This is such a sweet little display of accepting people and treating people kindly. I would love to get this book for my library!

Thank you to Partner Netgalley for sharing an e-book copy of this uplifting children's book, Who is My Neighbor? by Amy-Jill Levine and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, illustrated by Denise Turu.

This is a touching story about the Blues and the Yellows, two groups who are homogenous and a bit xenophobic and prone to bias against the other group until the unlikely mixing of a Yellow (Lemon) and a Blue (Midnight Blue). Lemon and Midnight Blue discover that despite everything they have been told by their neighbors in their respective color groups, things are not what they appear.

When Midnight Blue gets hurt and gets help from Lemon (after being ignored by two members of his Blue group), he discovers that the Yellow world is one of kindness and compassion that is totally different from the way Yellows had been described to him by his Blue community. Lemon, who takes Midnight Blue to her doctor and shares her snack, discovers that Midnight Blue is also kind and gracious. After their encounter, Lemon and Midnight Blue become and remain friends. Seeing them together teaches the neighborhoods that their biases and stereotypes are all wrong, and the two communities change their ways to come together.
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This is a sweet, hopeful story that very clearly parallels real life struggles that people have as they encounter others who are different from them (or avoid those others simply because of ignorance and fear). I read it with my four year old, who loved it because of the way that Lemon helped Midnight Blue and because of the way they all came together in the end. She quickly drew connections to skin color and languages, and she mentioned the prejudice that we've read about in other books and how wrong that is.

​This is a great children's book with an important message about acceptance and compassion and not accepting that things have to be the way they have always been.

Blues know there is no such thing as a good Yellow, and Yellows know there is no such thing as a good Blue. They are just too different!

When Midnight Blue takes a tumble on his bike, he’s sure another blue will help him. After Navy and Powder Blue pass by like they don’t even see him, Midnight is shocked. But Midnight is more shocked when lemon--a yellow-- does stop. Through Lemon’s kind act, Midnight and Yellow come to realize that even though Blues and Yellows are different, that doesn’t mean they can’t be friends. They spread their message of acceptance to others, and Blues and Yellows find that they can make new friends and help one another.

Who Is My Neighbor? is a child-accessible retelling of the “Good Samaritan” parable. Kids will quickly pick up on the main messages of the book about helping those in need and accepting others even if they are different than you.

This is a simple, secular retelling of the parable of The Good Samaritan. If you are interesting in learning about he biblical parable, there is information at the back of the book, but this book is not religious, it teaches morals. The question, "Who is my neighbor?" The answer, "You are!"

This book can be used when tackling racism and bigotry with children. It is easy to understand for children. The Blues live in one town, and the Yellows live in another. They are both taught that the other is bad and they should stay away from them. When an accident happens to Midnight Blue, other blues hurry by and do not help him. Who does stop and help?, Lemon Yellow. He takes him to a yellow doctor and they share blue and yellow food with one another. They realize that the other is not so bad afterall, and they all mingle and become friendly neighbors in the end. This was a creative story with everything dealing with the Blues coloured blue such as their food and items in the town and the Yellows have all yellow things. The illustrations are cute showing different shades of colour and shapes. There are even shapes in wheelchairs. A wonderful book for use in a classroom or home where racism or bullying might be happening. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

#Who Is My Neighbor? #NetGalley

The question, "Who is my neighbor?" The answer, "You are!" This parable can and should always be reinforced in school, at play, in small or large groups. Just because we are different, doesn't mean that we can't be neighbors and friends.

A wonderful book for today's children, tackling racism/sexism/bigotry/etc. in an easy to understand way for children to appreciate. The Blues live in one town, and the Yellows live in another, and they are both taught that the other is bad. But when an accident happens to Midnight Blue, who's there to help him but Lemon Yellow! And they realize that the other is not so bad afterall, and they all mingle and become friendly neighbors in the end. I loved the creativity with making everything in Blue Town blue (they eat blueberries and blue cheese, and have blue jays and blue butterflies) and everything in Yellow Town yellow (they eat bananas and butterscotch, and have goldfinches).

(As a non-religious person, I did appreciate the afterward that detailed the Biblical Good Samaritan story that this book is based upon - it goes to show that you can easily teach morals without the heavy-handed religious overtones!)

This book is an allegory for race relations. One race is blue, the other yellow. The message is know your neighbor. Don’t judge by its colors but by its actions. Your normal neighbors may not help in the time of need. It might be someone you were always taught was lesser than you, that ends up being the help and the friend you need.

Cute and clear little book that shows the story of the Good Samaritan in a way that children can understand. This story is still necessary, over 2,000 years later. Sad, but glad that it is still being told and seen as important to pass on to the next generation.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because it is an important story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

What a sweet book for children to learn how to see themselves and other people around them! In a world where blue and yellow don't mix, an act of kindness starts a new friendship. This a lovely book that can lead to wonderful conversations with your children or students.

This colorful book covers a serious topic in a relatable way for young and older readers. I liked the educational aspect of teaching different shades of blues and yellows and even associating the colors with creatures and objects. The message related to the Biblical parable (Luke 10:30-37) has enough familiarity to delight those who know the passage. This could be read and shared from a Christian perspective or as a title about the need for kindness around the world.

I received a copy of this book by the publisher through Netgalley.com.
My reviews for and opinions to authors, publishers, and review sources are my own and not related to my employer.

Based on the parable of "The Good Samaritan" from The Gospel of Luke, the story asks us to follow Christ's teaching to 'love thy neighbor as thyself'. Rather than use the traditional story of the hurt traveler ignored by a priest and a Levite and helped by a Samaritan, the writer uses abstract beings of "blue" and "yellow" to illustrate the meaning. It's an old story using modern day, make-believe people to convey its importance. Beautiful, bright colors will engage children's minds and help teach them the oh, so important message of kindness. #WhoIsMyNeighbor #NetGalley

Cute re-telling of the parable of the Good Samaritan! I thought it was a good illustration to make the parable easy for children to understand. Children will not understand the difference in Samaritans in Jews as well as they understand the difference in Yellow and Blue. I liked that it was a difference in color because it is at its core a parable meant to dissuade racism. It was meant to convey that every person is our neighbor and therefore the command to love our neighbor means love everybody - no matter their nationality. This book really breaks down the message of the parable and makes it easy for children to understand. My four year old enjoyed it as well!

This book is a retelling of the Good Samaritan story. Who Is My Neighbor was a great way to share this parable with younger kids in an engaging and accessible way. The illustrations were lively and well done and our children found them to be one of their favorite parts of this story.

It was a great reminder about how just because someone is "like you" doesn't always mean they are the kindest people. It also does a great job of introducing the topics of prejudice and diversity and that just because someone may look or act differently than you, doesn't mean they aren't a good person. It was a great example of how our differences may make us unique but they also connect us and we are better when we work together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Blues live on one side of the town and the Yellows live on the other and they don't ever get together because that is always the way it has been. No one knows how this all began or tries to change at the rules so the segregation tradition holds steady. Blues and Yellows don't ever mix... end of discussion... period!

One day Midnight Blue is cruising along on his blue bike and loses his balance. He takes a nasty tumble injuring himself. He desperately needs help. Along comes his friends ( or so he thought were his friends ) Navy and Powder Blue, both his neighbours, but they never stop to help him. Why? Why wouldn't they aid their dear blue friend who is in trouble? Midnight Blue says:

"Neither Navy nor Power Blue is true blue." What an accusation to make!

They both quickly run away from Midnight Blue ignoring his plea for help. Whatever can he do alone, abandoned, and hurting?

Lemon Yellow, depicted as a sweet warm fuzzy, happens along and the barriers that separate the Blues and Yellows are about to change their lives permanently because of her brave, kind actions towards Midnight Blue! The authors include a note for both parents and educators at the back of the book that give a deeper understanding of the story's meaning. This is a very relevant book for today as it encourages acceptance, kindness, friendship and love. " Love thy neighbour as thyself" the Bible states and this is exactly what the Blues and Yellows did... and the barrier walls came tumbling down. I highly recommend this book.

Probably more a 3 1/2, this was kind of a sweet recharacterization of Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, and it worked. Younger children will not misunderstand the meaning of the tale if they can stay focused on the story. Using shapes instead of people was not as much a draw for me, nor do I think it will keep the children engaged. I really like the idea, and it has possibility.

This is a nice book that helps encourage readers to judge people on their character instead of how they look or how different they are from you. It has a good message and I really like that it shows that sometimes people who are your "neighbors" and are similar to you aren't necessarily the best or kindest people.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.
Loosely based on the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Blues and the Yellows do not associate with each other. Each thinks they are better than their neighbors - think Star-bellied Sneeches from Seuss. One day Midnight Blue gets bumped off his bike and injured. Two other Blues come by and ignore him as they don't want to get involved. Lemon comes by and not only stops to help but takes him to her doctor. They each discover that they have more in common than different.
Use with younger children/elementary level readers to talk about how many ways we're alike and helping each other.
The illustrations reflect many shade of the two colors and bring the two worlds to life - side by side on some spreads. The touches of green on each page are subtle reminders about blending and getting along. The character expressions help readers decipher the story as well.
Levine tells the story using relatable text for younger readers.

Ironically one part I loved best was the world creation of the blue world and the yellows world (the matching colors of foods they ate and plants they planted, their color-aligned names.. all of that was actually pretty delightful to me even though I understand that is not the point of this book).

This idea has now been done quite a number of times so its hard not to compare or consider which one of these color stories is one of the better ones. The story in this one didn’t do much for me and the ending wrapped up a bit quick and without any additional bumps or conflict... I did sort of like how the focus of the story was really about being a good neighbor, which was slightly different spin than some of the other color books.

But did I mention that the world creation when everyone was segregated was actually quite lovely and cute? I’m cracking myself up about the fact that I liked that best.. Anyways. I suppose if you haven’t seen one of these inter-color relationship books out there yet this one might be sweet to you. I think as a multi-ethnic human and a person who reads loads of kids books maybe my standards are a bit on the high side, 2.5 for me.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an honest review in exchange for an ARC.

A sweet little book about embracing differences. This will help young readers understand that someone who is different doesn't mean they are scary or mean.

This cute retelling of the tale of the Good Samaritan recreates the story with objects of two different colors. The Blues never interact with the Yellows, and the Yellows never interact with the Blues. One day, due to an unfortunate (or perhaps fortunate) accident, all of that changes. This story is appropriate for young readers Pre-K through grade 2, and would be a valuable addition to any elementary or children's library collection.