Talk To Kids: Books
The Other Side
Jacqueline Woodson’s The Other Side is a tender story set in a small town still marked by segregation. A long fence runs through the community, and Clover, a young Black girl, is told by her mother never to cross it. On the other side lives Annie, a white girl who watches Clover and her friends play. Over time, curiosity turns into quiet determination, and the two girls begin to talk and then to sit together on the fence itself.
The book’s simple narrative and evocative watercolor illustrations capture the innocence of childhood and the yearning to connect across boundaries. Without heavy explanation, it opens space for children to think about fairness, division, and friendship. The Other Side becomes a gentle, hopeful reminder that walls don’t have to last forever.
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness
Anastasia Higginbotham’s Not My Idea is a picture book that speaks directly to children about whiteness, privilege, and racial injustice. The story follows a young white child who notices disturbing events in the news and begins to ask questions about what it means to be white in a society where people are treated differently because of skin color. Through bold collage-style illustrations and candid language, the book refuses to soften difficult truths, instead encouraging honesty and critical thought.
What makes the book powerful is its ability to spark conversations between children and adults. Rather than offering simple answers, it gives families the tools to talk about power, fairness, and responsibility. By framing whiteness as something to recognize and examine, Not My Idea provides an entry point for children to see how systems of injustice work—and how they can be challenged.
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice
Written by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, Something Happened in Our Town follows two families—one Black and one white—as they react to the police shooting of a Black man. Each family’s child is curious and unsettled, asking questions about fairness, prejudice, and the role of authority. The story alternates between perspectives, showing how children process current events and how parents can respond with honesty and care.
The illustrations and dialogue make space for readers to pause and reflect, guiding children through a complex and emotional subject. By presenting both similarities and differences in how families talk about race, the book opens conversations about justice, empathy, and systemic inequality. It’s a valuable tool for parents and educators who want to help children make sense of difficult realities while offering hope for change.
New Kid
Jerry Craft’s New Kid is a graphic novel that follows Jordan Banks, a seventh-grader who dreams of going to art school but instead enrolls in a prestigious private academy. As one of the only kids of color in his grade, Jordan finds himself navigating awkward friendships, subtle microaggressions, and the challenge of balancing life at school with the comfort of his neighborhood friends. His love for drawing becomes both an escape and a way of making sense of his experiences.
Through expressive illustrations and sharp, funny dialogue, the story captures the highs and lows of adolescence in a world where race and class shape everyday interactions. New Kid shines because it blends humor with real issues, giving readers a chance to laugh, reflect, and recognize themselves in Jordan’s story. It’s a heartfelt exploration of identity, belonging, and the importance of staying true to yourself.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
In Stamped, Jason Reynolds remixes Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning into a lively, fast-moving history written for young readers. The book traces the deliberate creation and spread of racist ideas from the colonial era to the present day, highlighting both the people who advanced them and the movements that resisted. Written in Reynolds’s direct, conversational style, it feels less like a history lesson and more like a personal conversation.
By combining centuries of history with humor, urgency, and clarity, Stamped helps readers see racism as a construct—something made, and therefore something that can be unmade. It equips teens with the knowledge to recognize bias and the imagination to envision a different future. More than just a history, the book is a challenge to understand, to question, and to take action.
The Hate You Give
Angie Thomas’s bestselling novel The Hate U Give follows Starr Carter, a sixteen-year-old girl caught between her Black neighborhood and her predominantly white private school. Starr’s life is upended when she witnesses the fatal police shooting of her unarmed friend, an event that draws her into national headlines and ignites conflict in both of her worlds. Through Starr’s voice, readers experience the heartbreak, fear, and anger that come with such injustice.
The novel is gripping and emotional, offering no easy answers but showing the courage required to speak out. It examines identity, loyalty, family, and activism, while holding a mirror to systemic racism in America. For teens and adults alike, The Hate U Give is both a page-turner and a call to reflect on the role we play in creating change.
