"One Whole me" A books review about different cultural backgrounds.

This book just hit that sweet spot. Imagine someone hands you a book and as you read it, you think, “Is the author describing my child??????” … Yeap, author Dia Mixon just did that to me.

You may not know, but I have a daughter who is Half Gambian and half Mexican. She eats tacos and Jollof Rice, she speaks Spanish and Mandingo too. So, this book has come into my life, not just as a donation to our “Books for Gambia” literacy project, but as a resource for my own family.

“One Whole me”, besides the story being written in a beautiful rhythm of rhymes, describes how a little boy is part of two different cultures, and shows how proud he is of that. The story tells us all kinds of differences between both cultures that he belongs to and how he knows that that makes him who he is.

Natalia Jimenez Osorio, the illustrator, ended up putting the cherry on top to this story. In every single illustration of the character’s facial expressions, you can sense the little boy's pride. Both together, the author and illustrator, present the book in a very happy tone. As you change the pages, smiles and bright colors are all over.

One Whole me, is a great resource for families and teachers who have children in this particular situation. The book will encourage them to be proud and appreciate both heritages. The book reflects other children like them, so they’ll see they are not the only ones.

When you have a bicultural child, it’s very hard to come across books that reflect a mix of cultures. My daughter will be able to find books that make reference to Mexico, and books that make reference to The Gambia, but will never find a book that makes reference to both. And now, I’m happy that she will be able to find a book of other children in her same situation: a mix of cultures.

This is a formal book review and the opinions expressed are purely my own.