IntersectionAllies is a brief but poignant masterclass on issues of race, gender and identity among other things. IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All by Chelsea Johnson, LaToya Council, and Carolyn Choi and illustrated by Ashley Seil Smith There can be no reductive answer to where we come from, for we are much more than that. The book handles delicate themes such as identity and fitting into society by refusing to pigeonhole it. The young protagonist then reaches out to her Abuelo for a simple answer, like the name of a place perhaps? Instead, she learns about her rich heritage, the land of her ancestors and the love that gave birth to her. When people relentlessly start posing questions about where her parents are from and where she really is from, she says, “I’m from here, from today, same as everyone else.” Her answer doesn’t satisfy them. What starts off with a seemingly innocuous question, “Where am I from?” leads to a heartwarming journey of discovery. This beautiful book, in which we are witness to a conversation between a little girl and her Abuelo, is a meditation on love, acceptance and finding our place in the world. What can be more wonderful for a five-year-old than to discover the world around them by embracing its beauty in every imaginable shape, size, color, and smell? Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Méndez and illustrated by Jaime Kim She lets the words soar high, unbridled, into a realm throbbing with possibilities, a realm free of prejudice, straitjackets. Hong’s illustrations liberate these words, unshackles them. If you think of a giraffe when someone says, “big,” and a mouse when someone says, “small,” you are in for a delightful surprise. Tall, short, black, white, sporty, graceful-toss out all the deep-seated biases, stereotypes or cliches you may have associated with these words, for Lovely turns every idea on its head. How lovely it is to look at the world through Jess Hong’s untainted Lovely lens.
From learning to love your unique name to bonding with someone different from you, here are five picture books that show us how to build a truly inclusive society.
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