More and more, diverse stories are becoming the norm—disrupting the canon, beautifying the canon—and no longer a trend. A true re-imagination that reflects alternative narratives, allowing more children to see themselves reflected in the stories so prominently featured in stores and window fronts. 

There isn't a book on the market that captures the pain of colorism better that Lupita Nyong'o's SULWE. As a young girl struggles to come to terms with her beauty in a world that makes her feel anything but beautiful, we come to terms with the ugly ways in which we all have perpetuated beauty qualifications in ways that have exalted some and traumatized others. I'm so very impressed with how this picture book, gorgeously illustrated by the phenomenal Vashti Harrison, captures the essence of this issue while also championing the beauty of Blackness, especially in our young Black girls.