Talking to Kids About Race & Racism

 

Reading Lists

 

Some of the Children's Books on My Shelf

 

  • Alexie, S. (2016). Thunder Boy, Jr. New York: Little Brown Books for Young Readers. A little kid tries to figure out what name would suit him best.

  • Branley, F. M. (1981). The planets in our solar system. New York: Scholastic Inc. Although it still has Pluto as a planet, I like this book because not only are the children of different races, but the teacher is a Black woman.

  • Bridges, R. (1999). Through my eyes. New York: Scholastic Press. I particularly like using this book to point out the ways Whites have been both racist and anti-racist.

  • De La Peña (2015). Last stop on Market Street. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. CJ and his nana see beauty everywhere. Notable in the inclusion of a person who is blind and a person in a wheelchair.

  • Feelings, T. (1991). Tommy Traveler in the world of Black history. New York: Black Butterfly Children's Books. Cartoon histories of Phoebe Fraunces, Emmit Till, Aesop and others.

  • Garza, C. L. (1990/2005). Family pictures. Cuardos de familia. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press. Wonderfully detailed paintings of growing up in Texas on the border of Mexico.

  • Heo, Y. (2009). Ten days and nine nights: An adoption story. NY, New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. A child awaits the adoption of her sibling from Korea.

  • Reynolds, J. & Kendi, I. X. (2020). Stamped: Racism, antiracism and you. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

  • Lester, J. Let's talk about race. New York, NY: Amistad Press. We are all the same under our skins, and it is not true that our race (or region, school, gender, or social class) makes us better than anyone else.

  • Look, L. (2011). Polka dot penguin pottery. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. A young writer figures out how to handle writer's block. You can see some of this book online.

  • Mak, K. (2002). My Chinatown: One year in poems. New York, NY: Harper. Beautifully illustrated book of poems about a boy who left Hong Kong.

  • Medina, T. (2001). DeShawn days. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books, Inc. Wonderful poems about a ten-year-old boy.

  • Nelson, V. M. (2009). Who will I be, Lord? New York, NY: Random House. A child looks around at the members of her family and wonders what she will be when she grows up.

  • Sewall, M. (1995). Thunder from the clear sky. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. I like this book because the chapters alternate between the Wampanoag and Pigrim perspectives on 1675-1676.

  • Uegaki, C. Suki's kimono. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press. On the first day of first grade, Suki wears her kimono to school and overcomes kids making fun of her.

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