Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

Fox has composed a simple refrain to celebrate human connections in this lovely picture book. "Little one, whoever you are," she explains, there are children all over the world who may look different, live in different homes and different climates, go to different schools, and speak in different tongues but all children love, smile, laugh, and cry.  Their joys, pain, and blood are the same, "whoever they are, wherever they are, all over the world."  Staub's oil paintings complement the simple text.  She uses bright matte colors for the landscapes and portraits, placing them in gold borders, set with jewels and molded from plaster and wood.  Within the covers of the book, the artist has created an art gallery that represents in color, shape, and texture, the full range of human experience.