Mixed – A Colorful Story
Author & Illustrator – Aree Chung
Publisher – Scholastic
“Segregation…not only harms one physically but injures one spiritually…it scars the soul…It is a system which forever stares the segregated in the face, saying “You are less than, you are not equal to” – Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
The quote above may seem like a really big expression in regards to a children’s book, you may wonder if it is really necessary. I believe that a great children’s book has the ability to allow us to discuss difficult but important topics with children in a way that is both developmentally appropriate but also incorporates the ability to catch a child’s attention.
Mixed – A Colourful Story, is able to tackle the very difficult concept of segregation in a way that children can relate to. We know that children have different personalities, loud, bold, quiet. We know that sometimes children speak to boost themselves up and we are equally aware that others will disagree. We know about colour mixing, that if we mix yellow with blue, we will get green. But, what some children may not know is that there are parts of society that do not believe in “mixing”, that think it is inherently wrong. They may not know that there are people who actively work to ensure that blues and reds never meet and certainly never fall in love and “breed”. With this book, we don’t have to talk directly about this dark topic but we can begin to build an idea of the “rightness” of inclusion, of diversity, of difference.
I would like to offer some questions to support critical thinking and conversation when reading this book with children:
How do you think the other colours may have felt when red says “Red’s are the best” and why do you think they said that?
If you had a friend who was a different colour from you and they lived in a different neighbourhood and perhaps you weren’t supposed to play with them, how would you feel about that and do you think that would be fair?
I wonder how you felt about the other colours “judging” the friendship between yellow and blue? Do you think those voices may make you think twice about being friends?
How do you feel about living in a community with all different types of people (or not)?
Link to book bookshop.org/a/104412/9781250142733
