I Love the Skin I'm In

  

The story I Love the Skin I'm in is written by Mayma Rapheal

 and illustrated by Haily Cryan. This story is 

intended for young children ages 3-8 and was published in 2012.

Mayma Rapheal, a young mother wanted to create this book to better

help her own daughter in understanding about the many different

colors of her friends. After her 3 year old daughter came to her

asking questions about why her skin was not the same as her friends.

Mayma set out to explain and give her daughter a better understanding.

Unfortunately she wasn't able to fully fulfill her daughter's curiosity and

decided to write an publish her own book, to better give young children

and answer. 

The story is colorfully illustrated and captures young reader eyes,

and in turns opens their eyes to the world and colors around them.
The illustrators use of pastel colors throughout brings an intensity
to the drawings within. The saturation of bright colors really draws
your eyes into this interesting and inquisitive adventure all about
loving the skin your in and your friends around you.  

Little Ruby and her mother engage readers by capturing and 

answering their questions about the many different skin colors.

This story gives readers a simplified version of how to answer 

some of those awkward questions about the world around us. 

While also teaching them to love themselves and everyone

around them.

This is a great book to help teach and show children that everyone

is different, but we are all the same inside and should respect each other
 for that. The artwork illustrated in the story keeps children engaged and the
content helps them to understand that differences are ok. Teachers will
appreciate the lesson taught within this book about multicultural diversity on

some, sometimes uneasy subjects. This book helps evoke answers

to questions many of our young readers. 

Discussion Provoking Questions:

•  Do you believe that the color of our skin makes us who we are? 
• Can you imagine a time when because of the color of your skin you couldn't sit by, or be friends with someone? How would that make you feel?
• What similarities did you notice about the children throughout the story?
• What differences did you notice about the children?
• Do you think that we should love and respect everyone no matter what their skin color is?
• When you think about skin color, what do you think?

Motivational Activity:

• First show the children an array of apples in different sizes and colors. Have the children make inferences about what they think they will find inside of each apple (Ie. brown, white, green, red). After have the children make a chart on which apples they think will be what color inside. Take the apples and and cut cross ways, so each apple makes a star shape inside. Show the children that no matter what color, shape, or size we are. We are all the same inside and inside all of us is a star!

 Raphael, M., & Cryan, H. (2012). I love the skin i'm in. Yorktown Heights, NY: Mom Pub.