The Girl with the Brown Crayon Author:Vivian Gussin Paley As she enters her final year of teaching, Vivian Paley tells in this book a story of her own farewell, as well as a story of the self-discovery of Reeny, a little girl with a fondness for the color brown. Led by Reeny, Paley and the children develop a passion for the books of Italian author Leo Lionni, and reinvent their classroom around discuss... more »ions of these stories. Through Frederick the mouse and Lionni's other characters they explore themes of race, identity, gender, and the essential human needs to create and to belong.« less