OUR BEAUTIFUL TRIBE

In Copeland’s debut picture book, a young girl is cheered by thoughts of untold generations of her family who have loved their children.

Bella, who has light brown skin and reddish-brown hair, is sad because she hasn’t been invited to her friend Maggie’s party. Bella worries that she and Maggie are no longer “special together,” meaning that Bella herself might not be special. Her Mommy reminds her how much she and Bella’s Daddy love her, and how much Bella’s grandparents love her—even Grandma Louise, who died before Bella was born. This leads to talk of Bella’s eight great-grandparents, and 16 great-great-grandparents, and so on, escalating to a host of loving ancestors from all over the world. Bella is reassured: “That’s a lot of my people who love me, and a lot of people for me to love back.” Copeland effectively narrates the story primarily through naturalistic conversation, using blue text for Bella and green for Mommy. Rather than shying away from talk of difficult topics like death and dementia, this catalogue of loved ones actively embraces those who have died. This commemoration of lineage serves not only to soothe Bella’s doubts but also to recognize racial diversity, as the parenting lines stretch back to encompass what appears to be a multitude of histories and cultures. Lettis brings an upbeat, colorful illustration style that focusses on character and beautifully captures the many different physiognomies united here in familial love.

A gentle celebration of family and togetherness across time.