Children’s Books to Help Talk About Racialized Violence & Social Justice

A piercing picture book about racial injustice from a child’s perspective from Taye Diggs and Shane Evans.

An accessible approach by Sesame Street that explains racism to young readers through a lens of empathy and feelings.

Based on the research that race, gender, consent, and body positivity should be discussed with toddlers on up, this read-aloud board book series offers adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way.

Race Cars is a picture book that serves as a springboard for parents and educators to discuss race, privilege, and oppression with their kids.

This chapter book edition of the groundbreaking #1 bestseller by luminaries Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds is an essential introduction to the history of racism and antiracism in America

A young reader’s edition of Emmanuel Acho’s Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, aimed at opening a dialogue and mending the racial divide in America amongst our youngest generation.

Based on the research that race, gender, consent, and body positivity should be discussed with toddlers on up, this read-aloud board book series offers adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way.

A brilliant picture book biography about Thurgood Marshall, who fought for equality during the Civil Rights Movement and served as the first Black justice on the Supreme Court, from Coretta Scott King Honor winners Kekla Magoon and Laura Freeman.

This book was made to help kids understand what systemic racism is and how it’s built into laws, schools, stories, and other inistitutions in a way that collectively makes life much harder for people of color.

Learn about identities, histories, and anti-racism work in 20 carefully laid out chapters.

Lyrical account of the day President Obama sang with a grieving nation following the 2015 shooting in a black church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The effects of racism last a lifetime, and it cannot be tolerated. Using child-friendly text and encouraging child participation and interaction, this picture book from the Questions and Feelings About … series teaches this valuable lesson in a memorable way. It includes a helpful section with advice, practical tips, and activities for caregivers and teachers.

Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness is a picture book about racism and racial justice, inviting white children and parents to become curious about racism, accept that it’s real, and cultivate justice.

Following a police shooting, two families — one White and one Black — discuss the event, its aftermath, and what they can do to help.

A person dealing with grief or depression often needs someone who will just sit quiet and listen.

In The Rabbit Listened we know that Taylor has been through a very difficult time. And now he is surrounded by concerned friends who each tell him how he should feel and what he should do to start feeling better. But it is not until they have gone and a little rabbit comes and sits quietly by his side, that he begins to process his thoughts and start to think and feel on his own.

After the atrocities of 9/11 in the States and the bombings in Brussels in early 2017, McGhee and Lemaitre reached out to one another with thoughts of hope and perseverance. The result is a lyrical and timely story about a little girl who learns the power of kindness, bravery, and friendship in the face of uncertainty.