This paper investigates the presence of people of color and white people as protagonists in a sample of recently published children’s picture books. The author proposes that the relative lack of books about people of color in the sample is reflective of colorblind ideology, denies children of color the opportunity to find themselves in books, and may support the development of racist attitudes in white children. The need for children of color and white children to be exposed to a variety of titles in which contemporary children of color are protagonists is presented as a social justice issue, related to the Jesuit values of cura personalis and magis. Recommendations are made for teachers, educators of teachers, and parents for locating quality picture book titles featuring diverse protagonists
