Guest Author - Eileen Brown

I'm a huge proponent of reading all kinds of multicultural children's books to kids from the time they are very young. When children read books containing images of people who look like them and have lives like theirs, it is a powerfully affirming experience. And when children are regularly exposed to books about people whose lives are in some ways different than their own, they learn early to be tolerant of others and curious about different lifestyles. There are a number of beautiful children's books about the Caribbean available today, and they make wonderful reading for you and your kids. "Hue Boy", by Rita Phillips Mitchell, is one of my favorites.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books

This book, written by Rita Phillips Mitchell, takes place in Belize, on the Caribbean Rim, and it tells a sweet story many kids can relate to. Hue Boy's dilemma is that he is smaller than the other children his age, and he and his mother are quite concerned about it. So Hue boy and his mother consult the authorities of their village to see what might be done to help Hue Boy grow. Hue boy eats plenty of fruits and vegetables in the hope that he'll get taller. His grandmother sews him new clothes, thinking they might give him more room to grow. A helpful neighbor suggests stretching exercises. His mother consults the wise woman of the village, who instructs Hue Boy to bathe with special herbs and the local doctor can find nothing wrong. Only Hue Boy's teacher believes he will grow soon enough, and when Hue Boy's father makes a surprising return home from sea, Hue Boy is so happy and proud that he "walks tall" and decides that he is just the right size after all.

Caroline Binch's beautifully painted illustrations in "Hue Boy" won the New York Times Best Illustrated Books Award and the lushly painted images within this book bring alive Mitchell's characters. The illustrations depict everyday life in Hue Boy's village in Belize and can facilitate meaningful dialogue with even the youngest of children about the differences in the ways people live.