My Shadow is Pink by Scott Stuart

 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I wasn't planning on reviewing picture books, as my children have mostly aged out of them, but I had a friend ask for recommendations on books about self-acceptance for her first grader. I immediately thought of Scott Stuart's beautiful picture books, especially My Shadow is Pink.

I first discovered Scott Stuart on Instagram. With his son as inspiration, he shares messages of love and acceptance for children who may not fit gender and gender expression norms. I love his focus on kindness, so I did not hesitate buying his book (which has actually been made into a short film you can watch for free on You Tube).

This book teaches children about how unique each person is by descibing the colors of people's shadows. Not all boys' shadows are blue. Not all girls' are pink. And not only is that okay, it's beautiful! The main character of the story is a young boy with a pink shadow despite coming from a long line of men with blue ones. At first, the boy's dad thinks it is a phase his son is going through and that one day he'll grow out of it. Eventually, he recognizes that he's wrong - his boy's shadow is pink and he embraces the person his son truly is. He encourages his son to be himself and to remember that true friends love you for who you are, not who they think you should be. The boy ends up feeling more confident because he has the support and acceptance of his father. So, not only does the story offer a great lesson for children, but for adults, too!

It is such a sweet and beautiful story filled with adorable illustrations full of color and joy. I can't help but smile when reading this book to my kids.

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