ALL THAT YOU ARE

This family contains multitudes.

The children at the center of this narrative in verse have inherited many gifts: from their South Asian mother, “bright eyes” and a “joyful smile”; from their father, who presents white, a “big heart” and kindness; and from their grandparents, intelligence, wit, and determination. Employing vibrant imagery, the unseen narrator speaks of their rich heritage: “You’re the gleam of ripe mangoes, / the swish of raw silk, / the sweetness of lychees and coconut milk. // You’re the crunch of an apple, the kiss of a peach, the salt of the ocean, and chips on the beach.” But these children can also forge new identities: “In you the past shines / like silver and gold. / Maps are redrawn / in the magic you hold. / Countries hold hands, exquisitely new.” Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the narrator reminds the youngsters that “you’re not quarter…or half… / a mathematical sum,” but whole people whose heritages infuse them with the power to write their own stories. The story ends with the narrator exhorting the children to believe in their own abilities and to recognize their own beauty. Prabhat’s brilliantly colored illustrations infuse Prasadam-Halls’ words with vibrancy and life, further reinforcing the poem’s message of optimism, inclusivity, and hope.

A nuanced, tenderly wrought celebration of biracial identity.