Dear LIE,
I’ve been collecting kids books with a wide variety of multicultural and anti-racist messages for years (both for my own son and for a class I teach to undergraduates that struggles with the question of how we should teach kids about race). I have found lots of great books documenting struggles for racial justice (among other themes). There are still a lot of gaps in my collection though.
One in particular seems particularly relevant now as my 9 year old white son said to me recently, “people whose ancestors came from Europe did a lot of really bad things. So we’re really bad. Does that mean I’m bad?” We had a wonderful conversation addressing this comment. But it made clear how few images of anti-racist whites the kids books in my collection had. So I’m wondering if anyone has a recommendation for kids’ books that show whites working as allies against racism alongside people of color (in any historical period).
Thanks,
Jennifer
What do you think of Maniac Magee and Holes?
You asked about “kids’ books that show whites working as allies against racism”, but there are also other sorts of books that will help. Stories that show the complexity of racism, like Smoky Night (a picture book about riots in LA), where the Black family is the main characters, and the mom has kept her distance from an Asian neighbor until the crisis. I cry every time I read it.
I’ve put together a bibliography of kids’ books I like (many are multicultural). You can check it out here.
“Underground to Canada” by Barbara Smucker
Reading Level: Maybe grade 4/5 to grade 7? A good “read aloud” for younger children.
Contains “bad” and “good” white characters. The main focus in on the young, female protagonist’s escape from slavery with help in part from the underground railroad. The author includes white characters (some based on historical figures) that clearly are working as allies in a dangerous climate without making their contribution seem more “heroic” than the courage and strength that Julily’s epic journey requires of her.
“As Good As Anybody”by Richard Michelson
Jennifer,
Have you considered teaching your son that Europeans are not the only ones that did “bad” things? Can you teach him about the colonization of Europe by Asians (the Mongolian Empire), by the Turks (the Ottoman Empire), and the Islamic colonization of Europe that reached from the Balkans to Central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula?
We certainly need more books like this.
Two biographies of white men who fought against slavery: Amazing Grace: The Story of the Hymn by Linda Granfield, about John Newton’s transformation from a slave trader to an abolitionist and minister; and John Brown: His Fight for Freedom, about the life of the controversial abolitionist warrior.
Two fiction picture books about the Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of a friendship between a white and black child, and the action the children choose to take: The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson and Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles.
Jennifer, I’m interested in your course on teaching kids about race, as it’s a topic I’m exploring myself, and would like to know more. Would you be willing to contact me through my blog?
Thanks,
Annie