Hello there! I’m Tia Mowry, and I’m Tamera Mowry from the show “Sister, Sister.” Today, we’re going to share a special story with you. It’s called “No Mirrors in My Nana’s House,” and it’s a book that really makes you think about how we see the world.
The book is written by Ysaye Barnwell, and the pictures are drawn by Synthia Saint James. The story is about a house with no mirrors. Can you imagine that? Without mirrors, the person in the story sees beauty in everything around them, just like the sun rising in the morning.
In the story, the person never worries about how they look. They don’t know if their skin is too dark or if their nose is too flat. They don’t even care if their clothes fit perfectly. Instead, they see beauty in everything because their Nana’s eyes show them how wonderful the world is.
Without mirrors, the person finds joy in simple things. They love the cracks in the wall and the dust that looks like snow in the sunlight. Even the noise in the hallway sounds like music, and the trash feels soft under their feet. Everything is magical and full of love.
This book is inspired by a song from a group called “Sweet Honey and the Rock.” The song is also called “No Mirrors in My Nana’s House,” and it shares the same beautiful message about seeing the world with love and wonder.
Listening to the song and reading the book makes the story come alive. It touches your heart and makes you feel happy inside. We hope you enjoyed this magical storytime as much as we did. Thanks for joining us, and see you next time!
Create Your Own “No Mirrors” Journal: Grab a notebook or some sheets of paper and create a “No Mirrors” journal. Each day, write or draw something beautiful you noticed that you might not have seen before. It could be a colorful leaf, a funny cloud shape, or a kind act you saw someone do. Share your favorite entry with a family member or friend and explain why it made you feel happy.
Beauty Hunt: Go on a beauty hunt around your home or neighborhood. Look for things that are interesting or beautiful that you might not have noticed before. It could be a pattern on a wall, the way light shines through a window, or the sound of leaves rustling. Draw or take pictures of your discoveries and create a collage to show how much beauty is around you.
Feel the Music: Listen to the song “No Mirrors in My Nana’s House” by Sweet Honey in the Rock. As you listen, close your eyes and imagine the scenes from the story. What do you see in your mind? How does the music make you feel? Draw a picture or write a short story about what you imagined while listening to the song.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m Tia Mowry.
And I’m Tamera Mowry from “Sister, Sister.” Welcome to the Screen Actors Guild Foundation BookPALS. Today, we’re going to be reading “No Mirrors in My Nana’s House.” You know, Tamera, when I was first introduced to this book, I was very intrigued by the title. I actually had to ask myself how our world would be without any mirrors. Would there be any stereotypes? I liked the book because it has a wonderful rhythm to it. I’m very excited; I think it’s colorful and fun.
The author of the book is Ysaye Barnwell, and the illustrations are by Synthia Saint James.
*There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house
No mirrors in my Nana’s house
So the beauty that I saw in everything
Was in her eyes like the rising of the sun.
There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house
No mirrors in my Nana’s house
So I never knew that my skin was too black
I never knew that my nose was too flat
I never knew that my clothes didn’t fit
I never knew there were things that I missed
‘Cause the beauty in everything was in her eyes
Like the rising of the sun.*
*There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house
No mirrors in my Nana’s house
I was intrigued by the cracks in the wall
I tasted with joy the dust that would fall
The noise in the hallway was music to me
The trash and the rubbish just cushioned my feet
And the beauty in everything was in her eyes,
Like the rising of the sun was in her eyes.*
*There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house
No mirrors in my Nana’s house
The world outside was a magical place
I only knew love and I never knew hate
And the beauty in everything was in her eyes
Like the rising of the sun.*
Remember when I told you this book reminded me of a song? Actually, it was inspired by a song. The author, Ysaye Barnwell, is in a group called “Sweet Honey and the Rock.” Now, we get to listen to them sing: “No Mirrors in My Nana’s House.”
*There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house
No mirrors in my Nana’s house
There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house
No mirrors in my Nana’s house
And the beauty that I saw in everything
Was in her eyes
Like the rising of the sun.*
*I never knew that my skin was too black
And I never knew that my nose was too flat
And I never knew that my clothes didn’t fit
And I never knew there were things that I’d missed
‘Cause the beauty in everything was in her eyes
Like the rising of the sun was in her eyes.*
*Oh, there were no mirrors in my Nana’s house
No mirrors in my Nana’s house
There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house
No mirrors in my Nana’s house
I was intrigued by the cracks in the wall
The dust in the sun looked like snow that would fall
The noise in the hallway was music to me
The trash and the rubbish would cushion my feet
And the beauty in everything was in her eyes
Like the rising of the sun was in her eyes.*
*There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house
No mirrors in my Nana’s house
The world outside was a magical place
I only knew love and I didn’t know hate
And the beauty in everything was in her eyes
Like the rising of the sun was in her eyes.*
Wow, that was incredible. That was beautiful.
I loved it. You know what? In a way, it made the book come alive to me.
It touches you, right here, in the heart. It was very beautiful. Well, I enjoyed it. I hope you did too, and thanks for watching. Bye!
