Anti-Racist Children’s Books

The Parker Inheritance

Written by Varian Johnson

Summary

Young Candice Miller moves into her recently passed grandmother’s house. She discovers that the town she’s staying in has some interesting history with her grandmother and other families. Finding out that her grandmother was fired from her government job was startling for Candice. But finding out why had her even more intrigued. Wrapped up in the mystery of some hidden treasure in the town left by one of the historic families, Candice’s grandmother passes on her desire to uncover the secrets to Candice, along with some of the clues and hints.

Personal Reflection

Like the characters in the book, Varian Johnson is an African American and uses his cultural background to create the characters with an authentic cultural perspective. As an African American who writes characters that are African American, he is an #OwnVoices writer. On his website, he explains the story that inspired the creation of this book. When he was younger, he was unfairly stopped and searched by a police officer seemingly because of his skin color. The policeman saw Varian and his brother as suspects in a drug deal when in reality, Varian was picking his brother up from the airport. Varian goes on to express the innocents of his actions that were turned cold by the policeman’s unfair assessment of the boys. The part of that instance that I find incredible is that the policeman gave reason to stopping the boys because he thought they didn’t seem familiar with each other. The brothers are not only related, but they are in fact twins. For stopping the boys because of their suspect unfamiliar behavior, the two boys are in fact identical twins. It speaks to the racial injustice these boys faced.

He is also from South Carolina, where the setting of the story takes place. Being from South Carolina, he also offers some realistic incite to what it was like living there that the reader gets to experience or possibly relate to by reading the story.

The book is centered around the racial injustices faced, in the past and present. The story is centered around the mystery of the forty million dollar treasure hidden somewhere in the town with clues written in a letter to show where the treasure is hidden. This fortune is to give justice on the Washington family experienced harsh trauma because of their race.

Though this book is centered around the racial injustice happening presently and historically, there are also some other critical issues presented in the story. Many times throughout the book, the character, Candice, recognizes gender differences. Though she seems unbothered by the societal roles placed on genders her new friend, Brandon, is different. He tried hiding the fact that he reads and enjoys books that have female protagonists and genres that have been deemed “for females”. Later, the readers find out that Brandon is being bullied by some other kids because they perceive him to be feminine. So while Candice is dealing with the divorce of her parents and the realization of her grandmother’s past, Brandon is dealing with bullying based on gender norms. Reading this book with students opens a lot of different doors about past and present racism, bullying, gender identity, divorce, and much more. There are a lot of different discussions that could be had with students and this book is a great one to open that door for students to speak about.

Awards

· Coretta Scott King Honor Book

· Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor

· Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2018

· Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018

· Scholastic Gold Book

Something Happened In Our Town

Written by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard

Illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin

Summary

This is a story starts with a little girl who hears talk about an African American man who was shot and killed by the police. Curious as she was, she decided to ask her family about it. After talking to her parents, she learned about the racism in history and how it is still prevalent in today’s society. The story then follows another child who is African American and his learning of the man who was killed by police. His family shows a similar but new perspective about racism in America. The family focuses on racism in the police force and they talk about what they can do to combat the racism and make a change. The last story follows a young boy who is an immigrant and new in school. When he seemed to be left alone at recess, the first two children in the story remember what they learned from their families about making a change and being kind to others no matter their skin color. The two kids decided to befriend the young boy and stick up for him during recess.

Personal Reflection

This children’s book is a great story with a powerful message about racism in America. The authors have woven a story about three different characters offering three unique perspectives but find a way to come together in the end to fight injustice. With racism in the police force being a topic that is being more talked about today, children might see it on the news or hear things about it just like the characters in the story. This book provides a great outlet for children to learn more about the issue and approach the topic for discussion.

With the book representing three children from three different cultural backgrounds, the book offers a unique perspective for the readers. They can see tree different viewpoints and one of which they might identify with. Having three different characters also offers an authentic cultural perspective. The authors of the book all have PhDs, have studied and advocated for racial justice, and one of which is a Person of Color who used her cultural background to help create a culturally authentic story.

The book also mentioned some famous African American leaders, like Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela, who inspired and created great changes in America and the world. Hearing these names in a children’s book like this might inspire some children to learn more about these great leaders and their accomplishments. Hearing about them also might inspire them to make a great change in society just like them.

The ending in this story is unique because a lot books that I have read where the author tries to persuade the reader to make a difference in the world, it is usually done by some big event like a protest. However, in this story the authors ended it with the three characters coming together and standing up for one another on the playground. Doing so conveyed the idea that though a big event like a protest has the power to make big changes, even small changes in life like standing up for the new kid can also make a difference. I think the ending will give a lot of ideas on how to make small but impactful changes to make the world a better place. If this story is read with the class, it might be a great idea to discuss some of these small decisions in their life that they can do to make an impact like standing up for someone.

Awards

· National Parenting Product Awards Winner

· NCSS-CBC Notable Social Students Trade Book for Young People

· Picture Book Finalist in Foreword INDIES Book Awards

References

Celano, M., Collins, M., Hazzard, A., (2020). Something Happened in Our Town. Magination Press Story Time. Retrieved on Oct, 20, 2020 from https://www.maginationpressfamily.org/stress-anxiety-in-kids/something-happened-in-our-town/

Celano, M., Collins, M., Hazzard, A., Zivoin, J., (2018). Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice. Magination Press.

Johnson, V., (2018). The Parker Inheritance. Arthur A. Levine Books.