Antiracism Books for Kids – The Tiny Review
Set with the task by Birmingham Race Action Group (BRIG) to discuss books on antiracism for children, I happily raided my bookshelf and went shopping. As someone who has worked with children for over 20 years to explore identity and culture through theatre (primarily) and as a parent, I believe (and of course I am biased), I have a good idea of how children respond and engage with such content. Their responses often lead them to make meaning or leaving them perplexed. Therefore, pitching books at the right level is key.
What is offered here is a snapshot of my thoughts as I read. At times, I consulted the real expert, my 8-year-old daughter as a guide. So here goes.
The first literary work was “What is Racism?” by Katie Daynes and Jordan Akpojaro, illustrated by Sanddhya Prabhat.
It’s a lift the flap, colourful and gorgeously presented board book. The target reading age is 4-7 years old. I do feel a 4-year-old would struggle to contextualise much of the content, but nonetheless, the images provide a good reflection of what comprises racism and togetherness. My daughter loved revealing the answers under the flaps. She liked to see if the answers she had in her mind were the same as those revealed.
My experience in schools, has unfortunately shown that there is a huge reluctance to speak about race, and skin colour, so it was a delight to see this was not shied away from, in mentioning melanin, why skin tones are different and that humans originate from Africa.
The book started to elicit a downward emotional shift for my daughter, when it moved onto slavery and the reason for Jews leaving Eastern Europe. We had to stop reading there, as I could see it was getting too heavy for her. Therein lies the conundrum for many parents and educators: how much do you tell children about racism at an early age without evoking racial trauma for ethnic minority children through vicarious racism? It’s a skill and every child is different. It is sometimes careful trial and error and being mindful of emotional reactions as indicators.
The second publication, jumped at me from the bookshelf because of its bold title, well-designed and brightly coloured illustrations. Entitled ‘Stay Woke Kids’ by author Kazvare,
I was enthralled at the idea of getting into it. However, I did not warm to it unfortunately, not from a children’s learning perspective. I simply could not see how it might be used for younger readers and it seems poorly pitched for older children. It is loaded with satire; this may be entertaining for some, but relies on the reader understanding the double meaning. The danger of not doing so, is that the words will be taken literally. The following sentence is just one example, “Immigrants are taking our jobs! No wait, all immigrants are slobs!”
There is no stated age-group target on Amazon for the book, but I would say the content is more suited to teenagers. Though I think many would pass it by based on the use of the word ‘Kids’ in the title.
There were parts I found funny, such as,
“I don’t see colour!” she’ll yell.
Yet her clothes match impeccably well…”
As an adult, it is easier for me to see the nuance. I totally recommend this book for adults, especially if you are emotionally tired and need a bit of humour to process the beast that is racism.
With a foreword by Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw (civil rights advocate and professor who coined the term ‘intersectionality), I knew I was going to like this book, ‘Intersection Allies’ by Chelsea Johnson, Latoya Council and Carolyn Choi and Ashley Smith (illustrator).
Immediately as a parent, I felt guided by a whole two pages designed for ‘grown ups’ to understand the thinking behind the content. The large, clear colourful pictures of different types of people, potentially appeal to many. Oh, how I wished I had learned about intersectionality through books with simple and powerful stories, such as those told of Adilah whose name means ‘justice in Arabic and social activist, Nia.
It offers a great way to open the conversation about gender, race, LGBTQ+, disability challenges, through the definition of intersectionality related words. It cleverly, via its imagery and choice words, is adaptable to a wide range of children up to teenagers. My daughter particularly loved reading out aloud the rhyming words. At the back, is an exploration of the topic in more detail. Magic! Can you tell I really like this one?
Finally, I was expecting stupendous things from Ibram X Kendi (author of the New York Times bestseller: How to be Antiracist), in Antiracist Baby,
But the book, disappointingly, did not live up to my expectations. I forgive you Ibram; you are still a legend. In short, many words and concepts were far too huge for the understanding of a baby and child up to 3 years old, the target age range. Whilst the most intellectually adept 3-year-old, might possibly get their head around phrases like ‘policies’ and ‘colour-blind’ (once explained), the implications of the words are likely to leave them wide-eyed and dummy-sucking like Maggie Simpson.
However, I do not think all is lost. The images are great, clear, and colourful and promote a celebration of differences. The pictures offer great prompts for creating songs and rhymes.
To be fair to all authors, racism is an incredibly complex topic for us adults, never mind children. To attempt to simplify it, for the minds of our children, is a feat that should be applauded. Besides, as I have said on many occasions, I am consciously and unconsciously judgemental, as we all are. You may read these books and have completely different opinions and experiences.
Finally, whatever you do, be encouraged to try as many books as you can to find the right fit for your child/children, especially if you are a teacher. The strong message all these books share, is that not seeing colour is more damaging than allowing the children to flourish in their true identities, which includes celebrating skin tone. For those who feel uncomfortable talking about skin colour, please note: a colour-blind approach only seeks to comfort and protect the feelings of white children, whilst leaving those with black and browns skins confused and exposed. To help with that, The Strawberry Kids have created a song all about celebrating skin tones. See it here and download the track from your streaming app.
Books offer a guided way to broach what many find uncomfortable. Which book will you now choose to help all children become antiracist?