Tania Duprey Stehlik, illustrated by Vanja Vuleta Jovanovic,
Violet
Second Story Press, 2009
Rating: A*
Violet is starting a new school, but is worried that she won’t have friends because she is, well, violet. When she discovers a myriad of other-coloured students in her new class, she is only somewhat reassured: "There were red kids, yellow kids, and blue kids…" But they all have red, yellow, and blue parents..
Mixed-ethnicity is explained to the reader through the vibrant skin colours of the characters, engagingly drawn by Jovanovic to reflect a world both interesting and yet subtly disturbing, much like Violet’s experience of school. Violet’s Dad is blue; her Mom is red; Violet is purple. The analogy is simple and effective. The only problem with the story is that it ends too soon. Once Violet realizes where her own unique colour comes from blue + red = purple - the reader would benefit from her perhaps meeting another child in similar circumstances: Hazel’s parents could be green and brown; Amber’s could be red and yellow… But the story ends abruptly with Violet’s realization of her uniqueness, which does not, I think, send a message of belonging as strongly as this very promising and imaginatively conceived story could.
Thematic Links: Mixed Ethnicity; Cross-Cultural Understanding; Self-identity; Social Awareness
Karyn Huenemann
Vol. 15, number 1
October 2009
*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented. |
Reviews from Resource Link, Canada
