Fran Manushkin

This is a charming book about the role skin plays in in our lives, as well as celebrating the many colored hues of the book's characters, without putting a big sign to the fact that it is a book celebrating diversity. It's not subtle, all the requisite diverse characters appear: children in wheelchairs, women in hijab, even an Orthodox Jewish family. Despite this, it feels like those wonderful books from the'80's and '90's which were so earnest and intentional with their inclusive cast. I like a children's book that puts forth the multicultural vision, even if it seems somewhat unrealistic to jaded adult eyes.… (more)