Illustrated by Mercè López
4 stars
Ritu loves the sun, but her grandmother keeps telling her to come into the shade before her skin gets too dark. This confuses Ritu. Isn’t her skin beautiful? Ritu finally finds a way to tell her grandmother how she feels and show that brown skin is beautiful.
Lyrical and lovely. A nice story about family connection, open communication, breaking generational cycles, self love, and enjoying what you love.
The illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful. Love the movement and detail.
Great messages about loving your skin and not limiting your opportunities because of colorism.
Includes an Author’s Note at the end about Hossain’s real-life inspiration for the story based on her own interactions with her family as well as recipes for bhaji and roti.
A beautiful story of family, love, and a healthy relationship with the joy of the sun.