Skin we are in

When we meet someone, one of the things we notice is the colour of their skin. But what can someone’s skin colour tell us about them? Despite what some people say, your skin means very little! Inside we’re all the same. Join Njabulo, Aisha, Tim, Chris and Roshni as they discover why humans have different skins, and how people’s thinking about skin colour has changed throughout history. Skin we are in is a celebration of the glorious human rainbow. One of South Africa’s best-selling authors, Sindiwe Magona, has teamed up with well-known American anthropologist, Nina G. Jablonski, and award-winning illustrator Lynn Fellman to create a much-needed book about race and skin colour – for children. Magona has written the story of five young friends as they explore and discuss the skin they are in. The scientific narrative, written by Jablonski, expands and supports the conversation topics generated by the children's adventure, as eye-catching illustrations and informative graphics, drawn by Fellman, keep young readers intrigued and entertained. "The book is a testament to the inspiration, vision, and conviction of dozens of people, who created, edited, reviewed, and promoted it because they knew that the children of South Africa and the world needed it," says Jablonski. Sindiwe Magona has written over 120 children's books in her lifetime and was awarded the Order of Okhamanga in 2011. She is currently a Writer-in-Residence at the University of the Western Cape as she continues her work as a writer, editor, translator and mentor to many of South Africa's best emerging writers. Nina G. Jablonski is an anthropologist, paleontologist, and science educator. She studies and writes about human and primate evolution, and is especially interested in how skin and skin colour have evolved and influenced human life and societies. She conducts research and lectures in many countries, including South Africa, where she is a Permanent Fellow of the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). Lynn Fellman is a multimedia artist and science communicator. She is an Artist-in-Residence at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and a Fulbright Senior Scholar who studies, draws, paints, and lectures about the wonder and beauty of biological science. Her work shows the many layers of connections between people alive today and their ancient ancestors.