The Color of Home

Hoffman, Mary, and Karin Littlewood. The Color of Home. New York: Phyllis Fogelman, 2002. Print.

The Color of Home is about Hassan, a Somali immigrant’s, first week in an American school.  He knows very little English and his new surroundings make him anxious.  His teacher encourages him to draw and he draws Somalia--the good and the bad. 
The first picture he draws is of people in his village and the natural beauty that surrounds it.  The second picture he draws involves soldiers coming to his family's house, killing his uncle and his family fleeing.  From there, they stay in a refugee camp and eventually fly to America to begin a new life.  After telling this story to the teacher and school interpreter, Hassan feels better and wants to draw a third picture.  The third picture is of a happy Somalia.  He begins to notice the new world around him is safe and full of color.  He feels at home and is content with the new chapter in his life in America. 

Looking at the readability lexiles, I found The Color of Home to be middle elementary for language.  Throughout the text there are simple words, with the exception of a few African words and names.  There are medium length sentences with pictures that broadly describe what the sentences explain.

Cognitively, I would place the book in the middle elementary level because the plot is fairly simple; Hassan and his family move to the U.S. and he struggles to fit in and feel welcome.  However, the story he tells about war in Somalia and the death of his uncle may have students asking why this occurred and how people could be so cruel.  This requires a teacher who can explain the differences in culture and the atrocities of war so the class can understand the story.

Socially, I would place the text in the upper elementary range because at this age students’ racial attitudes are developed.  Different race and culture is described in the book.  Students have no doubt noticed and probably discussed different races and cultures in their life.  This is a beneficial book because it tells Hassan's side of the story, one where Somalis are resilient and hopeful for the future. 

When examining the characteristics of high quality literature, I found common and believable problems students face, regardless of their culture.  The main character, Hassan, overcomes the trauma from his past by talking to the school interpreter about the events through art.  His family, the school and his ability to express his feelings help him overcome the trauma and longing for Somalia.  I believe fitting in, especially when you're new to a country or have lived in the same place your whole life, is a problem that students face.  I think this story is interesting to readers because they have probably seen someone wearing Somali/Eastern African clothes, heard a different language or wondered about the specifics of others who are immigrants to America.  Children are curious, especially when it concerns people of their age group. 

As the main character Hassan experiences emotions, but in a different way than many students may be used to.  He is quiet and introspective regardless of his emotions.  Most of his feelings are not outwardly visible unless he is drawing.

The setting the text occurs in two main places: Somalia (in Hassan’s memories) and America (in real life).  The Somali Civil War in the early 90's forced many people to be killed because of their ethnic group affiliation.  This resulted in many Somalis moving to the United States.  Hassan's flashback moments show the danger and uncertainty associated with that time period.  Hassan's ethnic group affiliation is not disclosed in the text.

The multi-level themes presented in the text were: love, family, war, culture, identity and fitting in.  All of these themes are present within Hassan.  He loves his family, Somalia and art; his family is his main support system, the war in Somalia is what caused him to live in America, his culture and identity are who he is, but is also what is his biggest challenge in America--there are very few similarities between Somalia and America.  As a result of this, he struggles to fit in but at the end of the book begins to connect with others and feel more comfortable in his new home.

After rereading The Color of Home I saw some higher thought processes being used, mainly learning through the text’s inferences.  Looking at Hassan’s drawing of life in Somalia, it is bright and colorful.  Later, when war comes to his village the colors of his pictures become black and dark red, like the night and blood.  In the book’s other pictures and the text itself I found no stereotypes.  At the school Hassan’s teacher and students are all welcoming and considerate to him.  His family and the school interpreter are also encouraging and supportive to him.

Looking at the text through an elementary student’s eyes I found that it was inspirational because of its multicultural message.  Hassan’s story encourages readers to get to know classmates from other cultures and realize they may be trying to adjust to being away from their home and in a new home.  The message of acceptance is prominent in the text.  The text does expand students’ understanding of the academic field by giving a cultural understanding of Somalia, but almost nothing historically based.  Although I wish there was a historical background on why Hassan left Somalia, I also realize it is a children’s book and going into details about war and death wouldn’t be appropriate.

When examining the literary elements I found characterization to be portrayed well.  Hassan and his thoughts are probably quite accurate of what an immigrant may feel upon arriving in his first day of school in a new country.  His thoughts put us in his shoes and see how his character interprets the new and often confusing world around him.  An early example of this is the sentence, “But the classroom didn’t feel like home to Hassan at all.  In his real home he had lessons outside from early in the morning until the sun got too hot at midday.  Here he had to stay indoors except at recess, when he shivered outside on the damp playground.”

Based on the above sentences, the text has an apparent setting as an antagonist literary element.  The description of Somalia (colorful, warm dangerous) and the description of America (cold, gray, safe but confusing) are how Hassan sees the two worlds he has been a part of. 

By the end of the book however, the theme of personal development rises to the top of the story.  After finding several universal means of communication and connectivity such as: art, soccer, colors, friends Hassan becomes more outgoing and comfortable in his new home. 

While reading through the text I could not ignore the illustrations.  They are simply fantastic.  Karin Littlewood, the illustrator, uses pencil and watercolor paint to create pictures with lots of vibrant colors.  The illustrations are made with almost careless strokes of watercolor but it is all within the lines of the images.  I have no idea how the effect was created but it added to the story by making it seem more lifelike. 

An idea I had for a mini lesson was a journal entry where each student writes about a time where he or she was in a new place or didn't know anybody.  They would have to describe the location, how they felt, what they did to feel better, and then imagine if they couldn't talk to anyone because they spoke a different language?  This would give the students an idea of how Hassan felt.  Also, the students could write about how would you interact with Hassan if he were in their classroom. 

I would place the target audience at middle elementary because of the long sentences, cultural differences and portrayal of the ruthlessness of war.