Jewel Kats, author of Snow White's Seven Patches - A Vitiligo Fairy Tale, has successfully taken the popular fairy tale to a whole new level. This Snow White rendition has all the basics of the traditional fairy tale, but has one important element which sets it apart - vitilogo.
The book highlights the misunderstandings people with vitiligo face, and indirectly teaches that people with vitiligo are people too. How do we view others who are different from us? Do we have the right to view one person less than the other? Snow's mother, Ivy, was ashamed that her daughter was born with vitiligo and she hid her away for many years. Although this is a fairy tale, the book closely mirrors the sad reality of our harsh world; that is, there are people who live daily hidden away because their family are ashamed or they choose the introvert lifestyle because of fear of being ridiculed. Not all real life stories have the happy ending that Snow had; nevertheless, the ending gives hope to a child who has vitiligo, that someday people will be more accepting of the diversity that exists in our world.
It is also interesting that Snow's patches are in the shape of the seven continents of the world; this became one of the key factors in the shaping of the story.
This book is an interesting read, especially for teachers introducing awareness and acceptance. The book is also a good tool in illustrating that the word 'beauty' is limitless in its meaning, and the concept of beauty should reach far beyond its cookie-cutter edges.