Friday, July 31, 2020

Children's Books to Encourage Racial Awareness

How do we teach children about racial awareness?
How do we etch the foundations of equality in such little minds and hearts?
How do we talk about race when kids are said to not see color?


Start small.
Start with introductions.
Start with books.
Teach where you can.
Let them learn when they can.





Hair Love 
Written by Matthew A. Cherry
Illustrated by Vashti Harrison


Fiction-- Realistic

Seven year old, Zuri, attempts to style her think, kinky hair while watching an instructional video, narrated by her mother. Stephen, her father, attempts to help her style her hair. The two of them enter the hospital to see Zuri's mother wearing a scarf and sitting in a wheelchair. She removes the scarf, and we see that she is bald, a side effect of chemotherapy.

Awards
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Short Film (Animated) at the 92nd Academy Awards
Winner of the Black Reel Awards for Outstanding Independent Short Film

Matthew A. Cherry's Website
http://www.matthewacherry.com/

Website Emphasis on Hair Love
http://www.matthewacherry.com/hair-love

Oscar Winning Short Film of Hair Love
A seven minute animated short film of a father, Stephen, his daughter, Zuri, and her hair.





Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library
Written by Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Eric Velasquez


Non-fiction-- Biography
Grades: 3-5 and 6-8

Rican Arturo Schomburg, a Puerto Rican boy who moved to America, was told by his fifth grade teacher that "Africa's sons and daughters had no history, no heroes worth noting". After hearing this, he dedicated his life to ensure that future generations learned about Africa and and African American's powerful heritage.

Information on Rican Arturo Schomburg

Carole Boston Weatherford's Website

Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story
Written by Ruby Bridges



Non-fiction-- Autobiography
Grades: Pre-K and K-2

You can also find other books by and about Ruby Bridges for older children!
Check out the following:
  • Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges (Grades 5-7)
  • The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles and illustrated by George Ford (Grades: 2-3)
  • Ruby Bridges: A Brave Child Who Made History by Jeri Cipriano (Grades: Pre-K and K-3)

Additional Information on Ruby Bridges

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X
Written by
Illustrated by


Happy in Our Skin
Written by Fran Manushkin
Illustrated by Lauren Tobia


Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Written by Andrew Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn


The Day You Begin
Written by Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez


The Snowy Day
Written by Ezra Jack Keats


The Youngest Marcher
The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks a Young Civil Rights Activist
Written by Cynthia Levinson
Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton



Non-fiction-- Biography

Nine year old, Audrey Faye Hendricks, was the youngest known child to be arrested for a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. The picture book follows her story as she listens and watches the grown ups around her talk about segregation.




Awards and Honors
ILA Teacher's Choices
CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best
Carter G. Woodson Book Award of NCTFSS
Great Lakes Great Books Master List
Comstock Read Aloud Book Award Honor
ALA Notable Book
Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year Selection Title
Rhode Island Children's Book Award Nominee
Eureka! Excellence in Nonfiction Award Honor Title
Wisconsin State Reading Association's Reading List
Washington State Towner Award Nominee
Julia Ware Howe Young Reader Award

Simon & Schuster's Publishing Website

Cynthia Levinson's Website

Website Emphasis on The Youngest Marcher


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Children's Books to Encourage Racial Awareness

How do we teach children about racial awareness? How do we etch the foundations of equality in such little minds and hearts? ...