The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

 The Colors of Us by Karen Katz


The Colors of Us by Karen Katz 

  • Fiction
  • Grade: Pre-K - 2nd
  • Awards: None
Summary:

The Colors of Us is a story about a young seven-year-old from Guatemala.  To accurately draw a self-portrait, Lena's mother tells her to mix the colors to create the right brown. This confuses Lena because she thinks brown is brown. Lena's mother takes her for a walk around the neighborhood to show her that people of color can be very unique. Around the neighborhood, Lena sees her friends, Sonia, who is a light yellow-brown color like cinnamon, Isabella who has a chocolate brown skin color like cupcakes, Lucy who is peachy and tan, Jo-Jin who skin is like the color of honey, and many more friends and family of different backgrounds. At the end of the story, Lena goes back to her canvas and paints everyone from the walk and all their difference which are beautiful. She proudly shows her mom her work and calls it "the colors of us".  

Evaluation:
The Colors of Us would be a great book for my classroom because it is the appropriate reading level for second-grade students. This book challenges students to explore realities and relationships within the community. I think this book could be used in an Art unit on cultural relevance and creative expression. The young girl in the story learns about the beauty of each individual in her community and expresses that through an artistic piece where she illustartes what she calls "the colors of us". 

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