Children’s Books on Race, Ethnicity, and Racism
Many parents and teachers of young children are beginning the school year anxious about how to talk to young children about the racism and hate that they are seeing in their world and on the news. Children need to talk about their concerns with trusted adults. These books are a starting place for these conversations. This is only a brief list. I hope that this will support the larger #Charlottesvillecurriculum, please check there for more resources.
The Other Side

Age range: 3 years old & up
What to Expect: Clover, a young black girl, is asked not to play on the other side of their town’s fence where white residents live because her mom says it is not safe. On a day when she is feeling “brave and free” she approaches a young white girl she has been watching on the other side of the fence. The girls become friends and play together.
What I Love about this Book: The author shows Clover’s uneasiness as she thinks about the girl on the other side of the fence and whether to approach her. Clover’s sitting on the fence is an act of resistance against her mother’s directions and the racial boundaries of the town. At the end of the book, the girls decide that the fence will be knocked down “someday.”
28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World

Age Range: 5 years old & up
What to Expect: This book challenges the idea of a singular Black History Month by showcasing 28 unique dates in Black History. The book is beautifully illustrated and tells about each date in simple language with a deeper explanation in small print.
What I Love about this Book: All children need access to important information about Black History that is often missing or swept over in school curricula. This book celebrates a variety of dates and heroes: past and present; men, women, and children; political and sports heroes; and many more. The best part of the book is a 29th day challenge to children to make history themselves.
Around Our Way on Neighbors’ Day

Age Range: 4 years old & up.
What to Expect: On a hot summer day everyone in this diverse, urban neighboorhood comes together outside to celebrate, eat together, and play. The book has swirling, colorful illustrations and is told in verse that will appeal to younger children.
What I Love about this Book: Children in urban areas can be underrepresented in young children’s books which often focus on farms, animals, and the like. This book celebrates the diversity of the neighborhood showcasing people of many races and ethnicities in the prose and the illustrations. The neighbors celebrate, dance, and eat together into the night.
Across the Alley

Age Range: 6 years old & up
What to Expect: Abe a young, Jewish violinist lives across the alley from Willie a young, black baseball player. Not allowed to play together during the day, they switch the violin and the baseball and practice each other’s hobbies at night when their families are asleep . This leads to a discussion on how current and historical prejudice affects them both. Abe’s grandpa finds them practicing together one night, and he and Willie’s father take the boys to play together.
What I Love about this Book: This book addresses prejudice and slavery from the point of view of both the Jewish and African American child. It is not a deep dive into these issues, but it is a starting place for questions children might have about the historical precedents for hate and prejudice. The boys share their cultures with each other through their hobbies, which can be a more concrete and personal way to introduce children to the idea of culture. At the end, not only the children, but also their families come together and publicly walk through their neighborhood.
I hope that this list serves as a starting place for deeper conversations. Please share your own favorite books for addressing race, ethnicity, and racism.
