Multicultural Books

Skin Again by Bell Hooks, Illustrated by Chris Raschka

Hooks, B. (2004). Skin Again. New York: Jump At The Sun.

ISBN # 978-0786808250

Skin Again is a book about race, it describes all the different colours of skin and how skin is irrelevant to who you are inside. To get to know who someone is you have to open your heart and let them in. What is on the outside doesn’t make up who you are, it is what is inside that makes up your personality and all of your life experiences and memories. It is a book about learning to cherish the person inside of us not the skin on the outside. It tells how the color of your skin can tell a little about you but not who you truly are.

This book is great for three to five year olds because of the way it describes such a complicated matter like racism in such a simple loving way. The text is short and sweet but sends a really strong message.

The illustrations in this book are done with a mix of neutral and bright coloured paints in large brush strokes. Many of the pages have a mosaic look to them with small square shape images grouped together. The children’s skin is done all sorts of colours, light browns to dark browns, blues, and pinks. On every page there are discrete little pictures of snakes and onions used as metaphors to represent the many layers that make up a person.

Provocations and Background

To provoke children to this book I would cut an onion in half and leave it on top of a table in the middle of the classroom. Children would examine this onion and see all the layers it is made up of.

Presenting the Story

With a Prop

One way to tell this story would be to have a Russian doll, the type that is made up of all the smaller and smaller dolls inside. As the teacher reads the story they can slowly start adding larger dolls on to the smaller dolls. At the end of the story you can show the children all of the different dolls inside and how there are more inside the doll than just the doll on the outside. Instead of using the dolls you could also use an onion that has been cut in half. As the story develops you would peel off the layers of the onion. After the story you would show what is left of the onion, which would be the heart of a human

Class book

Another way teachers could tell this story is to make up a class book of all the students. Each page would have children’s photos on them, you could personalise the story by adding the children’s names to the text. It would be a great addition for the class book shelf or to do at the beginning of the school year when children are still learning classmates names.

Class Song

Get the class to stand in a big open circle to read this story all together. Hand actions can be added throughout the story, for example when, “You have got to come inside and open your heart way wide” the class would put their hands against their chest to represent coming inside, and then pretend to open a door, point to the heart, and then stretch their arms as wide as they can go!

Places to stop and wonder with the children:

After the book is finished would be the best time to reflect back at how it made the class feel and to ask children what they are thinking.

Extensions

Wall Mural

A possibility for an extension that leads out of this book is to make a big wall mural out of tiles which children have painted different people on. For this you would need thick paper, and paints to decorate the squares and tape or staples to put the images up. Before the images are hung teachers could make a grid on the wall so all of the pieces will have a spot to go and will fit properly together. Each child would be given a tile or square piece of paper to draw any type of person they wish. After everyone has completed their square the class would put all the pieces together on the wall. In the middle of the mural you could put different imagines such as an onion or a heart

Discussion

This book leaves you with a very warm feeling inside and in a perfect mood for sharing stories with your friends. Teachers could lead a discussion about where children are from, and invite children to share stories from their, past, present and future. After the children have discussed in a circle, they can draw pictures of some of their favourite memories from their past, present or future.

Box Treasures Craft

Teachers would gather little boxes for the children all in the same size and shape. Children would choose one color to paint the outside of their box or to make it an easier start all boxes could be painted in a couple different colours ahead of time.  For the inside of the box children would make up bracelets with beads that represent different facts about them. For example a blue bead if they have a pet or a pink bed if they like ice cream, another blue bead if they like to play sports. They can string them to make a bracelet to wear. The questions could be of any sort, but at the end the idea is to have their boxes in various colours to represent colours of skin, and their bracelets that are all the same colours but all different to represent how they are the same but all unique! All the boxes are different colours but hold the same treasures inside