In His hands...multicultural book pick

I love picture books. Not all of them, but the good ones. Words that weave pictures, illustrations that capture the imagination, I appreciate these books more now than I ever did as a child. Don't show me anything created by Disney, Barbie, Dora...anything made from TV or movies. It's almost like literary abuse to allow these in print. 

My mom gave He's Got the Whole World in His Hands by Kadir Nelson to our kids years ago and it remains a favorite. We sing it instead of reading it, and although singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" can seem cliche at first, it becomes comforting. It has been versed as much as "Jesus Loves Me" and "the Lord's Prayer," but although we can sing and recite sans thought, the truth and value of the words is not negated.

Kadir Nelson's illustrations are so very beautiful--he "envisioned a multiethnic family, representative of the earth's diversity." It's quite obvious why this book has a permanent place on our shelves.

no more yellow and pink

I want my kids to love how God created them. They are beautiful, unique, and created in His image. When my girls draw pictures of themselves, I don't want them to have to use plain brown, black, yellow or pink to try and depict the beautiful pigment that they have. I LOVE THESE. I love the many varying shades and tints of browns.

beige
golden beige
terra cotta
tawny
sienna
mahogany
tan
bronze

I had my kids find their skin color, bronze, mahogany, and beige (or caramel, chocolate, and vanilla as they usually say...)

Thank you, Crayola!