The children’s book is about a girl named Lena, whose mother, an artist, describes the colors of her family, friends, and neighbors’ skin with the happiest and most heartwarming adjectives. Her friend Isabella “is chocolate brown, like the cupcakes we had for her birthday.” Her friend Jo-Jin “is the color of honey,” and Aunt Kathy is “tan like coconuts and coffee toffee.”
Throughout the book they discuss mixing colors to get the right skin tones. Little Lena is depicted sprawled on the floor with large pieces of paper and jars of paint, happily discussing the beautiful colors of those closest to her. Her finished works are hung up proudly on the last page, displaying a gallery and celebration of multiculturalism.
The book raises the issue of diversity in a fundamental, positive way, and it helps children (and parents) know what understanding diversity is truly about. It is about instilling positive feelings towards people who have different, or perhaps the same skin color as ourselves, and who we interact with every day. It is about individuality. It is about artistic expression. It is, quite simply, an extraordinary book. With a purpose, and a principle, “The Colors of Us,” people who look different, and are different, and why we love them for it.
This is such a great story! I used to read it to my preschoolers! One year, I mixed the paints, and each child painted their hands to match their own. I did it near Black History Month, and connected the hands via clouds that told told what their dreams were...
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