Ben is a little boy who "loves painting his nails." Because he "loves his colorful nails" so much, Ben is perfectly happy to paint them anytime, with his family or with friend Margarita. That is, until two boys at school taunt him: " 'Painting your nails is for girls.' 'You're a girl! You're a girl!' " Ben feels sad even though, when he finally tells his parents about the jeers, his dad defends his choices. "I'm also a boy," he says, then asks Ben to hand him the orange polish. Even a beloved parent's support can't stop Ben's despair when the boys again make nasty remarks. Margarita tries to stop them, but the damage is done.
While his dad proudly shows off his painted nails, Ben wears polish only on the weekends, fearful "the kids at school [will] laugh at him again." When Ben's birthday comes around, though, he gets a big surprise: everyone in his classroom, teacher included, has painted their nails in "bright, cheerful colors... cheerful just like Ben."
Alicia Acosta and Luis Amavisca wrote ¡Vivan las uñas de colores! (one of few available books on gender identity issues in Spanish); Ben Dawlatly translated the book for the English-speaking audience. In exuberant illustrations, Gusti uses a strong, playful brown line and warm swathes of color to depict Ben's loving, contemporary family (along with adorable cat), his multiracial classroom and the streets of his city. While the text doesn't tell us how the ending comes about, it still highlights how loving family members, friends and educators can effect change. --Melinda Greenblatt, freelance book reviewer