You Are My Yellow follows Tony, a yellow monster living in the very green Land Green, where being different makes him feel lonely and unwanted. After trying to hide who he is, Tony meets Penny, a small red dragon who also feels out of place because she can’t fly or breathe fire like the others. Their friendship becomes the heart of the story, and when danger strikes Tony’s school, Penny discovers that the very thing she thought made her “bad” at being a dragon is actually what helps her save the day.

I found the emotional core of this book genuinely touching. I’m like stories that give children language for that awful little ache of feeling excluded, and Tony’s sadness felt easy to understand without being too heavy. The message is clear, and I appreciated that the book doesn’t just say “be yourself” and leave it there. It shows how hard that can be when everyone around you seems to agree that different means wrong.

The writing has a bouncy, rhyming rhythm that gives the story a playful read-aloud quality, though there are moments when the rhyme takes over and makes the wording feel a bit crowded. Still, there’s warmth in the repetition, especially in phrases like “You are my yellow,” which becomes tender rather than cute. The ideas are simple but sincere: belonging, courage, friendship, and the painful little compromises children sometimes make to fit in. The artwork supports those ideas beautifully. I liked the strong color worlds, the green sameness of Tony’s home, the red warmth of Penny, and the way the illustrations make difference visible before the story even explains it.

You Are My Yellow is a gentle and heartfelt story about self-acceptance, but what stayed with me most was the friendship between two children who recognize each other’s hurt and make room for each other. I’d recommend it for young readers who are navigating friendship, confidence, or feeling different, and especially for parents who want a story that opens the door to a tender conversation afterward.

Pages: 36 | ‎ ISBN : 978-1037117695