Seeing himself.
Brown and Black children still rarely see themselves in books, films and ads. When a child sees someone who looks like him doing well, he believes he can do it too.
Brown Boy Joy
Written by Dalilla Hermans · Illustrated by Remy Ndow
About becoming strong and staying soft. About allowing sadness and finding joy. A bilingual picture book for every boy who wants to see himself in a book.
- Bilingual Dutch/English
- Hardcover
- Ages 3+
Order your copy€20 (VAT incl.)
The story
A boy looking for his place
Brown Boy Joy tells the story of a young brown boy searching for his place in a world that is not always kind to boys like him.
He runs into things that hurt. But he also learns that he belongs, exactly as he is.
It is a story about becoming strong but remaining soft. About allowing sadness but finding joy.
Why this book
Starting the conversation.
The book helps parents, grandparents and teachers talk about difficult things. And it helps children say how they feel.
Real and honest.
The story is based on real experiences of growing up as a brown boy in a mostly white country. Told gently, without making things prettier than they are.
A look inside
Take a peek inside
Bilingual
One book, two languages
Every page is in Dutch and in English. Read it together in the language that feels like home, or discover a second language along the way.
The author
Dalilla Hermans, a voice that opens doors
Dalilla Hermans was born in Rwanda and grew up in Flanders. Today she is a writer, theatre maker, columnist for De Standaard, podcaster, speaker and curator.
For years she has put the conversation about racism, identity and belonging on the table in Flanders. Honest, warm and with humour, without pushing anyone away. She gave many people words for what they lived through, and others the chance to truly listen.
With Brown Girl Magic she wrote a book for brown girls. With Brown Boy Joy, the boys get their story too. So every child feels seen.
The illustrator
Remy Ndow gave Brown Boy Joy his face
Remy Ndow is an illustrator and graphic designer. After Brown Girl Magic, Dalilla asked him to create the second book in the series, this time for brown boys. Remy didn't only draw the illustrations, he designed the whole book.
For Remy it was more than a commission. He made the book for children who sometimes feel the weight of the world around them, so they can be proud of who they are.
Together with Dalilla, he chose not to soften the subject. The images honestly show how it feels to be brown in a mostly white country, while showing a boy who overcomes his problems and finds his place.
How Brown Boy Joy came to life
From mood boards and first sketches to colour studies and the final artwork: every image in this book grew with a lot of care.
After publication, the book became a small community. It travelled from grandparents to parents and children, from siblings to friends, from teachers to pupils. Remy received messages, stories and photos of children with their book. For him, the most beautiful part of the whole project.
Discover Remy's workOrder