Violet

As advertised

gift

perfect as described

Through the voices of talking animals, Alidis Vicente brings us a rhyming children’s book about prejudice and acceptance. Nancy Cote’s illustrations, founded on acrylic paintings and a pastel colors palette, supports the sympathetic approach of the story. This is the second collaboration between Vicente and Cote, and is one of those children’s books that uses animals to provide a voice of justice and a moral tale at the end.The story is set in the Galápagos Islands and is told from the perspective of those who have heard the tale about this place “where nature is untouched” and where two group of birds were “forced to pick a side.” Readers are immediately introduced to the biodiversity of the Galápagos Islands and how animals “ruled the land.” Violet was like no other animal that lived on those islands. She was a purple-footed booby, the offspring a blue-footed booby (father) and red-footed booby (mother), who grew up mingling with their own. Her parents defied their social roles and barriers and decided to start a family, thus a baby seabird named Violet was born. The new family returned to their hometown, where the news of a “mixed seabird” was taken as “horrific,” a disgrace, and a baby whose feet “shouldn’t be on land.” In the midst of this outrage, an old, wise tortoise interferes to bring sense to chaos and acknowledge that Violet is different, a descendant of a red-footed and blue-footed booby. Violet proceeds to show her skills, changing the mood and reception of fellow animals, providing actions for the tortoise’s final statement: “THIS makes the Galápagos complete.”Alidis Vicente uses the opportunity to talk about prejudice and differences and successfully moves beyond the tired “we are all the same” trope. Through a simple story, she challenges colorblindness and provides the characters of this narrative (and readers) the lens to acknowledge differences among their habitats (communities). It is then that communities should work to challenge, minimize and, finally, eradicate prejudice and oppression due to our differences. Although books with talking animals may hinder children in the understanding of social issues, adults can play a role in guiding children to situate what was discussed to their own lives and their surroundings