Am I a Color Too? [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Heidi Cole (Author), Nancy Vogl (Author), Gerald Purnell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2005 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A young interracial boy wonders why people are labeled by the color of their skin. Seeing that people dream, feel, sing, smile and dance, regardless of their color, he asks, "Am I a color, too? When I think of all the people, All those faces in my sight, If people are really colors, There should be more than black and white." Gerald Purnell's captivating art brings this simple poem vibrantly to life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Heidi Cole and her mother Nancy Vogl collaborated on this poem as a way of honoring Heidi s son, Tyler. Nancy is the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Single Parent s Soul, also being released in 2005. Gerald Purnell sees his work as an expression of his love for God. Besides being a lot of fun, it brings me closer to my spiritual, intuitive self.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Illumination Arts Publishing Company (July 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974019054
• ISBN-13: 978-0974019055
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #989,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We're So Much More Than Melanin, October 28, 2005

By 

Janet Boyer "Author, Blogger, Mystic" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Am I a Color Too? (Hardcover)

"When I think of all the people, all those faces in my sight, if people are really colors, there should be more than black and white." - From the book

Am I A Color Too? is a richly illustrated book geared to children ages 4-8. Written by mother/daughter team Heidi Cole and Nancy Vogl-with shimmering, vibrant illustrations by Gerald Purnell-this timely book addresses the concept of race and looking beyond the surface.

The main character, Tyler, is a young interracial boy who wonders why people are labeled by the color of their skin. Realizing that all people dream, feel, sing, smile and dance-regardless of their color-he asks, "Am I a color, too?"

Saying that he'd "like to find a word that fits me a like a shoe", the poignant illustration shows him amidst boxes labeled "White", "Other", "Bi-Racial", "Mulatto", "Black", and "Mixed". Smiling, he has opened a box labeled "Human Being", where rainbow-colored shoes set before him.

Highlighting that he's "a person just like you", he conveys that he's not a color at all. In fact, who we are as people is so much deeper than superficial melanin.

My son really enjoyed this book but I have one misgiving: in our house, we never mention color. It's irrelevant to us. A few weeks ago, we went to a restaurant and upon seeing a family of African Americans, he marveled "Look! Brown bodies!" I answered "Yes!...and aren't they beautiful?" (We live in a rural, predominately white county so I think it surprised him.)

After reading this book, though, he now says, "Mommy, you're white like the clouds!" This bothers me because I don't want him to differentiate color. Maybe this is an unnecessary worry, especially since he loves all people.

However, for children of mixed races or children who encounter different ethnicities, this is a wonderful book emphasizing how we are all alike inside-sharing dreams, song, and smiles-and that people are unique individuals, not a color.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars more than skin deep!, November 7, 2005

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Am I a Color Too? (Hardcover)

Rebeccasreads highly recommends AM I A COLOR TOO? as a big picture book, superbly illustrated by Gerald Purnell, on a touchy subject: how to explain the "race" of children borne of "mixed" parentage, when "Other" seems so dismissive.

Here, young Tyler wonders why we focus on the color of our skin rather than the person inside. Through his eyes we explore the common labels of Black & White, & if we come in, see, smile, sing, dance in all colors of the rainbow, why do we separate people, like shoe boxes, into only two?

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Ethnic Primer, February 10, 2010

By 

Diana Rohini LaVigne "Online Editor, Indianl... (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Am I a Color Too? (Hardcover)

Reaching beyond the response to color, Am I a Color Too? explores the concept of being colorblind with effective results. Heidi Cole and Nancy Vogl carefully crafted a message that didn't just show the differences in color of skin, hair, eyes but attempts to devalue its importance.

This wonderfully illustrated book for children encourages young readers to look beyond those things which are skin deep. Also, it shows the often common confusion a multi-raced child might experience without a label that truly defines who they are. It acknowledges the child's frustration but moves the readers to go to the next level of being `ok' with not having this cut and dry description of their ethnic background. It creates a cultural safe haven for kids.

Although I know many multi-ethnic families will find inspiration in this book, I highly encourage all families regardless of their heritage to consider reading this cultural primer. Cultural understanding of ethnic diversity must be achieved by all children, not just children who find themselves in a diverse household. Am I a Color Too? is a delight to read and will be important to add to a child's library.