Resources for Talking About Skin Color

by Pam Connell | More from this Blogger

12 Aug 2007 05:15 PM

In recent blogs I have talked about my reaction when my four-year-old daughter said she didn't like her skin; she wanted my skin. (She is Korean and has light tan/beige skin, I am Euro-American and very pale with pink undertones.)

The first thing that came into my mind was a segment on the Sesame Street video "The Best of Elmo". (Note: this is different from the "Best of Elmo's World" videos.) One segment guest-stars Whoopi Goldberg. Elmo tells Whoopi that he likes her skin, and then says he wishes he could trade his red fur for Whoopi's skin and hair. Whoopi explains that it isn't possible to trade, but she would not want to if it were. She and Elmo end up agreeing that they like their own skin/hair/fur and each other's as well.

Another offering from Sesame Street is a favorite book which I've given as a gift many times. It is a preschool book called "We're Different, We're the Same" by Bobbi Kates. It also features Elmo, who goes around taking pictures of people. The first two-page spread says, "We're different. Our noses are different." It is illustrated with photos taken by Elmo of noses old and young, hooked and straight. There are human noses of all colors, fuzzy Muppet noses, Big Bird's beak, Snuffy's schnoz. The next two-page spread features elaborate drawings of a street scene featuring the characters whose noses were shown up close on the previous spread. The text reads "We're the same. Our noses are the same...they sniff, they whiff, they sneeze..."

The text goes on to treat eyes, mouths, skin, hair, bodies and feelings in the same "different appearance/same function" format. Some characters pictured are well-known Sesame Street characters. Others are people of all sizes, abilities and disabilities, genders, races. I particularly liked the age and size diversity shown, which in my experience is harder to find pictured than racial diversity.

Two other books include the poetic "All the Colors of the Earth" by Sheila Hamanaka. The lyrical text and lovely watercolor paintings of children describe how some children are the color of sand and wheat, some the colors of the rich brown cropland, etc.

A matter-of-fact scientific look at skin color is found in Katie Kissinger's "All the Colors We Are: the Story of How We Got Our Skin Color". This bilingual English/Spanish text is illustrated with photographs of adults and children of many colors. It explains pigmentation and the function of melatonin in protecting skin from the sun and in causing different skin colors and also freckles.

Please see these related blogs:

Kids' Books on Domestic Adoption and General Adoption Themes

Kids' Books Starring Internationally Adopted Kids

Book Review: Are Those Kids Yours?

Learn more about Pam Connell

Pam Connell is a mother of three by both birth and adoption. She has worked in education, child care, social services, ministry and journalism.

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