Niki Bhatia

When I read the title Pink is Just a Color, and so is Blue, I knew I would enjoy this book. This lighthearted yet straightforward book tackles issues of gender, and that girls and boys should be able to do what they like, regardless of gender. I enjoyed the writing of this story a lot. The rhyming words made the text easy to understand for a young reader, as well as help them follow along to the story. Especially when it says, “ Mommy says pink is just a color and so is blue. Even Daddy likes pink shirts and pink ties too.” The illustrations are also a key feature of this story; each page is either filled with pink or blue. And the young boy is always doing an activity that he enjoys that is against that color scheme. For example on one page, the color is blue. However, the young boy is in pink and baking pies. I think that this really helps the reader understand that he isn’t doing something stereotypical for boys, but he is still happy and enjoying himself. I think the theme of this book is extremely important for children because it normalizes activities for all genders. If you’re a girl and like to play cops and robbers, that’s okay. If you’re a boy and you like to bake, that’s also okay. Children need to feel comfortable finding their interests without the pressure of gender roles, which is what this book strives to teach young kids.… (altro)