Be Anti-Racist: Kids Books About Race and Racism

What's the Difference?

Being Different Is Amazing

by Richards, Doyin

Book - 2017

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Antiracist Baby

by Kendi, Ibram X.

Board Book - 2020

Take your first steps with Antiracist Baby! Or rather, follow Antiracist Baby 's nine easy steps for building a more equitable world. With bold art and t...Show more Take your first steps with Antiracist Baby! Or rather, follow Antiracist Baby 's nine easy steps for building a more equitable world. With bold art and thoughtful yet playful text, Antiracist Baby introduces the youngest readers and the grown-ups in their lives to the concept and power of antiracism. Show less

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A Is for Activist

by Nagara, Innosanto

Book - 2013

The bestselling ABC book for families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that we believe in and fight for The bestselling ABC book for families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that we believe in and fight for Show less

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Something Happened in Our Town

A Child's Story About Racial Injustice

by Celano, Marianne

Book - 2018

After discussing the police shooting of a local Black man with their families, Emma and Josh know how to treat a new student who looks and speaks differen...Show more After discussing the police shooting of a local Black man with their families, Emma and Josh know how to treat a new student who looks and speaks differently than his classmates. Includes an extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers that provides general guidance about addressing racism with children, child-friendly vocabulary definitions, conversation guides, and a link to additional online resources for parents and teachers. Show less

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Last Stop on Market Street

by De la Peña, Matt

Book - 2016

A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things. A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things. Show less

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When We Were Alone

by Robertson, David

Book - 2016

When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother's garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided h...Show more When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother's garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully colored clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where all of these things were taken away. When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history, and, ultimately, one of empowerment and strength. Show less

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Harlem's Little Blackbird

[the Story of Florence Mills]

by Watson, Renée

Book - 2012

Zora and Langston. Billie and Bessie. Eubie and Duke. If the Harlem Renaissance had a court, they were its kings and queens. But there were other, lesser ...Show more Zora and Langston. Billie and Bessie. Eubie and Duke. If the Harlem Renaissance had a court, they were its kings and queens. But there were other, lesser known individuals whose contributions were just as impactful, such as Florence Mills. Born to parents who were former-slaves Florence knew early on that she loved to sing. And that people really responded to her sweet, bird-like voice. Her dancing and singing catapulted her all the way to the stages of 1920s Broadway where she inspired songs and even entire plays! Yet with all this success, she knew firsthand how bigotry shaped her world. And when she was offered the role of a lifetime from Ziegfeld himself, she chose to support all-black musicals instead. Show less

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My Hair Is A Garden

by Cabrera, Cozbi A.

Book - 2017

After being teased yet again about her unruly hair, MacKenzie consults her neighbor, Miss Tillie, who compares hair care with tending her beautiful garden...Show more After being teased yet again about her unruly hair, MacKenzie consults her neighbor, Miss Tillie, who compares hair care with tending her beautiful garden and teaches MacKenzie some techniques. Includes tips for shampooing, conditioning, and protecting black hair, and recipes for hair products. Show less

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Schomburg

The Man Who Built A Library

by Weatherford, Carole Boston

Book - 2017

Where is our historian to give us our side? Arturo asked. Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro-Puerto Ri...Show more Where is our historian to give us our side? Arturo asked. Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro-Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk's life's passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and bring to light the achievements of people of African descent through the ages. When Schomburg's collection became so big it began to overflow his house (and his wife threatened to mutiny), he turned to the New York Public Library, where he created and curated a collection that was the cornerstone of a new Negro Division. A century later, his groundbreaking collection, known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has become a beacon to scholars all over the world. Show less

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The Day You Begin

by Woodson, Jacqueline

Book - 2018

Other students laugh when Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, introduces himself but later, he meets Angelina and discovers that he is not the only one who feels like an outsider. Other students laugh when Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, introduces himself but later, he meets Angelina and discovers that he is not the only one who feels like an outsider. Show less

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Not My Idea

A Book About Whiteness

by Higginbotham, Anastasia

Book - 2018

A white child sees a TV news report of a white police officer shooting and killing a black man. "In our family, we don't see color," his mother ...Show more A white child sees a TV news report of a white police officer shooting and killing a black man. "In our family, we don't see color," his mother says, but he sees the colors plain enough. An afternoon in the library's history stacks uncover the truth of white supremacy in America. Racism was not his idea and he refuses to defend it. Show less

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The Skin You Live in

by Tyler, Michael

Book - 2016

Rhyming text and illustrations celebrate being content with the skin in which one lives, whatever that skin might be. Rhyming text and illustrations celebrate being content with the skin in which one lives, whatever that skin might be. Show less

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Separate Is Never Equal

Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation

by Tonatiuh, Duncan

Book - 2014

Years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez, an eight-year-old girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritag...Show more Years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez, an eight-year-old girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, played an instrumental role in Mendez v. Westminster, the landmark desegregation case of 1946 in California Show less

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Let It Shine

Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters

by Pinkney, Andrea Davis

Book - 2000

Pinkney presents portraits of 10 African-American activists for the causes of abolition, women's rights and civil rights. Pinkney presents portraits of 10 African-American activists for the causes of abolition, women's rights and civil rights. Show less

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Skin Again

by hooks, bell

Book - 2004

The skin I'm in is just a covering. It cannot tell my story. The skin I'm in is just a covering. If you want to know who I am, you have got to come inside...Show more The skin I'm in is just a covering. It cannot tell my story. The skin I'm in is just a covering. If you want to know who I am, you have got to come inside and open your heart way wide. Celebrating all that makes us unique and different, Skin Again offers new ways to talk about race and identity. Show less

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Freedom Summer

by Wiles, Deborah

Book - 2001

In 1964, Joe is pleased that a new law will allow his best friend John Henry, who is African American, to share the town pool and other public places with him, but he is dismayed to find that prejudice still exists. In 1964, Joe is pleased that a new law will allow his best friend John Henry, who is African American, to share the town pool and other public places with him, but he is dismayed to find that prejudice still exists. Show less

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The Other Side

by Woodson, Jacqueline

Book - 2001

Two girls, one white and one black, gradually get to know each other as they sit on the fence that divides their town. Two girls, one white and one black, gradually get to know each other as they sit on the fence that divides their town. Show less

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The Colors of Us

by Katz, Karen

Book - 2002

Seven-year-old Lena and her mother observe the variations in the color of their friends' skin, viewed in terms of foods and things found in nature. Seven-year-old Lena and her mother observe the variations in the color of their friends' skin, viewed in terms of foods and things found in nature. Show less

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The Soccer Fence

A Story of Friendship, Hope and Apartheid in South Africa

by Bildner, Phil

Book - 2014

Each time Hector watches white boys playing soccer in Johannesburg, South Africa, he dreams of playing on a real pitch one day. After the fall of apartheid, when he sees the 1996 African Cup of Nations team, he knows that his dream can come true. Each time Hector watches white boys playing soccer in Johannesburg, South Africa, he dreams of playing on a real pitch one day. After the fall of apartheid, when he sees the 1996 African Cup of Nations team, he knows that his dream can come true. Show less

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We March

by Evans, Shane

Book - 2012

Illustrations and brief text portray the events of the 1963 march in Washington, D.C., where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a historic speech. Illustrations and brief text portray the events of the 1963 march in Washington, D.C., where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a historic speech. Show less

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The Lions of Little Rock

by Levine, Kristin

Book - 2012

In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy twelve-year-old Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration, but her friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her find her voice and fight against racism. In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy twelve-year-old Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration, but her friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her find her voice and fight against racism. Show less

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Iggie's House

by Blume, Judy

Paperback - 2014

Winnie Barringer's best friend, Iggie, has moved away. How is Winnie going to make it through summer vacation? Then the Garber family moves into Iggie's House, and Winnie is thrilled. The problem is, not everyone is as welcoming as Winnie. Winnie Barringer's best friend, Iggie, has moved away. How is Winnie going to make it through summer vacation? Then the Garber family moves into Iggie's House, and Winnie is thrilled. The problem is, not everyone is as welcoming as Winnie. Show less

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Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry

by Vaught, Susan

Paperback - 2016

A family mystery leads Dani Beans to investigate the secrets of Ole Miss and the dark history of race relations in Oxford, Mississippi. A family mystery leads Dani Beans to investigate the secrets of Ole Miss and the dark history of race relations in Oxford, Mississippi. Show less

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Sylvia & Aki

by Conkling, Winifred

Book - 2011

At the start of World War II, Japanese-American third-grader Aki and her family are sent to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona, while Mexican-American ...Show more At the start of World War II, Japanese-American third-grader Aki and her family are sent to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona, while Mexican-American third-grader Sylvia's family leases their Orange County, California, farm and begins a fight to stop school segregation. Show less

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Fast Break

by Lupica, Mike

Paperback - 2016

Since his mother's death, Jayson, twelve, has focused on basketball and surviving but he is found out and placed with an affluent foster family of a diffe...Show more Since his mother's death, Jayson, twelve, has focused on basketball and surviving but he is found out and placed with an affluent foster family of a different race, and must learn to accept many changes, including facing his former teammates in a championship game. Show less

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