Challenging racial bias with a polar bear hug!

Development sketch for I’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Zonderkidz, 2020) | Text © 2020 by Caroline B. Cooney | Illustrations © 2020 by Tim Warnes

I’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim Warnes(Zonderkidz, 2020)Good to Read for:playful interactionsnuggling up before beddiversifying your child’s bookshelfWhat makes a great picture book?

Quality text that’s a pleasure to read aloud (and withstands repeated readings). Engaging illustrations that are representative of the text while adding extra narrative to engage young minds. Preferably something that encourages you and your child to snuggle up together and enjoy a moment of physical as well as emotional connection. 

This week’s recommendation – I’m Going to Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney (illustrated by myself!) – ticks all those boxes! ‘A playful, charming story,’ writes librarian Amy Atzert (Somerset County Library, New Jersey ) ‘that encourages imagination and warms hearts.’

 

From I’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Zonderkidz, 2020) | Text © 2020 by Caroline B. Cooney | Illustrations © 2020 by Tim Warnes

 

I’m going to give you a polar bear hug…

A wintry, windy,

Play in the snow hug.

A shivery, quivery,

Forty below hug.

 

I’m Going to Give You a Polar Bear Hug! follows the highly successful I’m Going to Give You a Bear Hug! Like its predecessor, Polar Bear Hug! imagines all the cosy, warm hugs that kids love to receive – only this time on a cold and windy snowy day. (The first book, Bear Hug!, has apparently been read to over 100,000 children – resulting in at least that many hugs. If even vaguely accurate, that makes me – as someone who loves to hug – very happy!) 

Polar Bear Hug! introduces young children to polar animals (including walrus, seal and reindeer). It celebrates not only hugs but the power of a child’s imagination. Because it becomes apparent from the illustrations that the animals in question are, in fact, a bunch of cuddly toys out for a snow ride in a cardboard box sledge. (In the first book, the hugs are all given by the boy’s mummy as she acts out different animal characters.)

 

From I’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Zonderkidz, 2020) | Text © 2020 by Caroline B. Cooney | Illustrations © 2020 by Tim Warnes

 

The polar bear theme runs through the illustrations, too: With the help of her dad, the girl togs up in a fluffy white base layer complete with hood and ears. (I refer to the child as a girl, but in fact, they are not assigned gender in the text.) She has a small, white teddy bear that joins her as she meets, greets and plays with the animals. (By dressing Dad in a white shirt, I hoped to suggest that he is the big polar bear.)

 

From I’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Zonderkidz, 2020) | Text © 2020 by Caroline B. Cooney | Illustrations © 2020 by Tim Warnes

 

These extra narratives that run throughout the story are fun to pick out and help develop your child’s ability to ‘read’ pictures (visual literacy) and stimulate imaginary play. 

 

I’m going to give you a penguin hug.

A fishy grin,

Black and white spin,

Dance flipper-to-chin hug.

 

From I’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Zonderkidz, 2020) | Text © 2020 by Caroline B. Cooney | Illustrations © 2020 by Tim Warnes

 

It’s clear from reviews that readers enjoy the way Polar Bear Hug! engages their kids and encourages some cuddle time:

 

“Fun to read out loud…. younger children will love looking at the bright and cheerful illustrations and the rhyming language, whilst older children will appreciate the detail. … My son [aged three] says this is one of his favourite books”

– Christy, GoodReads

 

“We used this as a bedtime story and it worked well with final snuggles for the night.”

– Carla Johnson-Hicks, GoodReads

 

“The animal hugs … add gross motor play to a winter storytime with learners reenacting the seal stands, bunny hops, and cardinal flight of the protagonist’s vivid imagination.” 

– Pennsylvania School Librarians Association

 

Reviews such as those assure me that Polar Bear Hug! was a worthwhile project (and that I did my job well!).

But more important for me was this review:

 

“I appreciate how children’s books, especially this picture book, represent the black community.”

– Reading_Tamishly, Goodreads

 

From I’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Zonderkidz, 2020) | Text © 2020 by Caroline B. Cooney | Illustrations © 2020 by Tim Warnes

 In 2018, Jennifer Vanasco noted on  Gothamist  that ‘the tired trope that white children won’t read books about children of other colors continues to circulate.’

(I heard this said back in the early 90s when discussing the outstanding So Much! by Trish Cooke and Helen Oxenbury with a publisher.)

I’m happy to say that the number of diverse picture books featuring kids of colour has increased significantly over the last few years. And yes – it was a very deliberate move on my part to depict a black family (and a kid with a big mop of Afro curls). I’m aware of the need for anti-racist stories showing kids of colour doing normal, everyday things (like hugging polar bears!). They create diversity without the issue of race being central to the stories themselves.

Children need access to diverse picture books because:

They cut across ‘the assumed superiority of Whites and the assumed inferiority of people of color.’

They promote direct and intentional discussion with young children about race and skin colour, which helps to ‘unravel and challenge the racist ideas that form in our kids’ minds’. (Children who discuss race with their parents show less racial bias than those who don’t.)

“If we shush our kids for asking about race, we are telling them that race is taboo and not something they can talk to you about,” says paediatrician Nia Heard-Garris. “Which means they’ll be left to fill in the blanks themselves in potentially prejudiced ways.”

Experts agree: it’s no longer enough to teach kids not to ‘see colour’. “In fact,” writes Alicia Cox Thomson on Today’s Parents, “it’s harmful.”

 

“To say, ‘I’m colorblind is to say ‘I have the privilege of never having to worry about color,’” says Ms Lythcott-Haims, a former corporate lawyer and Stanford dean. “Those of us who wear a skin of brown don’t have that luxury. The right approach is to recognize that humans come in innumerable varieties of color and hair texture and eye shape and noses and lips and height and weight. There are differences aplenty. The key is to teach our children that differences aren’t bad.”

- New York Times

 

Here are some facts from HealthyChildren.org to back all this up: 

As early as 6 months, a baby’s brain can notice race-based differences.

By ages 2 to 4, children can internalise racial bias.

By age 12, many children become set in their beliefs.

(My earlier article, Using picture books to combat racism, explores this more.) 

The onus is on parents to intentionally seek out diverse stories. They are great conversation starters! (See my favourite stories that depict black characters doing everyday things at the end of this article.) By sharing them with your child, you will challenge and decrease racial bias and improve cultural understanding as they ‘grow into race-conscious little humans’.

In other words – society needs you right now.

 

Development sketch for I’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Zonderkidz, 2020) | Text © 2020 by Caroline B. Cooney | Illustrations © 2020 by Tim Warnes

 STORIES WORTH SHARINGI’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim WarnesGood to Read for:playful interactionsnuggling up before beddiversifying your child’s bookshelfGOOD TO READ

Anti-Racist Picture books to diversify your bookshelf

The New Small Person by Lauren Child

So Much! by Trish Cooke & Helen Oxenbury

I’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney & Tim Warnes

We All Play by Julie Flett

Mr Scruff by Simon James

Leon & Bob by Simon James

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Julián Is A Mermaid by Jessica Love

Last Stop On Market Street by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson

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“A perfect read-aloud choice.”

– Amy Atzert, Librarian

“Will capture the attention of any young reader.”

– Ashlyn, GoodReads

BUY US Buy UK * I EARN COMMISSION FROM THESE LINKS #AD/AFFRELATED ARTICLESSOURCESI’m Going To Give You a Polar Bear Hug! by Caroline B. Cooney, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Zonderkidz, 2020) Books and Resources to Help You Raise Anti-Racist Children (The Brightly Editors) What white parents get wrong about raising antiracist kids — and how to get it right (Melinda Wenner Moyer, Washingtonpost.com, 25 June, 2020) Raising Your Children to Be Anti-Racist (Kendra Cherry, Verywellfamily.com, 2 October, 2020) How to Raise Anti-Racist Kids—Resources for Parents (The Happiest Baby Staff, Happiestbaby.com)© 2021 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.