I Color Myself Different written by Colin Kaepernick and illustrated by Eric Wilkerson is a forthright story about how the author experienced his feelings and answered questions from his young classmates after their teacher gave them all the assignment to draw and then share a picture of their family.
Young Colin, who loves books, sports and family fun eagerly takes on the assignment to draw a picture of his family---- who he calls supercool. However, when he shows his picture to the class one classmate asks him why he is the only brown one in his family. He remembers that he had asked his Mom this very same question and she said he was adopted and this made him very special. As the story unfolds Colin feels the beauty of being both special and different.
The double spread page of ten leaders such as Angela Davis, Toni Morrison, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali among others is beautifully placed in the middle of this richly illustrated book. Young Colin smiles from one of the corners of this illustration. Peace signs, hearts and black and white faces adorn the endpapers.
I Color Myself Different written by Colin Kaepernick and illustrated by Eric Wilkerson is a well-designed picture book about “difference” for readers 4-8 years of age (Scholastic Inc./ Kaepernick, 2022).
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Activity Questions for I COLOR MYSELF DIFFERENT
Draw a picture of you and your family and include any details that make you physically different from your parents or siblings such as skin color and color of your hair and eyes. Then, look at your hobbies, the sports you enjoy and the types of books that you like. Are they different from the hobbies, sports and books your siblings enjoy? Include in your picture those things you enjoy doing with your family and those you enjoy doing alone?
Older readers: Celebrate difference by selecting one of the people for further research who have historically worked for equal rights for all shown in this book and listed with their dates in the back materials. Don’t miss reading Colin Kaepernick’s letter to readers also in the back materials. What does the author ask of the reader?
