More than peach Changing the world ... one crayon at a time!

Gr 1--3--Middle schooler Bellen Woodard, President of Bellen's More than Peach Project, shares the inspirational story behind her decision to advocate for positive change that will ensure every skin color is seen as treasured and worthy of representation, including in such everyday tools as crayons. Woodard describes how she felt spurred to confront the presumption that the peach crayon means the "skin color" crayon by using purposeful conversation to grow everyone's perception into a more inclusive awareness. Woodard's call for equal, responsible appreciation for how "skin tones can be any number of beautiful colors" transformed conversations inside her school and continues to spread throughout her community and beyond, including her project's development of multicultural crayons and colored pencils, all labeled "skin-color." Liem's illustrations reflect the essentiality for Woodard's empathetic leadership and her global cause by filling the pages with happy, diverse characters, detailed with crayon-like textures set in recognizable scene elements. In the back matter, which younger readers may need help interpreting, Woodard encourages children to pursue their own agency and set up a drive for support. VERDICT Wise and heartfelt, Woodard's story speaks to young activists who wish for positive change by expressing the roots of her own mission to inspire empathy and product inclusion for a better world.--Rachel Mulligan

A Black girl's simple observation propels her into activism. Woodard, who launched the "More Than Peach" project--which arranges for classrooms and children in need to receive kits that include art supplies and boxes of Crayola's multicultural crayons (crayons in a variety of skin tones)--relates the incident that sparked her journey. As the book begins, she is dropped off at school and notices that her family's skin tone differs from that of her classmates. While it is clear that she is one of a few children of color at school, that difference isn't really felt until her friends start asking for the "skin-color" crayon when they mean peach. She's bothered that no one else seems to notice that skin comes in many colors, so she devises a unique way of bringing everyone's attention to that fact. With support from her family and her school, she encourages her fellow classmates to rethink their language and starts an initiative to ensure that everyone's skin tone is represented in each crayon box. Appealing, realistic artwork depicts Woodard's experiences, while endpapers feature "More Than Peach" crayon boxes and childlike illustrations of kids of different ethnicities doing various activities. The story is stirring and will motivate budding activists. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An inspirational look at one girl's quest to make sure that all skin tones are visible and available in the classroom. (note from Woodard, information on Woodard's journey into activism, instructions on starting a drive) (Picture-book biography. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.