I had no idea that fudge sickles came in a variety of flavors. I figured a Fudgsicle was a Fudgsicle. This book not only introduces the reader to the different types of fudgesicles, but also matches the flavors to other humans in the main characters life. The book is a tad bit long but it is enjoyable. I think the last part of the book is more in flow with a story time telling then the first half of the book. However, overall, I think it’s well done and kids will find it interesting.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This is a story of a young girl going to get her very first fudgesicle. I've had fudgesicles before, that you buy at the grocery store, in a box, and they are all the same color. This story gives us different shades of brown with varying flavors, and honestly the fudgesicles described here sound way more appetizing than what I can buy at my local grocery store. The girl compares the different colors of fudgesicle to people she knows, and kind of makes her decision based on that.

I have mixed feelings about this story. I've seen a lot of comments that it's almost inappropriate to describe people's skin tone, especially non-white people, in reference to food, and this is an entire book doing that. At the same time, I'm fairly certain the book was written by a woman of color, and if this story would have helped her younger self to feel more confident, who am I to tell her that's wrong? The illustrations were very pink based, but showing the different shades of brown that can make up skin tone quite well. I would probably be fine reading this book a few times. Overall I give Fudgesicle 3.97 out of 5 stars.

Fudgesicle tells the story of a young girl enjoying a sweet treat for the first time. Interwoven in the story are beautiful illustrations and affirmations for young black and brown girls. I find that the simplicity of the language used mixed with a deeper message lends this texts to a wider range of ages. I would feel comfortable reading this text to children from preschool through 2nd grade.

The representation in this story is great, and it celebrates individuals of all dark skin tones. However, there’s not much in the way of plot so it ends up being a bit boring. The dialogue also feels quite forced and unnatural.

A cute book navigating skin tones. The illustrations are great with fantastic examples of different skin tones in people. A great short read for kids with key empowerment words for young girls.

I am always looking to add books to the library that empower my students and this is perfect for that! The illustrations are great at showing different skin tones and associating them with beauty. This would be a great book to read along with More Than Peach for self portrait art lesson.

A darling book to celebrate all the beautiful brown skinned girls! I loved the different shades of chocolate and the way each color was described with different positive words by the main character. I gave this 4 stars because a lot of the words were repetitive and I would have loved to see each fudgesicle/woman described with their own unique adjectives. Beautiful sentiment and adorable illustrations!

I loved the pictures in this book, however, I think the message was a little bit lost comparing the fudgesicles to their skin colors. I just don't think kids would understand the correlation of them all "being delicious"

This book belongs on library shelves. I would not choose to read it as part of a storytime as I personally lean towards more interactive books, but it will be in my displays at storytime as well as on our shelves. This is a super cute book!

Chesnut, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Cocoa, Molasses, Caramel & Mocha! I cannot wait to add this to my classroom library. Adorable illustrations, incredible vocabulary, and a fun story. This book creatively explores various skin tones and gives vocabulary to name them. It deserves a place in all classroom libraries where all students can see themselves represented. As a kindergarten teacher, I often see students matching art supplies to their own skin tones and I think this book would be a HUGE hit!

Thank you to Net Galley for an e copy of Fudgesicle by Tinee Furbert in exchange for a honest review.This is a feel good book about a little girl named Novi who has to decide what type of Fudgesicle she should choose since there are so many different colors and flavors.She compares each one to the color of a friend or family member’ skin skin.I really liked this book and it’s premise that we are all the same and it doesn’t matter what skin color we are.We are all special and unique.

This was great. I really enjoyed the concept the most - it was so charming and heart warming and encourages so much self love. We need more children’s books like this. I adored the art - it’s lively and cute with lots of characters drawn of the little girl’s friends and family.

It’s perfect for young readers - not too complicated and very positive and simple with an easy lesson to find joy.

I absolutely recommend this to anyone reading to children.

This would be a great story to share in a primary classroom. The little child in the story compares her skin color to a fudgesicle and notices the beauty in the variety of skin colors throughout her day. It is a celebration of diverse skin colors. Would be a great starting p0int to discussing skin colors.

Fudgesicle is another excellent picture book that helps kids understand skin color of those around them. Fudgesicle positively shows different shades of Brown skin through talking about how the different flavors look like different people in Novi's life that she loves. This book is an excellent choice for SEL, especially thinking about cultural competency and young children finding love and confidence in themselves.

Additionally, I loved the Caribbean design of the book with all of the beautiful and colorful buildings and clothes. Color not only plays an important role in the overall context of the story but with the added Bermudian setting, it is just another layer of celebrating color!

I received an ebook ARC of this title from Netgalley and am never paid for my reviews.

Fudgesicle is a beautiful book with the concept and the illustrations. It reminded me of another story that also celebrates the diverse shades a person can be. This book would make a wonderful addition to any home or classroom library. The only piece of the book that I was not a big fan of was after Novi dropped her fudgesicle her mother told her to look up, have confidence and smile. The message is wonderful, but the placement seemed odd.

Fudgesicle is a nicely illustrated book about different skin colors, however the story telling itself felt very rushed and awkwardly done. For it's intended audience, it might ot be that bad or noticeable, but also that rushed and messy feeling shouldn't be dismissed just because it's a book meant for children.
A great idea that could us a little reworking.

Fudgesicle is a cute book about a little girl seeing her life reflected in the world around her. It is not my culture and I'm not a POC so I cannot attest to the comparing skin colors with foods. But I do think it will help some children feel seen. I really like that a blank coloring sheet of Novi is included at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and KP Publishing Company, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for providing me with a review copy.

This is a wonderfully fun book that combines delicious looking pictures of ice cream and other colorful scenes, with a sweet storyline the compares the different flavors of fudgecicles to different shades of skin. This books provides great representation for children in a classroom setting, and can easily be used as a conversation starter for appreciating the diversity of skin color in our world.

I loved the idea of this book — it's a cute way to talk about skin tone and self loving and acceptance in a way that is easily understandable to young children. However, the storyline after Novi chooses a fudgesicle was odd to me. I'm not sure what purpose her dropping the fudgesicle, talking the selfie, and going back for another really served? I'm sure there was one, but I'm afraid that if I don't understand it as an adult, a child reading this book would not be able to suss that out either.

Fudgesicle by Tinee Furbert , Illustrated by Ghardai Hassell
Fudgesicle is a story of Novi and her mom, who explore a fudgsicle store and during the journey discover how different fudgesicles resemble different skin color tones.
Novi relates every unique fudgesicles to someone she loves like her friend, her daddy, or her grandma. Just like every fudgesicle has a distinct flavor, everyone whose skin color resembles the fudgesicle has some awesome trait that makes them special.

The book fudgesicle promotes a larger message to young readers and teaches them to embrace and acknowledge the beauty and strength in our own self and promotes representation.