A Kids Book About Racism

by Jelani Memory

“You see, some people believe that having different color skin means you aren’t as good as others. That’s called racism.”

Yes, this really is a kids book about racism. Inside, you’ll find a clear description of what racism is, how it makes people feel when they experience it, and how to spot it when it happens. This is one conversation that’s never too early to start, and this book was written to be an introduction for kids on the topic.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Race, Parenting, Anti Racist, Social Justice

64 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2019

About the author

Jelani Memory (he/him) is a constantly curious writer, entrepreneur, and storyteller. He's the founder and CEO of a kids co. and lives in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, with his wife and 6 kids.

Reviews

[Jillian]

A good informational primer on racism for younger kids. Will definitely add to my school library!

[Abbie]

I watched the author read this book on YouTube and applaud the frank simplicity and honestly. I think it is a fantastic book for inspiring candid conversation. It lost one star from me because the scientist in me absolutely cringes at the use of "1000%." I would still definitely recommend it.

[Krystal 🦢]

I read this to my kids. It was perfect, well written, to the point, clear, and paved the way for some great conversations. I bought the Kindle version, I wish I would have bought the hard copy version.

[J]

Due to the circumstances of our country at this moment I am really leery about books that proclaim to teach about racism, prejudice, activism or any such related subjects. So many have been written in mind lately with faux agendas while others aggravate the issue of racism by actually being racist to those the author(s) are condemning for being racist in the first place even though there is no new proof of such movements.

Anyway this book starts off by suggesting it would be a much better read with parents as the author is hoping the adult will be the one who will take the initiative after reading to talk with their child(ren) about such a sensitive issue. As such I do applaud the thought since the topic with all its sub-topics is such a vast one while depending on the age of your child there may be areas that would be best kept for later teaching instead of the now. And there is no better opportunity as well for answering curious minds than when the question is right on their mind.

Unlike the last book from the series I read this one is rather more subdued in its presentation with not a lot of colored backgrounds and those that do have colored or partially colored backgrounds are using them to help make the point on the page. There are also less colors used in the font although there is more change in the font size while once again that is to make a point of the subject on the page. And the way the book was presented with its font color, size and backgrounds really does make for quite a refreshing style of read that is concise and easy-to-follow

Now for the part that may ruffle some feathers possibly since everyone's feathers seems to get ruffled today. The author did a great job in putting himself in the book, explaining what makes the color of his skin, how he has been treated and his reaction. I love the author providing an example using himself but that is the extent of mentioned skin colors and to me the lack of skin color inclusion is both a good as well as a bad thing. It's good since he isn't pointing his finger at any one general group and calling them all racist. At the same time I think it is bad due to those who are reading this book may not be brown nor have mixed parents so they may feel at first that this book is a bit hard to be relatable.

Second and knowingly to adult readers this is just such a massive undertaking so unfortunately to cut it down to a children's book means that it does become vague at times. Take for example that children are known for their massive amounts of questions and that they communicate usually with looks, which both are mentioned as possibly being racist. How will a child know when these actions are or aren't racist if they are reading this book alone? So to me there will surely be some confusion when it comes to the end product.

All in all, though, it was definitely a good read and a great stepping stone into a rocky subject. As the author had suggested at the start of the book this most definitely should be read to children instead of leaving them to tackle the subject alone, especially with the parts that are so vague.

[Mary]

4.5 for me. I wasn't sure what the level of the book was before reading it. I like that it defines racism, explains that it can happen in big and small ways, and encouraged the reader to call it what it is. I hope this book can be a springboard for further discussions with my eight year-old son.

[Ericka Clou]

Simple and good for small kids.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Absolute must-read. I love this whole series and this one is probably the best I have read so far - though it is hard to really choose a best because they're all so good.

After George Floyd was murdered and our country was on fire with rage and pain and trauma, I began explaining more and more to Eleanor what racism is. This is something that has never occurred to her in her entire seven and a half years. She has had a lot of questions - especially because her best friend has beautiful caramel skin and she can't ever imagine anyone not liking her BFF because of that.

Teaching kids to be colorblind is not the answer. First of all, it is impossible. You can't not see someone's skin color. If you ignore it, you are ignoring a lifetime of their experiences. Teaching kids to love all colors and appreciate their beauty and uniqueness is the answer. We can fight racism with books like this, start those hard conversations with our children, and raise better humans.

[Sam Bell]

OMG, this is the book I needed! As a white parent to a black child I am always looking for resources to help facilitate the conversations of race and differences. This book makes a super hard subject very approachable and understandable. Reading it with my son gave us the opportunity to talk about big and small examples and that he will face this at some time. He hasn't told me of any instances yet, but I think this book will help give him the words when he does need to talk about this.

I have every intention of adding more books for this series to our library and am eager to see what topics they cover next.

[Danielle Swanson]

This book was a great way to deepen the conversations I'm having about racism with my daughter. It's concise and asks questions that she can relate to, and it got her attention. I plan on making this a frequent book we read together.

[Laura Hands]

A much needed read in these challenging times. Great way to spark discussions with the kids.

[Gemini Fernandez]

I LOVED this book so much! I am so much into inclusion, diversity, and awareness/mindfulness for others. This book has no pictures but it is very impactful. I recommend this book to everyone.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship]

Well this isn't really a "picture" book since there aren't any pictures, but the type is creative and the target audience is definitely children.

What I like about this book was that it gave a straight forward, easy to grasp definition of what racism actually is (something adults could benefit from as well):

"You see, some people believe that having different color skin means you aren't as good as others....that's called racism."

Great, that is very clear and accurate!

"Racism means to hate someone, exclude them, or treat them badly because of their race, or the color of their skin."

Perfect, thank you!

"And it happens all the time"



We were so close. No, it doesn't happen all the time. Why are we trying to make kids paranoid. Most people are politely going about their business. You could say it happens a lot, or more than it should, but all the time...no.

The book then goes on to mention small instances of racism, which are very undefined and some even questionable, such as a thought. That is a red flag for me. I am very sensitive to people telling children that thoughts are dangerous or wrong as a blanket statement. Instead, we should focus on actions and words.

Overall, this was a decent explanation of racism, with some exceptions, which can be addressed if reading to a child 1-on-1 which is the intention of the author.

[NTE]

First up, there’s the format of the books, which fill my little typography nerd heart with such joy. There’s no pictures, except the ones made by the stark, simple text. Each book has it’s own simple and representative color palate, that evolves as the book unfolds. An example of this is the book on depression, which starts with white text on a black background, and the background gradually lightens as you move towards the end of the book, as the explanation of how to deal with depression and how it feels like fog lifting when your depression improves is being told. It doesn’t end on an overly simplified, ‘wow everything is fixed and bright white now’ page either, but just on a slightly less dark, purple page, simply shades lighter than where the author started, and it’s so simple, but so appropriate. The thought and care that so obviously went into every aspect of these books – inculding their design -is very clear.

Each book shares an accessibility in text (I would judge these to be between beginning/emergent and fluent reading levels, depending on both the kid and the topic in question), but also in their approach to hard subjects. From the first page’s explanation that these books might be better when read with an adult, to providing adults with intro/exit letters in each book, to the idea that each book is best used as a starting point for important conversations with kids, as opposed to the be-all, end-all authority on the topic, these books are so obviously crafted with deliberate & knowledgeable intent. They have age ranges on them (the books I’ve included here range from 5+ – disability, to 6+ – racism & anxiety, to 7+ depression & body image), and have an excellent summary and sort of pictorial trigger warnings on the back cover (a little emoji saying that the book discusses curiousity, fear, crying, bravery, hate, etc).

More specifically, each of the books covered their topics in simple & non-infantilized terms, which is SUCH a hard line to walk. A lot of books for kids either talk waaaay down to them, or go over their heads, especially when discussing topics as complicated as race or body image, but I didn’t find any of that in any of these five books. Just simple definitions and explanations, supported by the text & imagery, and thoroughly broken down into easy nuggets of truth that kids can easily grasp. In fact, some of their definitions and descriptions were so on point that I know kids much older than starting age for these books -I’m having my college age nephew read the depression one on his next weekend home, and his 14 year old sister read the anxiety book this morning and said “YUP!” – will also surely benefit from them, as will the adults in their lives.

Consider this definition of breaking through depression: “Sharing about my depression took the bricks from the walls built around my heart. And turned them into a bridge. A bridge back to me. The real me.” In fact? Sometimes I think these books are going to benefit their parents even more than they’ll benefit their kids, and for one simple reason: Because by making these things more accessible to kids, they’ve opened them new ways for adults to look at and consider them as well.

Since it’s been a while, a little reminder: I’m a disabled & chronically ill woman, an advocate for disabled people, and I’ve mentioned here previously that my specialization when working on my Master’s degree was the portrayal of characters with disabilities in picture books. So the book about disabilities was particularly of interest to me, and I was not disappointed at all. In fact, it’s my favorite of the bunch, and I’ll tell you why: The author, a disabled teacher herself, comes right out and tells kids that they are better at respecting disabled people than their grown ups: “Kids are good at being curious and respectful, including and not excluding. Grownups are usually just afraid they’ll say or do the wrong thing.” And that is the truth – no kid has ever stopped me in the mall and asked me about my sex life, or made a face when I’ve stood up to transfer into a different seat. Kids sometimes will say “what’s wrong with your legs?” but they never say it in a mean or dismissive way; they usually actually want to know why my legs don’t work. And when I explain that it’s not my legs that don’t work right, but my heart, they tend to think it’s pretty cool, instead of giving me the ’tilted head of pity’ that disabled people know oh so well. So a book that says “Having a disability is one of the many ways to be normal.” and “Disabled people belong everywhere.” straight out loud and simple like that? Kids ae going to be like “of course! duh.” and their parents are hopefully going to start seeing it just that simply too.

Here are a few other examples, from either the text of the books or the parent’s notes in those books:

“Mental health is communication, relationships, strong coping skills, and how you take care of your mind.” – a kids book about anxiety

“Kids are ready and willing to learn about tough things, if only the grown-ups in their lives are willing to talk about them.” – a kids book about racism

“Vulnerability is the soil of connection & growth” – a kids book about depression

“These companies would never make a single dollar if you didn’t believe there was something about you that needed to be fixed. Nothing about you needs to be fixed.” – a kids book about body image

Each of these books is going to be an essential resource for the parents & kids in my life, and if I was still teaching, I would immediately have requested as many as possible for my classroom. My next purchases are going to be some of the more upbeat titles – community, kindness, adventure, probably – just for some balance, but I don’t think I’m going to find many disappointments in the series. The utter compassion and care that each of these books has towards its topics, and the children & parents they’re trying to talk to about these topics, shines through on every page, and if you were thinking about buying one, but weren’t sure how good they were, I hope this review can give you that little push to at least give one a try.

(CBR13 Review)

[Sarah]

This author created a publishing startup company from this and openly admits all over the internet that his company made a little over $1 million in the days after George Floyd's death. You don't need a condescending book, whose business statement says kids are too smart for pictures yet can't learn important life lessons from picture books, to talk to your kids about racism. Your money lined this guy's pockets while you felt better about yourself for "talking" to your kids about racism. I hope he donated at least $1 million to George Floyd's family and all the other families of Black people murdered by cops. The entire series is terrible. Disgusting.

[Bonnie]

I read this to my kids so they would have an idea about what racism is. I love the way the book handles it in a very abstract sort of way, laying the foundation of the idea of what racism is without specific examples that may feel intimidating and scary and cause less engagement with the child.

Usually when handling tough ideas, my seven year old tends to shut down and want to do something else but this book is very engaging, especially for having absolutely ZERO pictures. Even my three year old was interested though I'm unsure of how much information he actually absorbed.

Instead of pictures, the book makes use of the way words are portrayed on the page. Instead of focusing solely on the negatives of racism, much of the book focuses on the positivity of diversity for our civilization and how racism hurts diversity. I especially liked a page that is just a list of all the things that diversity helps with and it starts with easy to understand ideas like "skills" and "help" and slowly advances to more difficult concepts like "perspective" and "empathy." It fostered a discussion and I was surprised to see how many of the words on the list my kids already understood and what words my husband and I could help explain (oh, by the way, at one point my husband got pulled in by this book and meandered into the conversation; this book is very engaging).

This is definitely not a one-and-done type of book but it's an excellent starting point to introduce the idea of racism. I'll definitely be looking into more books from this collection.

[whatbooknext]

This is a book about racism...

This is exactly how this hardback picture book begins.

Very simply, the author introduces himself and then begins to explain racism.

Jelani shows his color on the page as brown. He is brown because he has a black dad and a white mum - which makes him - mixed or a person of color, biracial, or African American.

Being mixed race has given Jelani lots of experiences - some of them not positive, which he explains how they made him feel. He then defines the word racism with a straight to the point and clear simple answer that children can understand.

He shares that even a comment, a joke, a question, or just a word can be hurtful.

"Racism is one of the worst kinds of mean."

Being different is actually really good for all of us, and Jelani stresses this in a fun way on the page. Being different allows us to have so much more to offer each other.

This is all shared in a simple red, black and white palette, in fonts large and small, portraying feelings, fun and the very important topic of understanding racism.

A Kid's Book About Racism is to aid in approaching this tough subject with a child in a simple clear format, and also to celebrate our differences.

This is part of a series that empower, inform and kickstart challenging conversations with children aged 5 years to 9 years.


Other Titles in the range include: A Kids Book About...

Anxiety, Disability, Belonging, Body Image, Empathy, Equality, Failure, Gender, Gratitude, Imagination, Immigration and Life Online

[Sarah Campf]

A Kids Book About Racism is a work of children’s non-fiction written for children aged about 4-7 years old. In the book, Memory defines racism in a way that is easy for young children to understand. Without having to use illustrations, just thoughtful color and font enhancements, they are able to make this book stand out and be remembered by the child reading it. I personally liked this book a lot. Obviously, racism is a serious issue that still exists in today’s society and all over the world. It is very important to start educating children at a young age to understand this and to fight against it. This book does a great job of simply explaining not only what racism is, but how it makes people feel. I think the most important part of this book is when it talks about the different way’s racism can come about. After reading this book, a child will be able to take this information with them and now recognize when racism is at play. This is very important for kids that are entering the school system and will undoubtedly experience racism either towards themselves or towards their peers. This is just the sad truth of the world we live in, and hopefully parents will buy this book and take the time to educate their child about this.

[Debbie]

I enjoyed this installment in the A Kids Book About... but it is not my favorite. It takes some time, like other books, to explain the topic (what's racism?) and how it's connected to the author with a center on feelings. It doesn't get into a lot of detail about how racism shows itself, no mention of assault or murder or specific microaggressions, but with the mention of Jelani Memory's feelings of being small, it makes a clear enough understanding for kids about why it's bad. The call to action in this book is to encourage kids to call racism out when they see it. But without a clear understanding of what that looks like, I'm not sure that's an easy things for kids to do after reading this book. It really leaves it on the parents who read the book with the kids to answer those questions, like "What's an example of racism you've seen?" We all know kids read/"read" books without their adults often, flipping through them in the car and on the floor of a bedroom, so this is a big assumption for some families.

[Grace]

An important topic! I have many children's books, some from childhood and some that are new. I'm very purposeful on my new children's books. I've been curious about this book series (of sorts) for a long time! So when I found it cheaper than I'd seen it and on sale, I instantly bought it.
I wasn't sure what to expect. Would it go into detail? Talk about the institutions which support racism? Would it talk about how children of color experience racism? I had all these and more questions.
Yet the book was perfectly written! It gives you just enough information. And it can easily be understood by the smallest child (I'm talking 2 years old) to any age after. Children's books and fairy tales teach us many things. I believe adults shouldn't leave them behind, but bring them with them into adulthood. We can learn from them just as much as children can.
10/10 recommend!

[Summertime Readaholic]

I read this alone to be sure I would be prepared. I cried.

It is a VERY simple book. Written at the level of a 1st or 2nd grade reader, it is meant to give them a starting place.

For children of color it will answer a lot of those why questions about being treated differently or seeing their friends and family being treated differently.

For a white family, it will help start the conversation about how they themselves view/treat people of color treat people of color.

It is not an in-depth analysis it is just a short little book to start the conversation. But for those of us who live in the shadow of racism, your heart will sing to see this topic handled so beautifully. It is true to the subject matter without showing malice or spreading hate.

Change starts at home.

[wendy cortright]

This book by Jelani Memory beautifully and honestly explains racism to children of all ages, including adults. Below is a link that will take you to an interview with the author. Below that link is a link to take you to a video of Jelani Memory reading the book on youtube. When we get back to school in the fall, students will have heard about a lot of the news of the world and will have questions. We will have a great need to learn together and this book will be a part of that discussion. There are other books in this series, such as a kids book about COVID19, and a kids book about depression, just to name a couple, which speak to the information children will learn from.

[Hwee Goh]

Again, we teach kids their ABCs, how to say please and thank you but,

“When is ‘too soon’ for kids to learn about how to treat those who look different?”

This book spells out frankly what racism is and why it hurts, and it empowers every kid to know:

“Racism is one of the worst kinds of mean…”

“BUT, being different is actually good! Like really♾️ good! 1000% good.

Because being who we are means we have so much MORE to offer each other.

That whole being different thing?
It makes us better.

Much better!”

As the first page of these books say, this books are “best read together, grownup and kid.”

Best for toddlers and up, I’d say, up to around 7+

📚: @times.reads

[Cornmaven]

I was disappointed in this offering. It's a kid's picture book and meant to be read with an adult, and then become a springboard for further discussion. But I felt it needed more visuals. Also more question prompts at the end, and the ones that were there were only for kids of color. There needed to be questions for white kids. Also, the "white" word as depicted in the book was more yellow-beige, and I think that might confuse kids, as the "black" word was actually black, and also who has skin which is actually black? Maybe I am overanalyzing it. But as a start, it's a good effort.

[Suzanne Snead]

Set in the same style as the ever popular The Book With No Pictures, this book tackles a BIG topic in the most simplest of ways for even your youngest readers/listeners.

Great primer for parents, teachers, counselors and librarians to ease into a tough topic and spark important, relevant conversations with kids about racism, respecting and appreciating differences, movements that can change mindsets and more.

[Z'Nia Morris]

I really love this book because it teaches kids about standing up for one another. The book defines the word racism and explains why it happens. What I love most about the book is how there is a page that has the word ‘racism’ all over and it say” And it happens all the time.” Another thing I love about the book is when he was emphasizing on a word, it came to life. I would definitely read this to my kids.

[Abby Peskin]

This book does a great job breaking down a very difficult concept into simple language. I definitely understand why pictures may have been inappropriate, but kids may find it difficult to hold their attention without them unless they are older. If they're older, they may find that they want an even more nuanced explanation/definition. I think this is a book that I would use in a specific curriculum or lesson.

[Kristin Cleary]

Direct and straightforward.

Looking to start a conversation with your kids? This book is direct, simple, straightforward and loving. I purchased it as a kindle book today and look forward to purchasing a print copy for my school library when it’s back in stock. Highly recommend.

[Diana Lebeaux]

This book is short, but it’s a solid starting point to help move conversations about racism to the next level after introducing it verbally on your own with kids in the 5-7 range or, with older kids, as a place to start for families who haven’t had these conversations at all yet. It will leave kids with questions rather than answers, but that is a good starting place.

[Susan]

We watched a video of the author reading this on YouTube with the kiddos and it was perfect for the 5 year old. Very to-the-point and kid friendly. He *did* curl into a ball and cry after we read it though (he said because it wasn’t “fun” and he likes fun books) but we talked about it and he gets it.

[Rebekah]

Looks just like The Book With No Pictures. It really is very simply done, not dumbed down, but an introduction for little kids (listed as 6+ I think it could go younger) of an important topic. Putting words to a personal subject that grows in understanding in time so we can stand up for others or recognize our own pain.