The Colors of Us

The Colors of Us is written and illustrated by Karen Katz.  It is geared toward kindergarten to 1st graders.  I would rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
    The book begins with a young girl painting a self-portrait.  Her mother (an artist) informs her that if she mixes red, black, yellow, and white together just right, she will be able to find a color that matches her skin just right.  The little girl replies by saying that brown is brown.  The mother then takes the girl on a walk to show her all the different shades of skin that exist in the people they know, often relating their skin color to a food of some sort.  At the end of the story, the little girl is amazed at how different all the portraits turned out of all her friends and family.  She learned that there are many different skin colors, but they all have the same basic colors used.
    This book is great for introducing diversity to a younger classroom of students to the idea of diversity.  Even if students have already noticed that different skin colors exist, they could realize that they have the basic colors to start with.  A classroom of students could even experiment with skin tones in paint and other art mediums.  The illustrations are also really fun, so students won’t think they are reading a book that is a structured lesson at all.  Many students, especially in a diverse classroom, will notice that many of their classmates or friends have different skin tones and this should be embraced and celebrated instead of swept under the rug.  Books like this can help bring out the diversity and realize that it is quite amazing how communities are composed of such different people. 



Here is a The Colors of Us lesson plan by Karen Katz!