Nainy, Mamta. Rainbow Hands. Jo Loring-Fisher, Illus. Picture Book. Lantana, 04/2022. [28]pp. $17.99. 978-1-913747-74-9. HIGH ADDITIONAL. GRADES PRE-2.
A little boy paints his fingernails with his mother’s nail polish to reflect his moods. For example, when he feels angry, “I paint my nails the color of fire ants. A FLAMING RED.” Although his Papa frowns, his Dadaji (grandpa) supports painting his nails. This story will help children who don’t always conform to expected gender roles and reflects an Indian family (the author lives in New Delhi). The softly colored, digital mixed-media illustrations show the family as Indian with the depiction of their clothing, but the background settings and cityscapes could be anywhere. The short sentences describing the individual colors are printed in that color while the rest of the text is in black.
Penny Peck, San Jose State Univ, iSchool