What Color Is the Baby?

Harshini Vankenini, illustrated by Neha Rawat
What Color Is the Baby? A Celebration of Skin Tones
(Candlewick, April 2025)

Read the author interview in Kite Tales
Read the One on One interview about the book
Named to the 2026 Notable Social Studies Kids Books by The Children’s Book Council

A debut author takes a familiar loaded question, steeped in colorism, and turns it into one child’s openhearted celebration of her new baby sister.When Kundana meets her newborn sister, Kuku, she declares her the prettiest baby in the world. But as grandparents, aunts, and uncles welcome Kuku, all they want to know is what color she is. Is she a marigold like her sister? Or a white jasmine? As the family gazes at Kuku’s brown skin, big sister Kundana wonders why her family would care what color Kuku is—she’s beautiful! Inspired by first-time author Harshini Vankineni’s own experiences with colorism—the practice of treating people differently because of how dark or light their skin is—What Color Is the Baby? is a moving journey of a big sister finding a new and loving way to describe and defend her adored baby sister, while Neha Rawat’s warm illustrations delight with coziness and love of family.

Praise for What Color Is the Baby?
“A poignant story that brilliantly tackles the important topic of colorism. In this well-told narrative, we follow a little girl speaking up to defend her newborn baby sister from micro-prejudices in the extended family. Harshini Vankineni’s What Color Is the Baby? is a beautiful celebration of dark skin tones, adorable sibling love, and welcoming a baby home.” —Meera Sriram, author of A Garden in My Hands

“A tale of one sister’s unconditional love for her new baby sister that will pull at the heartstrings of all who read this poignant story.” —Patrice Karst, best-selling author of The Invisible String

“What Color Is the Baby? A Celebration of Skin Tones is essential reading, a book that flips and reshapes ideas of color and beauty and celebrates us for all that we are.” —Angie Cruz, author of Angélica and La Güira

“An extremely important book that teaches us that every shade and complexion is beautiful—a lesson that children innately understand.” —Nikkolas Smith, #1 New York Times best-selling illustrator of The 1619 Project: Born on the Water

Harshini Vankineni is a writer, and a perpetual student of literature and languages. She is an immigrant from India and lives in Southern California with two Light-bearers and a Rock, also known as children and husband.