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Reviewed by: Taylor Coonelly, Elementary School Librarian Title: I See Color
Author: Valerie Bolling and Kailei Pew
Illustrator: Laylie Frazier
Publisher: Harper
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: 1-12, Adult Genre/Type of Book: Nonfiction
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: N/A Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book:
Nominated for the CYBILS award for Elementary and Middle Grade nonfiction
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
I see color. I love color. Don't you?
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Review:
I see color. I love color. Don't you?
I See Color is a celebration of the diversity of our world and the beauty of all skin colors in our lives. The title of the book comes from the colloquial phrase "I don't see color" in which people believe they are saying they are not racist and don't notice others skin tones. The beginning of the book highlights how damaging this ideology is, because it erases people's cultures and racial identities. To be an ally and embrace diversity IS to see color and recognize the differences cultures and races have, and uplift them. From light skin ("smoky quartz", "warm beige", "creamy pearl") to dark ("deep umber", "radiant bronze", "rich sepia") and everything in between, this book highlights the legacy of individuals who have shaped our world for the better. Some of the individuals mentioned include Elizabeth and Roy Peratrovich (presidents of the Alaskan Native Brother/Sisterhood groups), Fred Korematsu (fought for the release of incarcerated Japanese Americans), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X (civil rights movement leaders) and more. This book features individuals spanning hundreds of years, and the fights that they fought for people's rights and freedoms.
This book is important, and needs to be recognized. Not only for the figures featured in the book, but for the message it teaches about what it really means to be an ally and support people of color. Each page features individuals, some of whom I hadn't even heard about, and lists there name at the bottom of the page so that readers can learn more. I love how each page had a corresponding blurb in the back of the book, where readers could learn more about the person/people and what work they did. The illustrations in this book are incredible, and feature diverse races and ethnicities that highlight the books message. I think everybody, not just elementary audiences, could benefit from this book and it's ideas. A fantastically simple take on what it actually means to celebrate diversity.
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Find resources for I See Color on TeachingBooks
For more information about this book, see the Publisher's Website