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Pavadais in bright gold colors
Jersey shirts and faded jeans Swapping, changing, feeling seen Which is the color of me? "For fans of Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, this poetic story filled with expressive art empowers South Asian children living in the United States and celebrates being bicultural."
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“Which is the color of me?” is the question at the center of this picture book in which a young girl explores her dual identity of Indian and American. Told lyrically, with bold adjectives that portray a universe of dancing, feeling, words, spices, food, bindis, bangles, fabrics, moods, and more, Gopal examines how young children make sense of their world when it crosses cultures through multiple sensory experiences. This book can evoke conversations of religion, race, and culture as the book discusses Hinduism, Indian dress, and baseball, among other topics. The language is crisp, specific, and concise, making it a perfect read-aloud for young children or an independent read for early elementary grades. The vibrant illustrations swirl with the colors of a marketplace, where there might be too many choices, but this small girl can handle it. What a celebration of self! This is a joyful book, for every age.
VERDICT: This rhythmic picture book articulates a common experience for young children who straddle two cultures. Highly recommended. School Library Journal gives it a coveted STAR! |
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"I love that younger students can just enjoy the two different cultures, while older students can dig into the meaning of the text with beautiful figurative language. The main character describes how there are blurring lines, worlds colliding, and the need to be seen. There is so much to discuss.!Think about the knots and strings within you based on your experiences and things that shape you, that pull you in different directions and how you come out as an individual. " Jessica Rogers, Literary Fusions
"This captures the strong duality of a child who has strong claims to her Indian Heritage and equally strong ties to the culture she is absorbing in the U.S. Each spread juxtaposes cultural elements that she values: Bollywood dance and hip-hop; cricket matches on TV and baseball games at the park; Hindi, Tamil, and English languages. Rather than the conventional tension we see in many books about bicultural people, this wields a more inquisitive tone. The girl is seeking a cultural balance that incorporates the various aspects of her identity, and she finds it in the people around her. Sumptuous illustrations formed by collages of textured and printed fabrics provide the visual metaphor for the many threads that weave together harmoniously in the girl’s community." ALA Booklist