Bryson Sees Gray

Here’s a wonderful book about colorblindness and seeing the world in your own unique way!

Bryson Sees Gray by Miranda P. Baboolal follows Bryson, a young boy with colorblindness. During art class he realizes that he truly experiences colors differently than his classmates. To him, it looks just right. But when the other children laugh and tell him he colored it “wrong,” Bryson feels confused and hurt.

What follows is a tender exploration of misunderstanding, identity, and the emotional impact of being singled out for something you can’t change. His mother offers kindness and reassurance to him… before long he’s able to accept his colorblindness and once his classmates understood why he colors like that, they stopped laughing at him.

I love the concept and the topic is rarely seen in children’s books. It’s great for classrooms and obviously a “must have” for anyone with a child dealing with colorblindness. The illustrations are great and I love the message about empathy, acceptance and how we don’t all see the world the same way. It’s definitely an interesting classroom conversation starter and introduction to colorblindness.

If you’re looking for a great book about treating others with kindness and understanding, this is a wonderful choice.

Forlorn Corn

Here’s a great book about a lonely little corn who sets off in search of friendship and discovers the magic of words along the way.

Forlorn Corn by Brandi Mays features a lonely young corn. Day after day, he sits on his stalk, wishing he had friends to talk and play with. He notices a garden off in the distance and decides to check it out. Forlorn Corn decides to leap from his stalk and take a brave journey into the unknown.

When Forlorn Corn finally reaches the garden, he’s overwhelmed by the dazzling sight of tomatoes, peppers, and carrots laughing and playing together. Though he hesitates, unsure if he belongs, the vegetables welcome him warmly, and his loneliness begins to fade. The book closes with Forlorn Corn standing at the edge of a new beginning, his loneliness lifting as he finds newfound friends to lift his spirits from that day forward.

We read this with the third graders, and I have to say that this is one of my new favorite books. The illustrations are amazing, the writing is all in rhyme and flows very well. As a teacher, I was delighted to see the emphasis on vocabulary and how it is presented in a very natural way throughout the story. In the back, there is a glossary with all the words that are underlined throughout the story, and I found them to be perfect for this age group.

We read it once and then went back through, focusing on each of the words as they came up. We wrote the word down on the board, and I explained the meaning… we wrote that down as well. The kids really enjoyed the book and had a chance to learn some new vocabulary. I’ve incorporated these words into their weekly spelling test, which is fantastic.

I’ll definitely be recommending this book to my fellow teachers. I can’t recommend it enough… if you’re looking for a new addition to your children’s book collection, this one’s a top choice for sure!

Forlorn Corn