Parents and educators often feel ill equipped to talk to kids about race. Race and racism are such complicated, painful topics. The good news is that there are many helpful children’s books about race and racism that we can use to spark conversations with kids of all ages.
In this post you’ll find a variety of children’s book about race, from picture books to middle grades and young adult novels. Some books talk about skin tone, some focus on personal racial prejudice, and others address systemic racism.
Since there are so many books on this list, I’ve broken them down into categories. Click on any heading below to go straight to that section:
- Picture books about race and skin tone
- Picture books and chapter books about race and personal prejudice
- Picture books and chapter books about race and systemic racism
- Picture books and chapter books about race and antiracist resistance
You can also shop the full book list on Bookshop.org. Your purchase supports both independent bookstores and my business.
Disclosure: For your convenience, this post includes affiliate links. If you purchase items through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I received copies of the following books from the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review (all opinions are my own): Hues of You, Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned In School, The Awesome Kids Guide to Race, Undercover Latina, The Antiracist Kid, and I Am the Spirit of Justice. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Picture books about race and skin tone
Be sure to check the age recommendation listed after each book!
Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Isabel Roxas
This book is a must-have for families and classrooms with preschool and kindergarten-age children. It covers so many topics, starting with identifying and loving your own skin tone. Children also learn why we have different skin tones, and some of the racial labels that people use to correlate will all those shades of skin.
What really sets this book for young children apart is how it explains that the made up idea of race was used to fuel racism. The authors talk about racism not as just individual people being mean, but as a way that white people get power. The book gives children relatable examples of racism that are likely to happen in young children’s worlds. Finally, children are encouraged to challenge racism by speaking up, changing unfair rules, and learning. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7. Black author (Madison); White author (Ralli.)
Related Post: How to talk to kids about race – a guide for White parents
All the Colors We Are: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color/Todos los colores de nuestra piel by Katie Kissinger. Illustrated by Chris Bohnhoff.
Preschool age children are often curious and confused about where skin color comes from. This bilingual English/Spanish picture book unpacks our skin tones are influenced by melanin, where our ancestors are from, and the sun. The photographs capture a variety of families and children with many different skin tones.
Note: The book itself doesn’t talk about race or use racial labels. When I used this book at our children’s Peace Camp, we followed up the book by talking about the different racial labels society uses (Black, White, Latino, Asian, Native American, and Arab) and where each group’s ancestors are from. (Recommended for ages 3 – 6. White author.)
Related post: 14 picture books about multiracial families
Hues of You by Lucretia Carter Berry. Illustrated by Adia Carter.
Hues of You is an activity book that help kids identify their own particular skin tone, as well as hues of other people in their lives. The book also covers hair textures, melanin and where ancestors lived, eye colors, and the clothes we wear. The glossary and activities in Hues of You gives children the accurate language for our physical differences, and includes additional resources for adults for discussing not only physical differences, but differences in culture as well. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10. Black author.)
Black Is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes.
When you consider books about race, remember to include joy! This book is a beautiful celebration of all things black. Many diverse images celebrated in the book are things that are the color black and are also expressions of Black culture. Black dirt that grows sunflowers, the black braids of a child, and the black of Thurgood Marshall’s robe are all celebrated. As a follow up conversation to the book, adults can also point out or help children brainstorm beautiful things that are black. One of my favorite things in my kitchen, for example, is the sturdy and sleek cast iron skillet that belonged to my great grandmother. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7. Black author.)
Related post: 15 picture books filled with Black joy
Books about race and prejudice for children and teens
Someone New by Anne Sibley O’Brien
This followup to I’m New Here features the same characters but tell the story from a different perspective. In I’m New Here, we heard from Jin, Fatimah, and Maria what it was alike to adjust to a new school in the United States. In Someone New, we watch Jesse, Jason, and Emma’s figure out how to welcome their new classmates despite barriers of language, and at times, their own prejudice. (Recommended for ages 3 – 6. White author. )
Don’t Touch My Hair! by Sharee Miller
There are so many good children’s books about race and hair. I chose this one because it has an important message for Black children who are proud of their hair, and for non-Black children who need to learn not to objectify their friends and classmates.
Aria loves her soft and bouncy hair that “grows up toward the sun like a flower.” Other people love her hair too, but in a way that doesn’t always make her feel good. They keep trying to touch her hair without permission. She imagines all the ways she might hide her hair, like swimming underwater. But even there, a curious octopus wants to touch it!
Finally, Aria decides to stand up for herself, and tell people how she really feels when they touch her hair without permission. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7. Black author.)
Related post: How to talk about microaggressions with kids
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi.
One of the most important lessons we can teach young children about bias and racism is the importance of honoring each other’s names and speaking them correctly.
Unhei is preparing for her first day of school. It was only a short while ago that she and her parents said goodbye to her grandmother in Korea. At the airport, her grandmother gave Unhei a special gift: a little block of wood that she soon learns is a name stamp.
But when Unhei tells the kids on the school bus her name, some of them say it wrong. Others start making nonsense rhymes. When her teacher asks her to share her name with the class a little later, Unhei says that she’s going to pick an American name soon.
Classmates offer to help her find a new name, filling up a jar with suggestions. It’s only when a new friend asks her about her Korean name stamp that Unhei begins to think about her name differently. (Recommended for ages 5 – 9. Korean-American author.)
Related post: 14 children’s books about immigrants and refugees
Eyes That Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho. Illustrated by Dung Ho.
As you read children’s books about race, remember to include stories that focus on Asian experiences. In this follow-up to the stellar book Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, a young Chinese-American boy is hurt by a white friend’s drawing of him that gives him slits for eyes. In poetic language and imaginative glowing illustrations, his Baba shows him all the promise and beauty that the boy’s eyes, and the eyes of all the men in his family, hold.
While the primary audience for this book is East Asian children, it can also be a valuable conversation starter about White dominance. Why does Kurt (the White child who makes the drawing) draw the main character this way? What is hurtful about it, and how does it differ from how the boy actually looks? What can we say when someone believes that a particular eye shape, hair texture, or skin tone is better or worse than others? (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Chinese/Taiwanese-American author.)
Related post: Why social justice education starts with self-love
The Proudest Color by Sheila Modir and Jeffrey Kashou. Illustrated by Monica Mikai.
As she prepares for her first day of school, Zahra thinks about all the colors she uses to express herself. Most of all she loves the warmth and glow of brown, which is also the color she sees when she looks in the mirror. At school, though, most of the children do not look like her, and her white classmate Zoe loudly notes “you’re so dark. I don’t like brown” during recess.
Back home, Zahra’s family members remind her of all the people who share her brown skin (in different shades and from different ethnicities) who are in her life or have made important contributions to the world. At the close of the book, Zoe and Zahra exchange letters where Zoe apologizes for her remarks and Zahra reminds her of all the beautiful things that are brown. This model of repair and accountability is an important one for white children to see, and unfortunately is sometimes missing from kids’ books about race. Note that the electronic edition of the book may not include Zoe and Zahra’s letters to each other. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7. Middle Eastern American authors.)
Related post: 15 children’s books that address white privilege and white supremacy
Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Since her best friend Galen died in a car accident, Cassidy Rain Berghoff has decided she’s not interested in interacting with the rest of her small Kansas town. Her aunt Georgia wants her to participate in a youth Indian Camp she’s put together, but that would involve leaving the house every day. It’s only after Galen’s mom wages a campaign against the camp that Rain decides to come out of her isolation.
Like all of Cynthia Letitich Smith’s books, this novel challenges stereotypes about what it means to be Native American. It also raises questions about how young Indigenous people can embrace their heritages in a society oriented to Whiteness. (Recommended for ages 12+. Muscogee Creek author.)
Related post: 15 Indigenous children’s books set in the present day
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
American Born Chinese is a perfect example of the complexity that can be expressed in a graphic novel. In this unique young adult book about race, Yang intertwines multiple story lines that eventually come together. There’s Jin, a Chinese American student in love with an “all American” White girl. We meet the Monkey King, who’s rejected by the immortal gods in heaven, even though he’s been mastering the heavenly disciplines for thousands of years. And there’s Danny, who hates it when his cousin Chin Kee comes to visit each year, ruining his relationships at school.
The book helps us understand the impact that racism has on identity and self-esteem. Many teens will need some help from a knowledgeable adult to be able to unpack the themes of the book, especially understanding the role of an over the top stereotypical character. (Recommended for ages 13+. Chinese-American author.)
Books about race and systemic racism for children and teens
Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel and Shane W. Evans
When race conscious adults hear the phrase “hands up,” we likely also think of the words “don’t shoot,” chanted at so many Black Lives Matter rallies. Author Breanna McDaniel thinks of how “hands up” signals activism, but also many daily activities in a young Black girl’s life. When she plays peek-a-boo, when she stretches up to the kitchen sink, and when she begs her siblings to choose her for a game, her hands go up.
The final scene of the book shows her declaring “hands up!” at a rally, where marchers hold their signs high, covered in slogans that remind us to raise our hands and voices for justice. (Recommended for ages 4 – 7. Black author.)
Related post: 15 books that help kids and teens understand Black Lives Matter
Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School by Tiffany Jewell.
Tiffany Jewell is one of my go-to experts for learning about systemic racism and sharing those learnings with children and teens. This unique young adult book is a blend of memoir, history, and sociology that provides a comprehensive look at how racism impacts Black and Brown students in subtle and overt ways.
Jewell thoughtfully reflects on her lifetime of education, beginning with early elementary experiences of having some limited privilege because Jewell has light skin and her mother is White. She weaves her own experiences into the broader history of segregation, racist academic tracking, underfunded schools in Black and Brown neighborhoods, and Eurocentric curriculum.
Jewell also provides actionable advice to Black and Brown students about their rights and ways to advocate for themselves at school. White students also have much to learn from her experiences and those of the many collaborating authors and educators who contributed essays and poems about their school years.
I highly recommend this book not only for teens, but for K- 12 and college educators as well. (Recommended for ages 13+. Black biracial author.)
When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson. Illustrated by Julie Flett.
There are several children’s books about race that address the tragic legacy of Indigenous boarding schools. This one is the best story I’ve found for very young readers.
As a young Cree girl spends the day with her Nókom (grandmother), she has many questions about why Nókom does the things she does. Why does she dress so colorfully? Nókom tells her that when she was a girl and was sent to a school far away from home, they had to wear dark clothes. But sometimes, when the children were alone, they would roll around in the fall leaves, so they could be colorful again.
Each question reveals another aspect of the tragic history of boarding schools for the First Nations peoples of Canada, but in a way that is age appropriate for young children. I love that Nókom always shares a way that the children resisted their oppression and remembered who they were, when they were alone. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Cree author.)
Related post: Do’s and don’ts for teaching about Native Americans in preschool and kindergarten
Milo’s Museum by Zetta Elliott. Illustrated by Purple Wong.
Milo is excited about their class trip to a museum, but her enthusiasm slowly turns to discomfort as she realizes that her history is not reflected in any of the exhibits. When she tells Aunt Vashti about it, she suggests Milo write a letter to the museum curator, or maybe even create her own museum. Soon Milo’s playhouse is filled with items that tell the story of her family and her culture, from the model of the goddess Isis to great-great-grandpa Jack’s World War II medal.
This inspiring book about race provides accessible examples of how systemic racism impacts kids’ everyday lives, and how they can resist racism. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Black author.)
Related post: When discussing racism makes children of color feel ashamed
We Came to America by Faith Ringgold.
It’s very hard to find children’s books that truthfully acknowledge the many different ways people arrived in America, while also drawing attention to the fact that Indigenous people have been here for thousands of years before America existed. The simple text and moving illustration of We Came to America do both of those things, making it a must have in your collection of picture books about race.
Readers learn that “some of us were already here. Some of us were brought in chains, losing our freedom and our names.” Families of many ethnicities are shown coming to America to leave behind injustice, fear, and pain. Yet they also bring their “joyful songs, our stories wise and true.” (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Black author.)
Something Happened In Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard.
This engaging and important children’s book about race was written by three child psychologists. It’s an excellent resource that helps caregivers talk to children about police shootings. The story follows two children, one White and one Black, who are in the same class at school. All the adults in town have been talking about a police shooting of a Black man. Kids have overheard their conversations, and have questions.
The children’s questions prompt responses from their parents that unpack the legacy of racism in the United States, as well as Black resistance to racism. The story has a variety of levels, and children will experience it differently at different ages. The book also includes extensive notes for parents on countering racism, including resources specifically designed for Black families. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10. Black author – Collins; White authors: Celano and Hazzard.)
Related post: Talking to kids about police violence and race (resource hub)
Mama’s Nightingale by Edwidge Danticat. Illustrated by Leslie Staub.
Although it’s not an easy topic, children need to learn about the harm that the U.S. immigration system causes so many families. When Saya’s mother is taken to immigration detention, Saya misses her voice so much that she listens to the answering machine message Mama leaves in Creole.
Once they’re able to have visits at the detention center, Mama sings Saya the song of the wosiyol, a Haitian nightingale. When Saya becomes distraught after one of their visits, Mama mails Papa a tape of a bedtime story she’s told for Saya. As Saya and her Papa fight for justice for Mama, Saya is comforted by the weekly tapes that Mama sends. (Recommended for ages 5 – 9. Haitian-American author.)
Not My Idea by Anastasia Higginbotham.
Although this is a picture book, this book about race is by no means means simple, and is best suited for older elementary children. Higginbotham made this book for her White children to help them grapple with how they can dismantle White dominance.
The graphic novel style illustrations show a young boy who hears about a police shooting of a Black person on the news. But when he wants answers from the adults around him, he’s told that color doesn’t matter. This child already senses how his whiteness protects him in everyday interactions.
The book lets children know that they can face the truth about racism. While many White people participated in or ignored racism, the book also gives kids examples of White people who took action to support Black liberation. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12)
Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi, and Sonja Cherry-Paul.
This book about race provides a sophisticated yet accessible analysis of the history of racism in the United States. Where did racist ideas start? Who has spread them throughout history, and who has resisted them? How does history affect our present day experiences of race? How can kids spot when racist ideas are influencing their own thinking, and what can they do instead? This kid-friendly version of Kendi’s adult book Stamped from the Beginning addresses all these questions and more.
Reynolds and Cherry-Paul have adapted the book in a way that’s conversational, with short chapters that don’t get bogged down into too much detail. Unlike many history lessons about race that only tell kids about enslavement and the civil rights movement, children will learn how racist ideas have influenced every period of American history. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Black authors. See also the authors’ version for teens: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You.)
Us In Progress by Lulu Delacre.
The children and teens who star in these compelling short stories come from many different heritages and circumstances. There’s Marla, who worries about whether she’ll develop diabetes like her mom, and becomes determined to join a local cycling group despite obstacles. We meet Luci, who takes her older sister’s bullying for granted until her best friend and baby sister give her the courage to speak up.
This is a book about race, culture, family, and more. Many of the stories relate to themes of immigration, identity, and racism. Frank has always been encouraged by his grandfather to be proud of his “Spanish blood” and look down on Mayans and other Indians. But when he meets a K’iche girl seeking aslyum, his prejudices begin to crumble.
Carla has recently discovered her older sister Esperanza’s secret. Unlike Carla, she is undocumented. But a flyer Carla sees about the DACA program gives her hope that she can help Esperanza.
When Emilio’s older brother has a seizure because of his epilepsy, Emilio calls 911. When the police arrive, the results for his brother are disastrous, and the family has to grapple with choices no one wants to make. (Recommended for ages 10+. Puerto-Rican/Argentinean author.)
Related post: 12 middle grade books for Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson.
Kids can sometimes have trouble understanding that in the timelines of our nation’s history, Jim Crow segregation ended not that long ago. The Parker Inheritance, a mystery novel that merges with historical fiction, helps bring that truth home.
Candice’s grandmother was the first Black city manager for the small city of Lambert, South Carolina. But she was pushed out of her job after she did something no one in town could make sense of. Candice doesn’t understand either, until she finds a letter addressed to her grandmother about Siobhan Washington, a young Black woman who was forced out of Lambert in the 1950’s. Candice has to know more.
The letter promises a reward to anyone who can solve a puzzle related to the injustice Washington experienced. As Candice and her friend Brandon investigate, they not only uncover ugly truths about Lambert’s past. They also see how the legacy of racism continues in the community today. (Recommended for ages 10+. Black author.)
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III and James Mark Yellowhawk
Jimmy McClean gets teased by white and Lakota students alike at school. With blue eyes and light brown hair, others question whether Jimmy is really Lakota. Jimmy’s grandfather tells him that there was once a great Lakota leader who also had brown hair and light skin: Crazy Horse. Grandpa suggests that they take a journey this summer, to visit all the important places where Crazy Horse made history.
There are too few books that tell children important events in U.S. history from Native American perspectives. This slim novel does that in an incredibly engaging way. Marshall doesn’t sugarcoat the violence of this history, but he also tells these stories in a way that’s appropriate for tweens and teens. What was most meaningful to me was watching the ways that Jimmy was changed by learning the history of his people. (Recommended for ages 10+. Lakota author.)
Separate Is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh
While most Americans have heard of the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, far fewer of us know that a lawsuit by Sylvia Mendez’s family nearly a decade earlier paved the way for this historic decision. This important book about race shows how school segregation affected Mexican Americans.
When Sylvia’s family moved to Westminster, California, they were told that Sylvia and her brothers had to attend “the Mexican school,” not the one closest to them.
Sylvia attended Hoover Elementary (“the Mexican school”), which had no playground and where children had to eat lunch on the ground outside next to a cattle field. Many of the teachers expected the children to drop out. Mr. Mendez knew this wasn’t right, and began organizing other Mexican-American parents who wanted change. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10. Mexican-American author.)
A Kids Book About Systemic Racism by Jordan Thierry
This is an excellent book about race for elementary age kids that helps them understand racism at a systemic level and not just a personal one. I like it so much that we use it in my “what can I do about racism?” workshop for kids and families.
Thierry helps make invisible patterns visible through practical examples from his own life. Kids will learn that Thierry, who is Black, didn’t have a teacher who looked like him until college. He also draws from history in order to help children understand the origins of institutional racism. (Recommended for ages 7 – 12. Black author.)
The Fair Housing Five and the Haunted House by the Greater New Orleans Fair Action Center.
This unique book was written by staff of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Center. The organization battles housing discrimination in their city post-Hurricane Katrina. This is an aspect of systemic racism that kids often don’t hear about.
Samaria and her friends love their new clubhouse, but they don’t love the haunted house across the street. When Samaria and her mom need a new place to live, it doesn’t take her long to realize their problem is even more serious than ghosts. She and her friends, now known as the Fair Housing Five, decide they’re ready to take on housing discrimination in their community. (Recommended for ages 6 – 11).
I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer. Illustrated by Gillian Newland.
In this painful and courageous story, Dupuis tells the true story her grandmother’s suffering at a residential boarding school for indigenous children. As she’s taken away from her family, her mother cries out that Irene should never forget her family, or who she is.
Irene soon discovers the meaning of her mother’s cries. Sister Mary tells Irene that she no longer has a name, and will be known as student 759. She cuts off Irene’s long hair, a great source of pride in her culture. The nuns abuse her when she speaks her native language to another child. Inside herself, Irene continues to resist how she is being treated, remembering her name, family, and culture. When she and her brothers come home for the summer, her parents are determined to keep the children from going back to boarding school, no matter what.
Although this is a picture book, I recommend it for older elementary children only because of the abuse that is described in the book. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Anishinaabe/Ojibway author – Dupuis; White author – Kacer.)
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan.
Since Amina started middle school, so much seems to be changing. Her best friend Soojin is hanging out with Emily, who used to make fun of the girls’ Pakistani and Korean lunches. Soojin even wants to change her name to something “American” when her family becomes citizens, a desire Amina can’t understand.
When Amina’s uncle arrives for a long visit from Pakistan, she overhears him questioning her love of pop music to her father. Her parents have always said that music pleases God, but Thaya Jaan thinks otherwise.
After someone attacks the community’s mosque, Amina wonders how her voice can help her community. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Pakistani-American author.)
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan.
This middle grades novel, set in the 1930s, was inspired by the life of Muñoz Ryan’s grandmother. When her family fell on hard times, she had to leave a life of privilege as the daughter of a Mexican rancher to become a farmworker in the United States.
When Esperanza’s father is ambushed and killed by bandits, her fairy tale life quickly falls apart. Her father’s brothers, who never liked Papa or his egalitarian notions, burn down the ranch after Mama refuses one of the uncle’s marriage proposal. Through careful plans made with Alfonso and Hortensia, who are the heads of Papa’s household staff, they make plans to travel in secret to the United States.
While Mama understands that their lives must change dramatically in order to be free of the uncles, Esperanza finds change much harder. Soon though, Esperanza can see how much Mama, Alfonso, Hortensia, and the other farmworkers who befriend her need to grow up and accept her new life.
I loved the way the author weaves a compelling personal story for Esperanza, while also introducing readers to the struggles of 1930s farmworkers, including efforts to unionize and the mass deportations of U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Mexican-American author.)
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorell.
Few non-Native people know about the federal government dissolved the governments of Native American tribes in the 1940s – 1960s. Relocation programs moved many Native American families from rural reservations to large cities in an attempt to assimilate them.
Children can now learn about that time through McManis’ moving novel Indian No More. Regina’s family has always been Umpqua and lived on the Grand Ronde Tribe’s reservation, located in Oregon. When her tribe’s government is dissolved and the family moves to Los Angeles, family members have different reactions to the changes.
Her father is hopeful that they’ll be able to move out of poverty, and that he’ll be treated with respect. But both Regina and her father face racism and stereotypes from people whose only knowledge of American Indians comes from western movies. Regina’s grandmother tries to remind her that she is Umpqua no matter where she lives. She often tells Regina traditional stories from their culture. Yet Regina can’t stop wishing that they could just return home.
Note: There is a scene in the book where the n word is used, though the adults in the book make it clear why this is a hateful word. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Umpqua author – McManis. Cherokee author – Sorell.)
Books about race, activism, and antiracist resistance for children and teens
I am the Spirit of Justice by Jemar Tisby and Malcolm Newsome. Illustrated by Nadia Fisher.
This lyrical and sweeping history of the movement for Black liberation is an uplifting introduction to abolition and civil rights for young readers. Short lines of meaningful text demonstrate how the “spirit of justice” lived in people while they were still free in West Africa, and as they endured and resisted enslavement, segregation, and police brutality in America.
Some books about race and racism for young children can be almost tepid in how they describe the ideas that motivated people to work for change. In contrast, Tisby and Newsome describe how in the face of slavery, the spirit of justice “erupted like a volcano. Igniting faith in the souls of those who risked everything to deliver freedom to all.” Joyful, transcendent illustrations illuminate the work of the spirit of justice through people from many different time periods.
Tisby is a Christian writer and is drawing on Christian imagery in the text, though the only explicit reference to the Holy Spirit is in the end notes, which provide more explanation about each of the page spreads. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Black authors.)
I See Color: An Affirmation and Celebration of Our Diverse World by Valerie Bolling and Kailei Pew. Illustrated by Laylie Frazier.
This unique book is much more than a celebration of differences in skin tone; it also focuses on the antiracist activism of courageous Black, Latine/x, Asian American, Indigenous, Arab American, Pacific Islander, and white leaders. Notably, the book includes leaders and movements from the present and the recent past, rather than only focusing on the 1950s and 1960s.
The moving poetic text is simple enough to read to preschoolers, with leaders and movements who are pictured on the page spread indicated at the bottom. I recommend reading the book aloud all the way through, and then asking children to flip back through the pages to point out particular leaders or movements they want to know more about. You can then flip to the end pages to tell more about that person or group’s story. I highly recommend this book! (Recommended for ages 4 – 9. Black co-author and White co-author.)
The Awesome Kids Guide to Race by Shayla Reese Griffin. Illustrated by Christina O.
The Awesome Kids Guide to Race breaks down complex concepts about race, racism, and antiracist activism to give children an accessible, truthful, and hopeful perspective. Kids of all racial and ethnic backgrounds will find examples of their ethnic ancestors and modern day activists represented, along with practical ideas about how children can challenge racism and build respectful relationships across racial lines.
I especially like the “checklist for awesome antiracist kids” provided at the end. Parents and educators alike will appreciate the simple definitions of words like race, ethnicity, and implicit bias. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10. Black author.)
The Wedding Portrait by Innosanto Nagara.
Usually, Innosanto Nagara explains, we need to follow the rules. But sometimes, when we see something wrong, we realize that breaking the rules could help stop the harm that’s happening to people.
In order to explain what’s happening in the wedding portrait that hangs in his living room, Nagara first tells stories about when people broke the rules to protest injustice. We meet Claudette Colvin, a teenager who tried to desegregate buses before Rosa Parks took her stand. Readers learn how the people of India forced the British to leave their country. We also meet present day activists, like farmworkers in Florida protesting modern day slavery, and Bree Newsom, who climbed a flagpole to take down the Confederate flag. (Recommended for ages 7 – 11. Indonesian-American author.)
Related Post: How kids think about race: what research says
Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden. Illustrated by Don Tate.
This fictionalized account of a real incident from astronaut Ron McNair’s childhood shows children the power we each have to challenge institutional racism.
Everyone at the town library knew Ron was their “best customer.” But racist library policy forbid Black children from checking out books to read at home. Ron’s decides that his mission today will be to check books out anyway. He won’t be satisfied with a white woman’s offer to check the books out for him. Despite his young age, he’s ready to stand up for justice. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Authors’ ethnicities unknown.)
We Are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell. Illustrated by Frané Lessac.
I love Sorell and Lessac’s collaboration We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, so I was delighted to learn they had created on an Indigenous Peoples’ Day themed book for older children.
Children from a variety of different Native American nations are presenting key ideas from U.S. history, such as the forced assimilation of Native peoples. While adults and children may know about events like the Trail of Tears, the book also addresses history most non-Native people don’t know about, like the relocation program that pushed many families off reservation land into cities during the 1950s. The activism of Native leaders, as well as nations’ fights for religious freedom and self-determination are central to the book.
Native American resistance to injustice is emphasize throughout the book, repeating the phrase “we are still here!”
Because each term is presented as a presentation from a child with a full page spread of illustrations, the book is accessible. There’s also a helpful timeline in the back of the book, with other educational endnotes. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Cherokee author.)
Related post: 9 ways to observe Indigenous Peoples Day with children
The Antiracist Kid: A Book about Identity, Justice, and Activism by Tiffany Jewell. Illustrated by Nicole Miles.
This book is a must-have for older elementary children that unpacks key concepts of social justice and antiracism in straightforward ways.
Jewell explains where the idea of race came from, how it’s related to ethnicity and culture, and what racism and discrimination look like at both the personal and systemic levels. Young readers will also explore which parts of their identity will remain the same throughout life and which may change.
In the “justice” section of the book, Jewell dives into the difference between justice and equality, microaggressions, how to repair harm, and what the important word “antiracist” means.
Finally children will learn about various avenues for activism and advocacy, on their own or with others. There is so much fantastic content packed into this book that it’s best read a bit at a time, to give space for children to absorb what they’re learning. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Black biracial author.)
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
In this modern classic book about race and racism, Starr Carter is a teen who’s an expert at code switching. Each day, she puts forward two different versions of herself. One for her the poor Black neighborhood where she lives, and other for the private White school that she attends. Compartmentalizing her life seems to work until her best friend Khalil is shot by the police while Starr sits in the passenger seat.
Starr’s school friends don’t realize that she knew Khalil. When her friend Hailey suggests that Khalil was a thug, Starr can no longer ignore Hailey’s pattern of racist assumptions. As Starr grapples with her relationships at school, she must also deal with the police and with activists who want her to become part of their cause against police brutality.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough for teens and adults alike.
Also, be aware that the movie version, which was adapted by a White screenwriter, distorts key aspects of the book. (Recommended for ages 13+)
Secret of the Dance by Andrea Spalding and Alfred Scow. Illustrated by Darlene Gait.
One form of institutional racism is forbidding people to practice aspects of their culture. Both the Canadian and U.S. governments barred Indigenous peoples from their religious ceremonies, which they frequently resisted in secret. This story is a fictionalized account of a real incident from co-author Scow’s childhood.
The Indian agent monitored the Kwakwa’ka’wakw Nation to try to keep them from practicing the potlach ceremony. But the elders knew that when the salmon were running, they must follow them.
After a long boat ride to follow the salmon, a little boy longs to watch his father dance. But his parents fear the Indian agent may have followed them, and there could be trouble. Without his parents knowing, he watches the ceremony from a distance, completely transfixed. (Recommended for ages 5 – 9. Kwakwak-ka-wakw author – Scow; White author – Spalding.)
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez.
When he was a child growing up in Puerto Rico, Arturo Schomburg’s fifth grade teacher told him that people of African descent had no history or heroes worth learning about. He knew she must be wrong. Arturo discovered Black inventor and astronomer Benjamin Banneker’s almanac of America, and a lifelong quest to document Black history began. His research not only unearthed Black leaders whose work is now well known. He also discovered that history had often been whitewashed. (For example, I certainly didn’t know that Beethoven was often described as a mulatto or a Moor.)
Schomburg’s enormous collection of Black history books eventually crowded out the living space in his home. His wife demanded that the books find a more public home. They were purchased for the New York Public Library, where they now make up the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Black author.)
The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love, and Truth, edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson.
This collection of essays and stories about race between parents and children covers identity, self-esteem, racism, and so much more. They’re written by many of my favorite children’s authors, addressing conversations they’ve had with their own children and students. Topics include countering stereotypes of Asian girls, what causes people to be racist, and pride in Black heritage.
Overhearing other families’ conversations about race are sure to spark meaningful ones in your own home. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Black editors; authors of various races and ethnicities.)
Three Keys by Kelly Yang.
In this powerful sequel to Front Desk, Kelly Yang shines a light on present day attacks on undocumented immigrants by revisiting California’s attempt to ban undocumented children from attending school in the 1990s.
As Mia and her best friend Lupe try to make the hotel Mia’s family purchased more successful, they also have to fight off increasing hostility towards immigrants at school and in the community. After Lupe reveals to Mia that she’s undocumented, Mia promises to keep her secret. But soon Lupe’s parents are at risk despite their best efforts to stay safe. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Chinese-American author.)
Undercover Latina by Aya de León.
This unusual middle grade book about race is a spy novel with an antiracist twist. Fourteen-year-old Andréa and her parents are part of “the Factory,” an international intelligence network focused on protecting People of Color. When a White supremacist terrorist seems on the verge of striking at a big public event, Andréa is asked to take on the role of lead spy in the case. Her assignment is to befriend Kyle, the man’s estranged son, to find any information on where the terrorist is hiding out.
Andréa will have to pass as White, telling people her name is ANN-drea, straightening her hair, and avoiding speaking Spanish. While Andréa finds a way in with Kyle through Triángulo, an elaborate tabletop roleplaying game, she also falls for her friend Ramón, who can’t know that she’s Latina.
This complex novel addresses issues of colorism, passing, white supremacy, sexism and racism in gaming culture, and so much more, all while keeping readers guessing about how the Factory will stop the terrorist. (Recommended for ages 11-15. Afro-Latine author.)
Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi. Illustrated by Yutaka Houlette.
Fred Korematsu’s life was turned upside down in 1942. He, along with tens of thousands of Japanese Americans, was ordered to report to an internment camp. But Korematsu knew that the internment order was morally wrong, so he went into hiding.
He was caught, jailed, and then sent to the same internment camp where the rest of his family had been forcibly relocated. He continued his resistance to this injustice by suing the government. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court. Korematsu lost, but decades later this social justice activist was a leader in winning restitution for Japanese Americans who were interned.
This book tells Korematsu’s story through a combination of poems, photographs, paintings, and informational text. The book also asks children questions that help them identify with his story. (Recommended for ages 9+. White author – Atkins. Japanese-American author – Yogi.)
How to Fight Racism: Young Reader’s Edition by Jemar Tisby with Josh Mosey.
This practical guide for Christian youth to understanding racism and pushing back against it is organized around a model of awareness, relationships, and commitment.
The awareness chapters teach young people about the history of racism in the United States and the many people who have fought against it. Many of the examples given involve young people, such as the murder of Emmett Till and the activism of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade.
The relationships section focuses on not only on individual friendships, but also on communal relationships and what the often-used phrase of “racial reconciliation” must really include to be authentic.
Chapters in the commitment section focus on the many different ways young people can take an active stance against racism, as individuals and with others.
There are thoughtful questions throughout the book, as well as a short guide for parents who want to support their children’s journey in fighting racism. (Recommended for ages 12+. Black author.)
View the full list of great books about race and racism for kids and teens on Bookshop.org. Your purchase supports independent bookstores and my business!
