The Proudest Color

by Sheila Modir and Jeffrey Kashou, Jeffrey Kashou, Monica Mikai (Illustrations)

For me, brown is more than feeling proud. 
It’s the color I see when I see me.

Zahra sees the world in vivid color. When she’s happy, she feels a razzle-dazzle pink in her hands. When she’s sad, she feels a deep blue behind her eyes. But she isn’t quite sure how to feel about the color of her skin. Kids at school tell her she is different, but her mother tells her to be proud! From a diverse team and based on extensive research, The Proudest Color is a timely, sensitive introduction to race, racism, and racial pride.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School, Self Esteem, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 14, 2021

Reviews

[Alyssa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonight, we read The Proudest Color. I felt it was especially important to read today, because I struggle a lot with being able to adequately prepare my son to grow up as a Black man in this country, and today was a reality check type of day. I understand that being his mom means I need to unlearn and relearn a lot, and also accept that there are things I will never understand because I’m white. I don’t like to rely on people, so accepting that I can only teach him so much about this world, and have to rely on his dad to guide him in ways I can’t, is a learning experience in self restraint.

I felt really defeated today after seeing a video about mixed kids with a white mom, versus a black mom, and how having a white mom can hinder them in certain ways. It scared me, and it made me feel hopeless, like maybe I would cause more damage to his identity than I ever intend to. But I have spent the last handful of years trying to listen, to speak up with family and friends when I need to, and educate myself the best way I can. One thing that has been helpful is reading books by authors of color, especially children’s books. In reading these stories where he can easily find himself represented, I am unlearning and relearning. These children’s books have forever changed my view of the world, and if they’re doing that to me 32 years later, imagine how proud and empowered he will feel when he’s grown. Representation matters.

[Carol Kean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The colors, the cute faces, the CAT, the message - it's all good!

The illustrations are beautiful. At the very end, we see a handwritten apology from the girl who teased our heroine about her dark skin. Very gratifying.

Our daughter's after-school programs are always looking for SEL (Social/Emotional Learning) books, and she said this one is perfect. She snagged my copy and took it home with her to start using right away with school kids. Great message, great presentation---now, to get MORE COPIES to share~!

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

7/15/2022 ~ Lovely affirmation and consideration of the link between feelings and colors. I appreciate the wide range of Brown & Black people raised as examples of greatness.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book! I appreciated the focus on all kinds of brown people and that the main character was racially diverse as well, being Afro-Latina. The apology note in the end pages from her previously unkind classmate was a nice touch.

Only sad that the library book copy (via taped down covered dust jacket flaps and the electronic chip sticker) covered up the names or partial names and images of three famous brown people on the inside back cover and final end page. Something for libraries to be mindful of.

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Identity, author: Iranian American, Palestinian American
Identity, illustrator: African American

A stunning presentation about loving your brown skin in defiance of words meant to belittle and demean. Several recently published picture books uplift BIPOC, especially regarding the shade of one's skin including I Am Brown, Sulwe, Magnificent Homespun Brown, and Honeysmoke.

The Proudest Color stands out with a child-centric plot that celebrates a little girl's love of colors and coloring and how that can extend to the color of her skin. When a playground bully snidely declares that she doesn't like brown and that Zahra is too dark, her parents uplift her with stories of successful brown people in her life and throughout history. Strongly recommended for school-aged brown-skinned children that need extra affirmation.

Reviewed by: Miss Kelsey, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library

[Jared White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book about some of the many reasons to be proud of being brown. This book is a bit different from most of the books on this subject in that it relates and refers to more than African Americans. When the lead character, Zahra (of Black Latinx heritage), is teased for the color of her skin at school and her parents are talking about it with her they "want you to remember all the people who share your brown skin and all the important things they have done in this world." Among them are her Black Abuela, her previous school principle (Native American), her doctor (Middle Eastern), Martin Luther King Jr., Malala Yousafzai, Cesar Chavez, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Frida Kahlo. So a quite diverse cast from various races/ethnicities. The end pages have even more famous BIPOC people as depicted in pictures drawn by Zahra.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Age: Kindergarten-3rd grade
Identity: Brown-skinned girl with thick black locks
Identity, author: Iranian American, Palestinian American
Identity, illustrator: African American

A stunning presentation about loving your brown skin amidst words meant to belittle and demean. Several recently published picture books celebrate BIPOC, especially regarding the shade of one's skin. Modir and Kashou provide this celebration within a child-centric plot that celebrates a little girl's love of colors and coloring and how that can extend to the color of her skin. When a playground bully snidely declares that she doesn't like brown and that Zahra is too dark, her parents uplift her with stories of successful brown people in her life and throughout history.

[Anna Tharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells a story about a girl who feels all the colors with certain emotions such as happy pink, angry red, sad blue, and nervous purple. Most importantly, she feels prideful in her beautiful brown skin until she goes to school and gets made fun of for looking different. The girls parents reassure her that kids can be very mean but brown skin is equally beautiful and valuable as others. They tell her to be proud of her skin because it makes up everyone she loves and looks up to in her family, which helps her realize that nobody can make her feel less confident or proud to be the way she is. This is an amazing message that can be used in the classroom to teach students about the importance of cultural diversity, equality, accepting others, and self confidence.

[Roxana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't be more excited to get my hands on this incredible book! I've bought copies for all my young nieces, thrilled that they'll be able to read a book where the main character looks just like them! Say is with me, REPRESENTATION MATTERS! The book does an incredible job discussing the topic of race, racism, and self love in a way that's digestible to young readers. The story and illustrations are beautiful and I only wish I had more books like this growing up in a small coastal town where not many kids looked like me. Highly recommend to all parents/guardians, educators, and anyone competing for the title of #1 auntie!!! haha

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zahra sees herself like a box of crayons with a variety of colors for her different feelings, but especially brown for her skin. When someone bullies her for her brown skin, her mom reminds her of all the brown people who love her and the inspiring brown people from the past and present, so she should be proud of her brown skin. A lot of books only talk about feelings OR race in terms of colors, but this book brings it together to have both conversations. A great introduction to some awesome people that children may want to learn more about. There's information at the end to help grown-ups talk to children about race in a positive and constructive way.

[charlene.librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story features Zahra who is a brown girl. The story describes all the wonderful feelings that Zahra experiences and names each feeling with a color. Her family encourages her to remember that brown is the proudest color because her "brown skin is here to stay," and her "brown skin glows and glows." Cultural socialization at school can be scary and disappointing. This book gives us an example of one experience on the first day of school. It's a great read to have a chance to ask questions about our own children's experiences re: race and culture and empathize with Zahra and how she feels.

[Kaela Nieto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, Uplifting, positive representation

The Proudest Color tells the story of a young girl that feels out of place because there are not many people that look like her at school. Throughout the story, she is reminded of different brown people that have made great contributions to society and their communities. It makes her feel proud to be brown, even if that makes her different than others.

This book is a mirror for people of color that struggle to fit in. It helps people of color feel accepted and appreciated. This book has a lot of positive representations. It is important for people of color to feel seen in literature and in their everyday lives.

[Sarah Bana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about a young girl who doesn't know how to feel about her brown skin. Her challenges echo those that many of us feel when we are different. She identifies her emotions and with the help of her parents, takes pride in her brown skin. Zahra is reminded that she is a part of a larger brown community. She also is one of many amazing individuals -- Malala Yousafzai, Cesar Chavez, Frida Kahlo, President Barack Obama -- with brown skin.
The illustrations are superb, and the rhyming scheme is perfect for reading aloud.

[Shannon L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really sweet and positive and affirmative book written by a pediatric psychologist and LMFT. It also gives a guide on the back on how to approach the subject and how positive affirmations after feeling othered can build a positive racial identity. It celebrates a wide array of brown skinned people, celebrates representation. I recommend it to both heal harm of colorism and to approach the subject with young kids that don’t know any differently and teach them the value of all people and how all people contribute to the world and the culture.

[Ladi · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and excited to share it with the little ones in my family! The perspective of the adorable main character Zahra and her colorful world is a beautiful one and I found that the book does an excellent job of addressing racial issues in a very creative and succinct way. Also the illustrations (esp of Zahra and her cat) are so joyful and match the energy and vibrancy of the story. This story will resonate with many!

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't recommend this book enough. Beautifully written and illustrated, The Proudest Color tells a story of overcoming adversity through finding belonging and pride in oneself. Any child who has faced self-doubt, discrimination, or felt like an outsider will relate. Written by two therapists, this book is an evidence-based resource for parents, teachers, therapists, and others to talk about discrimination, emotions, coping and resilience with young kids.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! I love the celebration of the color brown for skin and for all the people with brown skin that have done amazing things! This is a book that should be in all classroom libraries to remind children to look at everyone and to look beyond themselves at others that represent the best of us in all colors. But since brown skin has not been seen as the "proudest color" in the past, I love promoting it as such now!

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl thinks about the world and her emotions in colors.
Brown is both a good feeling in her heart and the color of her skin.
When she starts school someplace where she's the only brown girl and someone is mean to her about it, she feels sad.
Her parents point out a wide variety of great people with brown skin (both important to her personally, like her grandmother and her doctor, and famous people).

[Tawnda Andrews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately I cannot give this book the 5 stars I wanted to. So lovely in so many way, up I til the author is giving examples to the main character of great people who share her beautiful brown skin and the name Cesar Chavez, a murderer as someone to look up to. There are 100’s of amazing people whom the author could have used but she chose this puke? It made the whole book sour for me. Thumbs down 👎🏻

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book on diversity, racism, and how you should be proud of your dark skin, especially if you're the only person with dark skin. The illustrations are awesome and I loved seeing all the 'kid drawings' of different brown skinned famous people. I also really loved the cat in the story and how the cat was also brown. In addition, it was really cool to see the apology note from the mean classmate at the end of the book. That was a nice touch.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers meet this young girl on the night before school begins. She shares her colorful world with us and her pride in her own color. Unfortunately, a classmate is not kind and hurts her deeply. Her parents boost her by sharing all of the people they know and who have been part of history who are brown. Affirming and empowering for young readers.

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was donated to our library, and I am so glad that it was! A wonderful book that talks about feelings in color, but also shows many ways kids can be proud of the color of their skin, particularly children of color.

[Priscila Castaneda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books is about how everyone is different and it also shows to be proud of the color of your skin. I would show this book to any student who is not feeling confident in who they are and that it is important to be different.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, very important message, a must-buy for all parents of children of color

[Y.Poston]

a delightful exploration of the reality of having brown skin

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. I LOVE the message. Brown is beautiful. THIS BOOK WOULD HAVE BEEN SO HELPFUL AS A KID <3

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and inspiring, it's a great book for children to read to be 'woke.'

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important message, but very didactic language/tone.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book. It encourages children to love themselves.