Mixed Me!

Gr 2–5—A little boy with wildly curly hair navigates the social terrain of being a biracial child. Diggs's short, choppy, rhyming verses convey the busyness of a kid who likes "to go FAST!" All through his day he encounters people staring and asking questions. "See, my dad's a deep brown and my mom's rich cream and honey. Then people see me, and they look at us funny." Diggs very adeptly conveys the feelings a mixed child experiences and also brings a message of acceptance without being didactic. Evans's mixed-media watercolor and pencil illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this well-written, fun story of acceptance, friendship, and love. The text, colors, and design make this a good choice for read-alouds, but there are many details in the artwork (usually containing the word mixed or a synonym thereof) that make it good for one-on-one sharing.