How many children grow up conscious of how they look? From colourism to fatphobia and gender stereotyping, social conditioning takes its toll in children in different ways. Some time ago, I read Unfair with my book club, which addresses the same theme as Beautiful Leela. For older readers, another book on the same theme is No. 9 on the Shade Card. Even as I get set to read this one with ages 9 and 10, I wonder--will we ever reach a stage when the book is no longer relevant? I certainly hope so!Meanwhile, here's what we will do as we read. Book Discussion Before we begin, let's look at the cover. What do we notice about it? What do we think about the name?When we move into the book, we'll talk about it again. What kinds of discrimination do you know about? How does discrimination take place? Uncomfortable conversations often spark … [Read more...]