I’m an award-winning children’s book author and photo-illustrator of over sixty picture books. I got my first camera when I was five years old and have been taking pictures ever since. I realized in college that photography was my passion, and I studied photojournalism at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Soon after I received graduate degrees in early childhood education and museum education at Bank Street College of Education. After teaching kindergarten, first, and second grade, I combined my passions to create books. My books have always been about inclusivity and diversity. I hope all children can find themselves in my books to help them navigate the world they live in.
I loved this book because it is a board book for a larger age group of kids and shows a range of kids and their skin color, showing kids doing what kids do—playing, learning, and living their lives.
I also love that this is a board book and appeals to younger children who are observing and trying to process the world they live in. Also, it is an early introduction to racism. This book represents all colors, and it is about inclusivity and the joy of being who you are.
1
author picked
Our Skin
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
2,
3,
4, and
5.
What is this book about?
Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic-driven board book offers clear, concrete language and beautiful imagery that young children can grasp and adults can leverage for further discussion.
While young children are avid observers and questioners of their world, adults often shut down or postpone conversations on complicated topics because it's hard to know where to begin. Research shows that talking about issues like race and gender from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and allows them to recognize and confront…
I loved this book because it is for younger kids who are just noticing details and differences in their new friends and people they have in their world.
Children are often asked to make self-portraits, and this book helps children focus on who they are, what they look like, and how to best try to represent themselves.
A positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist's perspective.
Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.
Through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, this book celebrates the differences and similarities that connect all people.
Karen Katz created The Colors of Us for her daughter, Lena, whom she and her husband adopted from Guatemala…
This book is great for young kids as an introduction to the fact that we all come in many different skin colors and the joy of these differences is a good thing.
I really like the rhymes which add a playful tone for young readers. I also really like the energy of this book that makes for a fun read aloud.
“A cheeky meditation on the everyday miraculousness of skin. . . . It’s freewheeling fun.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Is there anything more splendid than a baby’s skin? Cocoa-brown, cinnamon, peaches and cream. As children grow, their clever skin does, too, enjoying hugs and tickles, protecting them inside and out, and making them one of a kind. Fran Manushkin’s rollicking text and Lauren Tobia’s delicious illustrations paint a breezy and irresistible picture of the human family — and how wonderful it is to be just who you are.
I love this book because it is photographs showing real kids and real skin colors.
I also love that it is bilingual. I like that it offers information about our ancestors and how geography makes a difference in your skin color because of the amounts of sun and melanin. It also includes activity ideas.
Celebrate the essence of one way we are all special and different from one anotherour skin color! This bilingual (English/Spanish) book offers children a simple, scientifically accurate explanation about how our skin color is determined by our ancestors, the sun, and melanin. It’s also filled with colorful photographs that capture the beautiful variety of skin tones. Reading this book frees children from the myths and stereotypes associated with skin color and helps them build positive identities as they accept, understand, and value our rich and diverse world. Unique activity ideas are included to help…
I love this book because it is an activity book about skin color.
It helps children think about color and race in a thoughtful yet simple way to better understand the subject. I also like how it acknowledges families and ethnicities and how, even in one family, skin colors can be different.
Different Differenter is a beautifully-illustrated, full-color, activity book for children that thoughtfully addresses everyday skin color consciousness (and bias) in a way that's easy to understand.
Children's rich observations and questions about color, caste, race elicit accurate yet straightforward responses. Jyoti's art-and-craft-based book takes you on a playful and creative discovery to find answers that work for you and your family--while creatively introducing facts of history and 15-plus new words. Make art. Perform a play for the nanas when they're in town. Eat a yummy homemade dessert. Ooh! and aah! about how each member of the family has a different…
My book Is a celebration of inclusivity of the many shades of the people we see in the world—at the playground, at school, at the beach, or with your family. “Have you noticed that people come in shades, not colors”. Photographs of kids are portrayed, showing the expansive range that is also a shout-out to ethnic diversity through inclusivity. “Our skin is just our covering, like wrapping paper. And you can’t tell what someone is like from the color of their skin”.
It serves as a catalyst for conversation for young children as an introduction to race, ethnicity, and identity. The last page shows a circle of kid’s hands and their shades—perfect before painting a self-portrait.
