All the Colors of the Earth

Sheila Hamanaka (1994), 32 pages

Audience: pre-K

Format: picture book

Children come in all the colors of the earth – such as roaring browns, whispering golds, tinkling pinks just to name a few!

Inspired by her own children’s multi-ethnic heritage, Hamanaka has created a lasting and beautiful view of diversity. Descriptive and expressive, Hamanaka does double duty as both author and illustrator showcasing she can captivate equally a young audience’s eyes and ears … making this book a delightful story-time read! Her sweeping, painterly illustrations filled with warm sun-kissed yellows, rich browns, and crisp blues energize the story; the author’s language and images work in unison to share a life affirming quality.

The narrative is inclusive all of different of skin tones “cinnamon, walnut, and wheat” to “amber and ivory” and hair types too from bouncy curls to flowing locks. While celebrating individuality, Hamanaka reveals there is sameness; noting that while all children are different they are similar – the common denominator being love.

This book truly honors all children of color and is a great story-time read especially during January as Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches – children can be proud of their differences and appreciate their unique attributes; a gentle and very approachable book on race/ethnicity for preschoolers.

Reviewed by: Katharine Conn, MLIS

If you liked this book, you may like: Whoever You Are by Mem Fox, The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler, Shades of People by Shelley Rotner or A Rainbow of Friends by P. K. Hallinan

Other books by this author: Bebop-a-do-walk, I Look Like a Girl, Grandparents Song, Peace Crane, and Screen of Frogs: An Old Tale

Little Blue and Little Yellow

Leo Lionni (1959), 40 pages

Audience: pre-K

Format: picture book

Written as a tribute to his two young grandchildren, Lionni’s first book Little Blue and Little Yellow is truly a satisfying read. Little blue loves playing with his friends, especially little yellow who lives across the street. One day, little blue goes looking for his best friend. After looking everywhere, little blue finally stumbles upon little yellow and they are so happy to see each other they hug and hug until they turn green! The two friends, now as little green have an adventurous day out playing in the park, running through tunnels, climbing mountains … exhausted they return home. But to their parents’ dismay, little blue and little yellow are gone – only little green remains. Saddened little blue and yellow cry themselves to pieces (little blue and yellow pieces) until “they finally pull themselves together” and return home to their parents. Mama blue and papa blue are so thrilled to see little blue – they hug and kiss him and hug little yellow too … but in doing so, they become green. Realizing what had happened, they go over to their neighbors to share the news with mama yellow and papa yellow and both families rejoice! Lionni’s use of simple language and minimal graphics make this a book young children can enjoy. At first glance, Little Blue and Little Yellow is a clever personification of color theory, but beneath that it illustrates the bond of friendship, acceptance of oneself, and racial unity.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Press Here by Hervé Tullet or Perfect Square by Michael Hall

Other books by this author: Geraldine, the Music Mouse, A Flea Story, In the Rabbitgarden, Let’s Play, and Matthew’s Dream

Spork

Kyo Maclear (2010), 32 pages

Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault

Audience: pre-K

Format: picture book

Constantly neglected Spork is lonely. Forks, spoons, knives, even chopsticks make their way to the dining table ... but never Spork. Born from a fork father and a spoon mother he was both a little round and a little pointy. Although his parents loved him as he was, Spork wanted to be easily identifiable, to be just one thing or another. After awhile, he decides to become more fork-like, but he still doesn’t fit in because all the other forks think he’s too round. Later, he tries to be a spoon, but that fails because he’s too pointy. Spork desperately wants to belong. Every night he wistfully watches from a distance as spoons play games and forks rake, mash, and twirl. Later they all enjoy a bubble bath in the sink. But, all that changes when the messy thing arrives. Food was flung here and there, everywhere ... spoons were tossed and forks were bent. "This messy thing smeared and spilled and flung and clumped and dripped without a care.” In all the chaos, Spork realizes he finally has a purpose – he was the perfect tool, a bit of both fork and spoon! Grabbing Spork, the messy thing shrieks with delight waving him around ... at last Spork has found his purpose! Being suitable for baby is the story of how Spork “finally and happily found his way to the table.”

Arsenault’s illustrations are so expressive the utensils seem animated. Her color palette is pale and muted mostly gray, white and pastel blue-green. However, she adds a sense of drama as the “messy thing” enters the story and dashes of bright crimson red flash across the pages. Author, Maclear born to British and Japanese parents revels in her own spork-ness; she presents a creative and fun

story for children to enjoy everywhere regardless of cutlery heredity. This story is a great lesson in learning how to appreciate differences in each other and oneself, may appeal especially to children with biracial backgrounds.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Zero by Kathryn Otoshi, or Only One You by Liinda Kranz

Other books by this illustrator: Migrant and Mr. Gauguin’s Heart, and Bonjour Les Hirondelles

Rhymes Round the World

Kay Chorao (2009), 40 pages

Audience: All ages

Format: picture book

From celebrated illustrator Chorao comes Rhymes Round the World, a global compilation of traditional rhymes and songs both familiar and obscure. Translations include rhymes from several cultures and countries such as France’s Are you Sleeping?, Italy’s Cincirenella, Korea’s Wind Last Night, Poland’s Lizzie, Iran’s Morning Song, Greece’s The Girl Wants to Dance, and many more. Chorao’s signature cheerful watercolors bring simple poems, songs, and rhymes alive in her detailed full-page designs. For instance, the traditional Australian song “Kookaburra” illustrates playful laughter as an indigenous eucalyptus tree grows heavy with climbing children and an array of native wildlife (koalas, kangaroos, and the kookaburra bird) ….

“Kookaburra sits in an old gum tree,

Merry, merry king of the bush is he.

Laugh Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!

Gay your life must be.”

Without a doubt this book is as fun to read as it is to look at! Filled with fun, diverse rhymes, and beautiful images this is a book young audiences will enjoy. Parents and educators can read these rhymes as a way to introduce culture and diversity to children.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World by Naomi Shihab Nye

Other books by this author: The Baby’s Good Morning Book, The Baby’s Bedtime Book, Knock at the Door and Other Baby Action Rhymes

Black is Brown is Tan

Arnold Adoff (1973), 32 pages

Audience: pre-K

Format: picture book

Black is Brown is Tan was the first children’s book to depict an interracial family. Mommy is “milk chocolate cheeks and hands that darken in the summer sun” and daddy is “light with pinks and tiny tans.” Adoff’s book is pure poetry and a great read-aloud book. Even though this was written back in the 1970s the author's lyrically words are still just as relevant and moving today...

black is brown is tan
is girl is boy
is nose is
face
is all
the
colors
of the race …

this is the way it is for us

this is they way we are

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown by Malathi Michelle Iyengar and Black, White, Just Right! By Marguerite W. Davol

Other books by this author: Love Letters and Touch the Poem

The Skin You Live In

Michael Tyler (2005), 32 pages

Illustrated by David Lee Csicsko

Audience: pre-K

Format: picture book

The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler not only talks about skin's different colors & tones it also talks about all the fun things you can do in your skin … such as "the skin that you have fun in; the skin that you run in; the skin that you hop, skip, and jump in the sun in..." Ending with the moral that what's most important is not the skin, but what's within.

Supplement this book with an activity of coloring. Using Coloring Pages, a free online resource that offers printable templates (sorted by subject) print the "children" series and offer an array of skin tone options with Crayola's Multicultural crayons.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Shades of People by Shelley Rotner, The Colors of Us by Karen Katz, and What I Like About Me! By Allia Zobel Nolan

Other books by this illustrator: Behind the Lions: A Family Guide to the Art Institute of Chicago

Language Nursery

Baby Einstein (2002), 62 minutes

Audience: babies

Format: DVD

The Baby Einstein Language Nursery video presents babies with short, colorful vignettes in eight different languages: Japanese, Russian, English, Hebrew, German, Italian, French, and Spanish. The video features traditional rhymes, songs, numbers, alphabets, and lullabies by native speakers and uses very simple imagery (close-ups shots of dolls and toys along with minimal graphics), engages babies’ sense of sight and sound. The DVD contains additional footage of flashcards (29 different vocabulary words) and a video tutorial, which instructs the parents on how to watch the video while interacting with their baby. The Baby Einstein brand declares that the videos should be used in conjunction with parent interaction, citing “that parent-child interaction is one of the most critical elements to the development of a healthy and happy baby during the first three years of life” (Baby Einstein Company, 2007, ¶ 2). Additional videos concentrate on other subjects, such as music (Baby Mozart and Baby Bach), poetry (Baby Shakespeare), and colors (Baby Van Gogh). An excellent source for parents and babies will find the content appealing and fun!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this DVD, you may like: Little Pim (Series) produced by The Little Pim Co.

Other products by Baby Einstein: Discovering Shapes, Baby Mozart, and Neighborhood Animals

All The World

Liz Garton Scanlon (2009), 40 pages

Illustrated by Marla Frazee

Audience: All ages

Format: picture book

A recent 2009 release and Caldecott honoree, Scanlon’s All the World reflects multiculturalism in a subtle, but effective way. Scanlon's repetitive prose “all the world ...has got its sky ... all the world ... goes round this way ... all the world ... is you and me" and Frazee’s watercolors echo the book’s universal message of family with charm and personality. Children will enjoy the detailed illustrations and the juxtaposition of simple portraits against sweeping, panoramic landscapes. A feel-good book that will appeal to children and families of all backgrounds! The traditional folksong "We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands" works well as a precursor or addendum to storytime:

We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got our mamas and our papas in our hands.
We've got our mamas and our papas in our hands.
We've got our mamas and our papas in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got our brothers and our sisters in our hands.
We've got our brothers and our sisters in our hands.
We've got our brothers and our sisters in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got the little bitty baby in our hands
We've got the little bitty baby in our hands
We've got the little bitty baby in our hands
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got our aunts and our uncles in our hands.
We've got our aunts and our uncles in our hands.
We've got our aunts and our uncles in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got our grandmas and our grandpas in our hands.
We've got our grandmas and our grandpas in our hands.
We've got our grandmas and our grandpas in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got the earth and the water in our hands.
We've got the mountains and the valleys in our hands.
We've got the oceans and the rivers in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

Other books by this author: A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes and Noodle & Lou

Mama, Do You Love Me?

Barbara Joosse (1991), 24 pages

Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee

Audience: babies, toddlers

Format: board book

An age-old tale of children testing parental limits and finding that a mother’s love is unconditional –even in the Arctic. Inuit mother and daughter charmingly demonstrate love, imagination, fear, and acceptance as the story unfolds. Native arctic animals, like the raven, whale, and puffin along with Inuit terminology such as “mukluks” give way to a culture-rich narrative. In addition, the back of the book includes historical/geographic information and a glossary of traditional terms.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: I Love you the Purplest and Papa, Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joosse or Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Other books by this author: In the Night Garden, Nikolai, The Only Bear