In the summer of 2017 protests and clashes broke out in Charlottesville over the assembly of white-nationalist supporters. It was difficult to explain the growing divisions in our country to other adults let alone to our children.

Stephen Lum (illustrator extraordinaire) and I wanted to take action. We created Color Outside the Lines, a children’s book that helps two confused generations talk to one another about inclusivity. Here’s a little synopsis and some of my favorite pages.

In a world where everyone lives among their own color, Amber has never left her yellow town. Until one day, she meets Peri, a little blue boy from the blue town. The moment he sees the sun, he knows that it belongs in the blue sky from his home. But Amber, terrified of changing the status quo, needs some convincing. So Peri embarks on a journey through all of the color towns, and with the help of his new friends, he brings all the colors together to build Amber a beautiful sunset.