Toto by Hyewon Yum (ages 4-8)

My thoughts:  Written and illustrated with superb gentleness and grace, Toto breaks into the heart of a child's concern and need to be accepted for just what she is and not what she appears to be.

Graced with a red, facial birthmark from infancy this sweet little girl wonders if she is pretty, if people like her, and other worries. She has named her red birthmark "Toto." When she begins school her mother cuts bangs to help hide "Toto" not because it is offensive, but to allow the grace of time for acceptance of her difference.

In school she makes a friend and is so happy until one day "Toto" is discovered. The outcome is that it doesn't matter to her friend at all and is declared an asset.

A lovely book and I highly recommend it. You'll enjoy the sweet black and white illustrations for they simplistic style with bits of red mingled in.

About the book: A little girl is self-conscious about the birthmark on her forehead— until a new friend helps her see it in a whole new light.

This little girl doesn’t mind her birthmark, most of the time. She calls it Toto, and her mom calls it a kiss from an angel. But sometimes, it feels like people look so hard at Toto they forget to see her. So when it’s time to start school, her mom cuts her bangs to cover Toto up, at least for a little while.

At school, she makes a new best friend right away! But then Toto accidentally comes out of hiding. Will her new friend see her differently with Toto in the picture? And does different have to be bad?

Award-winning creator Hyewon Yum’s knack for the adorable is at full power in Toto. This warm and vulnerable story grapples with the pressure we feel to blend in, and celebrates the moments—and the friends—that remind us how much better it is to be our full and singular selves.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher Holiday House Books to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.