“A Kids Book About Racism” - Jelani Memory

There are adults out there that could benefit from this simple breakdown (the same crowd that needs to hear that white privilege doesn’t mean your life hasn’t been hard; it means it hasn’t been made harder due to your race). 

Memory uses clear terminology and the assistance of typography to create this book that is about exactly what it says: racism. It turns out, kids are never too young to start learning about our world as it actually is (not the “I don’t see color” nonsense). Memory tackles a fraught subject by cutting through it with simplicity. No judgement calls. No moral grandstanding. Just simple and thoughtful explanations. 

I wasn’t sure about the age group for which this book would be suitable, but I knew I wanted it for one of my kids. It’s perfect for the preschool/very early reader group. The older kids will find it too basic. That’s not to say that they won’t benefit from overhearing it being read aloud to a younger sibling though!