili Recio. I know that I sure did.