Ritu in the Sun

Brown Skin, Bright Sun, Beautiful Belonging

I did not expect a picture book to bring back memories I had quietly tucked away for years.

While reading “Ritu in the Sun” by Moniza Hossain illustrated by Merce Lopez to my class, I found myself thinking about how many children and adults grow up believing they need to change the colour of their skin to be accepted, admired, or considered beautiful.

As a child, I remember being surrounded by conversations about becoming “fairer.” There were recommendations for creams, comments about staying out of the sun, and quiet messages that lighter somehow meant better. Many of us heard these things so often that they almost became normal.

That is why this book mattered so deeply to me.

Ritu loves the sun. She finds joy in its warmth, light, and beauty, until she begins hearing warnings that her skin may become “too dark.” What makes this story so powerful is that it does not shame or blame. Instead, it opens space for understanding, healing, and honesty between generations.

What I love most was my class discussion afterwards. My students immediately championed Ritu. They celebrated her skin, her joy, and her right to belong exactly as she is. Listening to them reminded me that children are not born carrying prejudice. They learn openness when they grow up in spaces where diversity is not simply mentioned, but genuinely celebrated.

I am grateful to teach in a classroom where children learn to see beauty across differences, where conversations about identity can happen with empathy, and where stories become mirrors, windows, and sometimes healing.

I was also so excited to discover this book in a bookstore here in Singapore, and even more thrilled to know that Moniza Hossain will be at the for her book launch. Stories like this deserve space, visibility, and celebration.

Some books entertain us.
Some books quietly help us unlearn things we did not realise we were carrying.
This was one of them.