‘More than Peach’ by Bellen Woodard

When reading aloud during library storytime, I especially like sharing stories about children who are making a positive difference in the world around them. A great example of this is More than Peach, written by “crayon activist” Bellen Woodard and illustrated by Fanny Liem.

In More than Peach, young Bellen becomes uncomfortable when classmates refer to the peach-colored crayon — and ONLY the peach-colored crayon — as the “skin-color crayon.” What I especially like about this story is that while Bellen’s mother offers suggestions for resolving her discomfort, Bellen is the one who decides on her course of action: which is that every time someone asks her to pass them the “skin-color crayon,” she’ll ask them “what color they want … Because it can be any number of beautiful colors.” I hope that by reading aloud stories of young people making positive changes, youthful listeners will think of themselves as people who are capable of making a lasting impact.