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The Skin I'm In: A First Look at Racism
There are children experiencing the pain of racism. This book is here for you to help the cope with that abhorrent reality. Racial discrimination is cruel and inhumane especially so to younger children. This book encourages kids to accept and love what makes them different and beautiful. Parents, teachers, and gift givers will The A First Look At series promotes positive interaction among children, parents, and teachers, and encourage kids to ask questions and confront social and emotional questions that sometimes present problems. Books feature appealing full-color illustrations on every page plus a page of advice to parents and teachers.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
5 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Pat Thomas
192 books8 followersThere is more than one Pat Thomas in the Goodreads catalog. This entry focuses on Pat^Thomas, children's author.
Pat is a trained psychotherapist, naturopath and journalist. After working as a journalist and broadcaster in the USA, she now works in the field of child development and writes for various publications including 'Practical Parenting'.
Pat is a trained psychotherapist, naturopath and journalist. After working as a journalist and broadcaster in the USA, she now works in the field of child development and writes for various publications including 'Practical Parenting'.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 2, 2022
I do not recommend this book for children because of the confusion the author has between racism and bias and prejudice. The pictures are wonderful. But the message is about people called 'racists' and not about the acts. Racism is a system that privileges white people and shows up in a power structure that privileges those of European heritage. Racism is kept in place when nothing changes about the system. All can be prejudiced, but in a world dominated by a system privileging Eurocentric rulers, assumptions and conquests, people of color are the victims, not the perpetrators, of racism. IT IS TRUE that Ibram X Kendi recently has taken an interesting view... as he points to people of color who act to perpetuate racism. He has an interesting nuanced approach.
It is VERY important to help kids learn about race, and having conversations about it is crucial. This book does not help.
The description of race as something that is about one's family is also misleading. Children can learn that race was a way people decided to differentiate people by several different ways including skin color, and that people experience bias and prejudice often for many things including race, ethnicity and other things. Children can also name some of those things, and it may be possible to talk about racism as a system, or as acts they have seen, in an age appropriate way to explore their observations.
I would use this book with adults who are learning about racism and why it's best to teach the youngest first about race and how it was constructed, and about bias. As their understanding grows, teaching how racism is showing up in the rates of incarceration will be a good way to explain how racism works, and the children themselves may have other observations.
But this book is not a good place to start with kids. It teaches more about namecalling, and does not give a sound place to begin the conversation.
It is VERY important to help kids learn about race, and having conversations about it is crucial. This book does not help.
The description of race as something that is about one's family is also misleading. Children can learn that race was a way people decided to differentiate people by several different ways including skin color, and that people experience bias and prejudice often for many things including race, ethnicity and other things. Children can also name some of those things, and it may be possible to talk about racism as a system, or as acts they have seen, in an age appropriate way to explore their observations.
I would use this book with adults who are learning about racism and why it's best to teach the youngest first about race and how it was constructed, and about bias. As their understanding grows, teaching how racism is showing up in the rates of incarceration will be a good way to explain how racism works, and the children themselves may have other observations.
But this book is not a good place to start with kids. It teaches more about namecalling, and does not give a sound place to begin the conversation.
June 24, 2021
A simple, age appropriate introduction to confronting racism and starting to recognize it.
November 6, 2019
Over generalizes what racists think and and how they act. The book also says people of any race can be racist--which does not account for the systemic power and control element of racism.
October 11, 2018
What is the key theme of the story?
The key themes of this book are the concept of racism and it is a key look into what racism is and why it is not a good thing to do and this is a theme in which is not mentioned in many children’s books when they are in the setting. the theme of this book is there to teach children the importance of being kind to their friends and not to be cruel at any point.
What I liked about the book?
I really liked the way in which the book was teaching children the importance of kindness and not being cruel to the people around you. the way in which there are a few rhetorical questions throughout the book is really good as it can spark up conversation with the children. it is a very good book to teach children about the different backgrounds to families and why our own backgrounds are important to us like they are important to others. I also like the way in which the illustrations are drawn to show families and connections and the way in which there are bright colours to show happiness and they have a border round which implies that the illustrator wants us to look into the child’s life from a distance. from this book, you can spark a very good convocation with the child and this is a good way for them to ask questions and gain a further understanding of the story. there are also a few illustrations that are all the way to the edge of the page which shows the illustrator and author are wanting to invite you into the story and become part of it.
What I did not like about the book?
I feel there is only one thing about this book I would improve and that would be maybe bringing in more ways in which the children can feel part of the story for example making more of the images to the border so that they are able to become part of the story or even adding in a few more questions in which can spark a conversation in the classroom or at home with family members.
What would I want answers to?
I would like to know what gave the author the idea to do a book with this as the key concept and how she wrote about it with questions in order to engage the children in conversation with each other or whom is around them. I would also like to know where the ideas for the illustrations came from and why they have made them in the way they have.
What was repeated throughout?
the use of rhetorical and other forms of questions have been repeated throughout the book and this means there is more for the children to talk about. the way in which the use of kindness and understanding of the people around them is repeated to show children we should always be kind to others around us as it is not nice to make them feel sad.
The key themes of this book are the concept of racism and it is a key look into what racism is and why it is not a good thing to do and this is a theme in which is not mentioned in many children’s books when they are in the setting. the theme of this book is there to teach children the importance of being kind to their friends and not to be cruel at any point.
What I liked about the book?
I really liked the way in which the book was teaching children the importance of kindness and not being cruel to the people around you. the way in which there are a few rhetorical questions throughout the book is really good as it can spark up conversation with the children. it is a very good book to teach children about the different backgrounds to families and why our own backgrounds are important to us like they are important to others. I also like the way in which the illustrations are drawn to show families and connections and the way in which there are bright colours to show happiness and they have a border round which implies that the illustrator wants us to look into the child’s life from a distance. from this book, you can spark a very good convocation with the child and this is a good way for them to ask questions and gain a further understanding of the story. there are also a few illustrations that are all the way to the edge of the page which shows the illustrator and author are wanting to invite you into the story and become part of it.
What I did not like about the book?
I feel there is only one thing about this book I would improve and that would be maybe bringing in more ways in which the children can feel part of the story for example making more of the images to the border so that they are able to become part of the story or even adding in a few more questions in which can spark a conversation in the classroom or at home with family members.
What would I want answers to?
I would like to know what gave the author the idea to do a book with this as the key concept and how she wrote about it with questions in order to engage the children in conversation with each other or whom is around them. I would also like to know where the ideas for the illustrations came from and why they have made them in the way they have.
What was repeated throughout?
the use of rhetorical and other forms of questions have been repeated throughout the book and this means there is more for the children to talk about. the way in which the use of kindness and understanding of the people around them is repeated to show children we should always be kind to others around us as it is not nice to make them feel sad.
April 2, 2017
The skin i'm in is a children's picturebook that talks about the issue of racism and what it is and what it looks like. They talk about the affects racism and bullying has on a child/ other person. I think the book did a great job of explaining and defining what racism is. For these reasons i though it was overall a good book.
The skin I'm in uses tone to show that the book is serious and not just a joke. By making the book a serious tone children will see that it is not supposed to be funny. The theme of the book is what racism is and how it should not be used. The book shows how unfair racism is and the effects it may have on a child.
The book uses frames to close on on some of the illustrations, i think they do this to show how a person can feel so small and unwanted because of what someone said because they are a certain race. The book also used a brighter shade of pastel colors in the illustrations. I also love that the front cover is children of many races or ethnicities are all holding hands around the earth, it really gives the book an extra push to add to its text of everyone is equal and that we are all pretty much the same.
I believe that this may be a contemporary realistic book because it fit the criteria about being an important topic to discuss in a classroom, as well as representing different cultures and it is socially significant.
The skin I'm in uses tone to show that the book is serious and not just a joke. By making the book a serious tone children will see that it is not supposed to be funny. The theme of the book is what racism is and how it should not be used. The book shows how unfair racism is and the effects it may have on a child.
The book uses frames to close on on some of the illustrations, i think they do this to show how a person can feel so small and unwanted because of what someone said because they are a certain race. The book also used a brighter shade of pastel colors in the illustrations. I also love that the front cover is children of many races or ethnicities are all holding hands around the earth, it really gives the book an extra push to add to its text of everyone is equal and that we are all pretty much the same.
I believe that this may be a contemporary realistic book because it fit the criteria about being an important topic to discuss in a classroom, as well as representing different cultures and it is socially significant.
February 27, 2017
What is the key theme of the story?
The key themes of this book are the concept of racism and it is a key look into what racism is and why it is not a good thing to do and this is a theme in which is not mentioned in many children’s books when they are in the setting. the theme of this book is there to teach children the importance of being kind to their friends and not to be cruel at any point.
What I liked about the book?
I really liked the way in which the book was teaching children the importance of kindness and not being cruel to the people around you. the way in which there are a few rhetorical questions throughout the book is really good as it can spark up conversation with the children. it is a very good book to teach children about the different backgrounds to families and why our own backgrounds are important to us like they are important to others. I also like the way in which the illustrations are drawn to show families and connections and the way in which there are bright colours to show happiness and they have a border round which implies that the illustrator wants us to look into the child’s life from a distance. from this book, you can spark a very good convocation with the child and this is a good way for them to ask questions and gain a further understanding of the story. there are also a few illustrations that are all the way to the edge of the page which shows the illustrator and author are wanting to invite you into the story and become part of it.
What I did not like about the book?
I feel there is only one thing about this book I would improve and that would be maybe bringing in more ways in which the children can feel part of the story for example making more of the images to the border so that they are able to become part of the story or even adding in a few more questions in which can spark a conversation in the classroom or at home with family members.
What would I want answers to?
I would like to know what gave the author the idea to do a book with this as the key concept and how she wrote about it with questions in order to engage the children in conversation with each other or whom is around them. I would also like to know where the ideas for the illustrations came from and why they have made them in the way they have.
What was repeated throughout?
the use of rhetorical and other forms of questions have been repeated throughout the book and this means there is more for the children to talk about. the way in which the use of kindness and understanding of the people around them is repeated to show children we should always be kind to others around us as it is not nice to make them feel sad.
The key themes of this book are the concept of racism and it is a key look into what racism is and why it is not a good thing to do and this is a theme in which is not mentioned in many children’s books when they are in the setting. the theme of this book is there to teach children the importance of being kind to their friends and not to be cruel at any point.
What I liked about the book?
I really liked the way in which the book was teaching children the importance of kindness and not being cruel to the people around you. the way in which there are a few rhetorical questions throughout the book is really good as it can spark up conversation with the children. it is a very good book to teach children about the different backgrounds to families and why our own backgrounds are important to us like they are important to others. I also like the way in which the illustrations are drawn to show families and connections and the way in which there are bright colours to show happiness and they have a border round which implies that the illustrator wants us to look into the child’s life from a distance. from this book, you can spark a very good convocation with the child and this is a good way for them to ask questions and gain a further understanding of the story. there are also a few illustrations that are all the way to the edge of the page which shows the illustrator and author are wanting to invite you into the story and become part of it.
What I did not like about the book?
I feel there is only one thing about this book I would improve and that would be maybe bringing in more ways in which the children can feel part of the story for example making more of the images to the border so that they are able to become part of the story or even adding in a few more questions in which can spark a conversation in the classroom or at home with family members.
What would I want answers to?
I would like to know what gave the author the idea to do a book with this as the key concept and how she wrote about it with questions in order to engage the children in conversation with each other or whom is around them. I would also like to know where the ideas for the illustrations came from and why they have made them in the way they have.
What was repeated throughout?
the use of rhetorical and other forms of questions have been repeated throughout the book and this means there is more for the children to talk about. the way in which the use of kindness and understanding of the people around them is repeated to show children we should always be kind to others around us as it is not nice to make them feel sad.
July 24, 2017
This is a short picture book that introduces the concept of racism and what it is. I read it with my two older children and then we had discussions about racism, prejudice and bullying. There are also some good going deeper prompts at the back of book. A good place to start the discussion.
June 17, 2020
Great conversation starter for the kids. This short book talks about how everyone should be treated equal and what to do if they aren't. It also has questions to get those brains working and developing empathy. Highly recommend for an introduction for the littles.
June 26, 2022
Picture book 4 for my diversity in children’s lit class.
This is exactly what the title says. This is a way for parents, guardians, and educators to teach children about racism and what to do when confronted with racism.
This is exactly what the title says. This is a way for parents, guardians, and educators to teach children about racism and what to do when confronted with racism.
September 1, 2017
a rrally nice children's book about race and racism
April 23, 2022
Muy aleccionador y técnico para mi gusto (lo leí con niñxs de 4 años) y no sé si entendieron algo
February 18, 2023
This is a great book to read to children or have them read it. Racism can be a very taboo or a topic no one wants to talk about. This book does a great job at confronting racism.
November 20, 2012
Grade/interest level: Pre-K
Reading level: N/A possible 2.1
Genre: Informational Text
Main Characters: N/A
Setting: N/A
POV: 3rd pov
The Skin I’m In is an informational book that introduces young children to the concepts of race, culture, racism, and fairness. This book does not directly refer to any particular race or culture, but the illustrations feature children of all backgrounds and ethnicities. This book provides definitions of culture and race, and asks children to ponder questions regarding race and fairness. This book ends by explaining that people have more similarities than differences and that people should appreciate the small differences.
I would teach this story to a class because it introduces these very difficult themes that small children can easily understand. I also appreciate the questions throughout the book that prompt children to think deeply about race and fairness. The end of the book also contains a resource page for teachers or parents to extend the learning introduced in the book.
Reading level: N/A possible 2.1
Genre: Informational Text
Main Characters: N/A
Setting: N/A
POV: 3rd pov
The Skin I’m In is an informational book that introduces young children to the concepts of race, culture, racism, and fairness. This book does not directly refer to any particular race or culture, but the illustrations feature children of all backgrounds and ethnicities. This book provides definitions of culture and race, and asks children to ponder questions regarding race and fairness. This book ends by explaining that people have more similarities than differences and that people should appreciate the small differences.
I would teach this story to a class because it introduces these very difficult themes that small children can easily understand. I also appreciate the questions throughout the book that prompt children to think deeply about race and fairness. The end of the book also contains a resource page for teachers or parents to extend the learning introduced in the book.
June 8, 2016
This book is intended as a primer on racism for young children. I've been reading it to my kids for years and in my experience, it mostly succeeds at both defining what racism is and explaining how individual racist acts harm people (especially in the North American context).
The book's biggest failure is its eliding of structural racism. Confining a discussion of racism to merely the explicit -- even cartoonish -- denigration of others is a good way to get the ideas across to young kids, but it leaves out the infinite microaggressions and systemic inequalities which arguably form a larger barrier to a more just society.
I understand that the title makes it clear this is a "first look" and the text encourages parents to move beyond this book and even suggests some supplemental materials, but the omission is glaring and compromises the effectiveness of the message.
With all of that said, I would recommend this book as a decent jumping-off point for parents looking for ways to broach complex topics.
April 8, 2014
"The skin I'm In" reveals the cruelness of discrimination based on ones race. This book reminds children of how to accept individuals of different skin color and racial characteristics. This book is an simple story line that encourages students to accept all regardless of ones physical features. The book shares stories of emotional distress one endures while trying to be accepted in terms of race. I feel that teachers can use this book to explain to students that we all must learn to accept each other regardless of physical differences.
January 19, 2012
An introduction to the basic concepts of racism that provides young readers with opportunities to reflect, ask questions, learn acceptance, and how they could respond if they experience or witness racism.
Thomas includes a guide for adults in the back of the book to offer suggestions on how to use this book with this children. Illustrations reflect a variety of races so readers are sure to find someone to connect with.
Thomas includes a guide for adults in the back of the book to offer suggestions on how to use this book with this children. Illustrations reflect a variety of races so readers are sure to find someone to connect with.
November 25, 2013
An interesting book which describes what racism is and gives examples. I would have liked more reasons to be given as to why racism is wrong and maybe this would have made it more appropriate for students. The message is great that racism is wrong and should not be allowed but young children need to understand why not just told and expected to believe it.
October 23, 2015
Great introduction to racism. I read this to my daughter when she was in kindergarten. I think this would be a great classroom book. Unfortunately most people are afraid of the topic so I doubt it is read in many classrooms. Also the kids that can benefit the most will probably never read this.
January 5, 2009
my new favorite kids' book. :)
December 22, 2014
This is a good book to start talking with young children about racism. Reading it is opening a lot of converstation between me and my 4-year old daughter.
August 6, 2016
Nice introduction to racism and why it's wrong. Unfortunately, the people who would benefit from this the most will probably never read it.
This seems like it would be good in the classroom.
This seems like it would be good in the classroom.
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April 25, 2017I can use this book to talk about different races and integration in schools and today's life.
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