Children notice EVERYTHING.  This characteristic combined with the fact that they are COMPLETELY HONEST and uncensored means they will say whatever comes to mind.  This can make for some interesting and awkwardly endearing moments.  Children between the ages of 3-6 have not yet learned how to formulate cultural bias.  Children learn to mimic behavior. Every child is different, but most begin to develop the vocabulary to talk about the observations they make around the age of 3. Children are incredibly adept at noticing contrast as well as similarities. 

Our children’s book is created specifically for children in this age group for this very reason.  We feel it is important to speak to children about these ideas in a healthy way at a young age.  We suspect that children socialized in the context of diversity are more likely to feel comfortable in a multi-cultural setting.  It is quite normal, and perhaps a bit embarrassing, for a child, confident in their newly acquired skills of perception, to point at a person on the street and say quite loudly, “That man is brown.”  Our children’s book encourages people to embrace this opportunity.  We might respond by saying, “That’s right.  People come in all different colors.  Isn’t that great.” 

The tendency for many people is to avoid the subject and try not to talk about it.  We feel this could send the message that there is something wrong with difference.  Children’s observations at this age are a natural extension of their inherent desire to explore the richness of life all around them conceptually and verbally. We feel it is important for children to learn about diversity in a healthy way before society exposes them to negative views of race.  Talking about differences in an affirming way can empower children to feel proud about themselves while simultaneously teaching them to see the beauty in others.