An affirming book about being confident in oneself.
A young child asserts:
Sometimes I stand out in a crowd.
Sometimes I am not seen at all, and I feel alone.
I start to ask myself, why can’t I blend in? Fit the mold?
But when I stop and look, I see nothing in this world is exactly the same.
The child, who is never gendered, goes on to say that they are grateful for their hair, skin, size, and body; that they embraces their imperfections, and dance to their own rhythm. They can also be a role model for someone “who is afraid to show their true colors”—and we see the child reaching out a hand to another child in a pink sweater and a fluff of aqua-colored hair. We later see the two of them dancing together as the first child talks about deciding what is meaningful to them—and we see them hugging as the child says, “I can love anyone I choose, fully and completely, with all my heart.
The child goes on to speak about the uniqueness of every creature, the importance of connection and community, and the need to surround oneself with love and support. It’s okay if not everyone understands them, they say, because they love themself.
While there’s a clear pedagogic intent here, it is presented so sweetly and affirmingly, from the child’s first-person perspective, that it feels like a love letter to oneself rather than a lesson.
The protagonist reads as Black; the other has tan skin. I have used “they” pronouns for both, although only the second child is ever referred to with a pronoun. Since it feels that the first child is helping them to come out, it seems likely the first child is nonbinary as well, although they could also be read as a gender creative boy. I have tagged this book with multiple identities so that people seeking such representation can evaluate it for themselves and see what resonates.
