The Proudest Color
Author: Sheila Modir, Jeff Kashour
Illustrator: Monica Mikai
Publisher: Familius
Ages 4-8
Attention publishers, naming a character abuela in a picturebook does not embody her with latina characteristics. Especially when the rest of the story is completely devoid of anything that would make it latino, latina and/or latinx.
Familius’ The Proudest Color gives us a perfunctory, formulaic take on why our protagonist is proud to be brown (as she should be). The problem, however, is not in the incredibly worthwhile endeavor, but rather in its execution. Using a crayon box for a metaphor: “When I’m MAD, I feel sparks of bright red spread across my cheeks,” the book falls into, perhaps unwittingly, into the “and then this happened” trap. Leaving the book, and it’s protagonist, devoid of a central storyline and gimmicky. This is a list book, and unlike I am Brown, it is a list book that doesn’t work.
If you’re looking to diversify your bookshelf, here are some of our more recent recommendations:
Anita and the Dragons
The Mountains of Mumbai
Bella’s Recipe for Success
Mama and Me
My thanks to Familius for providing a Review Copy of this book. All opinions provided herein are my own.
More books for this Age Group can be found here and here.
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