A young boy’s favorite time is painting his nails, using the colors that his Ma has in her “magical bottles” to express his feelings and reflect the world around him—blue like the swirling sky, purple of magic and mystery, white of endless possibilities. His father frowns and asks, “What have you done to your nails?” The boy wishes he could say that it “makes my hands look beautiful,” but can’t quite find the words. He feels “hot in my head” and paints his nails red to match.
His mother and Dadaji (grandfather) support him, however, and Dadaji tells him, “You’re my colorful child.” When Dadaji hugs him, the boy paints his nails “a sweetest pink.”
On some days, though, the boy “feels everything at once”—sadness, anger, and happiness—and paints his nails all the colors of the rainbow. The last scene shows him raising his rainbow hands to the sky, in the company of his mother, grandfather, a sibling, and even his father. We don’t know whether the father has fully accepted the boy’s nail painting, but we sense that he may be moving in that direction.
While I wish the entire family was supportive from the start, the book’s message is overall positive. with lyrical text and colorful, textured images. The entire family is South Asian.
