How Do I Talk to My Kids About Race?

This board book is part of the First Conversations series, and it’s a great diving board to conversations about race. Not only does it help parents start with hard or complicated topics, but it also considers children in the way that it approaches the topic. Studies have shown that talking about things like race as young as age two helps children understand and recognize things that are unfair, and this book is an excellent tool to make that happen! 

It’s the first day of school, and Faizah cannot wait! With her new backpack and light up shoes, she’s full of anticipation for the new year, and her older sister, Asiya, will be wearing a beautiful blue hijab for the first time. When she realizes that not everyone views the hijab as beautiful, Faizah acts in sisterly solidarity against the bullies. Lovely and full of imagination, this stunning and lyrical picture book is perfect to teach little ones about the rites of passage and how words and bullying can affect others.   

Breathtakingly illustrated by Dung Ho, Eyes that Kiss in the Corners is Joanna Ho’s love letter to not only Asian children, but all children. Her debut picture book gloriously celebrates individual beauty and confidence and highlights how precious a supportive family can be. This book is the perfect read to help young readers appreciate their bodies and all the differences they might have from their peers.  

This picture book has stunning illustrations and a beautiful story you will certainly want on your shelves! It follows two girls who live on two sides of a town divided by a fence line, and both are told not to cross it. When they befriend each other anyways, getting around this rule by sitting on the fence, they begin to question why their town is segregated by race anyways. The illustrations really enhance the story and make it a must-read.  

For a picture book to help discuss hard things like racial injustice, Something Happened in Our Town is an excellent option. On top of having extra resources that you can use as a discussion guide, this book has an engaging story that will help you make sense of things that most parents don’t address with their kids. This book also includes extensive backmatter, including sample dialogues, making it the perfect book for talking to your kids about race.  

Other Words for Home is a sweet and hopeful story about a young girl named Jude who is separated from her father and brother when she moves from Syria to the U.S. with her pregnant mother. This stunning portrayal of a young girl’s contemporary immigration experience is relatable, thought-provoking and completely deserving of its Newbery Honor status. This book is perfect to discuss the different types of experiences immigrants have and the hostility based in racism they can experience. 

Twelve-year-old Donte is one of the few Black students at his wealthy prep school; even his brother is lighter-skinned and presents as white. When Donte is arrested after being framed by the captain of the fencing team, he sets out to beat him at his own game. However, through fencing, he embarks on a powerful journey of self-discovery and learns the importance of friendship, community and embracing his identity. While a relatively quick read, Black Brother, Black Brother is sure to spark important conversations on racism, colorism and the school-to-prison pipeline for a younger audience.

This must-read historical fiction novel is perfect for fans of Little House on the Prairie. Following a half-Asian girl named Hanna, it explores the prejudice and racism rarely talked about but often faced on the American frontier. Hanna chases after her dream of becoming a dressmaker in her father’s shop, making a friend, and getting an education, but along the way, she faces a lot of hard experiences. This book is a timely read about racism against people of Asian descent that we still see today.  

Not only does this book help readers examine themselves and their biases, but it also gives steps that can be applied to resist acts of racism and microaggressions. This book is meant for everyone, and it even has a guided journal to use as a companion to dive further into being anti-racist through more than 50 activities. This is the perfect tool to work towards a more welcoming and safe community for everyone. 

Recently released in paperback, and with its stunning prequel, Concrete Rose, this book is a must-read for everyone. The book follows Starr who witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend by a police officer. When the media portrays her friend as a thug and both cops and a local drug lord try to intimidate her out of speaking up about what really happened that night, Starr must decide what to do. This read will linger in your mind and is the perfect story to jumpstart these important conversations with the teens in your life.  

When Maybelline Chen’s beloved brother Danny dies by suicide, her world is shattered, and she challenges the stereotypes hurled at her parents through her writing and publishing that writing, leading to even more consequences. In her YA debut, Joanna Ho bursts onto the scene with a heart-wrenching story that explores racism, mental health, and classism while featuring a main character who takes control of the narrative. 

The is a story of a first-generation American, Liliana, who is recently accepted into a nearly all-white high school and the walls she keeps running into—the one her mom put up since her dad left, the one that separates her diverse Boston neighborhood from her high school, and the one she creates in herself to survive at school. But between family secrets coming to light and racial tensions at school hitting an all-time high, Liliana must decide what to do. You won’t want to miss this stunning read that explores themes like race, identity, and belonging.