The materials featured on this page were made possible through the Advancing Racial Equity Collection Grant with support from Lilly Endowment INC. & Indiana Humanities.
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore RaméeFrom debut author Lisa Moore Ramée comes this funny and big-hearted debut middle grade novel about friendship, family, and standing up for what's right, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give and the novels of Renée Watson and Jason Reynolds. Twelve-year-old Shayla is allergic to trouble. All she wants to do is to follow the rules. (Oh, and she'd also like to make it through seventh grade with her best friendships intact, learn to run track, and have a cute boy see past her giant forehead.) But in junior high, it's like all the rules have changed. Now she's suddenly questioning who her best friends are and some people at school are saying she's not black enough. Wait, what? Shay's sister, Hana, is involved in Black Lives Matter, but Shay doesn't think that's for her. After experiencing a powerful protest, though, Shay decides some rules are worth breaking. She starts wearing an armband to school in support of the Black Lives movement. Soon everyone is taking sides. And she is given an ultimatum. Shay is scared to do the wrong thing (and even more scared to do the right thing), but if she doesn't face her fear, she'll be forever tripping over the next hurdle. Now that's trouble, for real. "Tensions are high over the trial of a police officer who shot an unarmed Black man. When the officer is set free, and Shay goes with her family to a silent protest, she starts to see that some trouble is worth making." (Publishers Weekly, "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List")
Call Number: FIC RAM 2019
ISBN: 9780062836687
Publication Date: 2019
I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët; KerascoëtInspired by real events and told only in pictures, this is an empowering picture book from a New York Times bestselling husband-and-wife team about one girl who inspires a community to stand up to bullying. This simple yet powerful picture book tells the story of an elementary school girl named Vanessa who is bullied and a fellow student who witnesses the act and is at first unsure of how to help. I Walk with Vanessa explores the feelings of helplessness and anger that arise in the wake of seeing a classmate treated badly, and shows how a single act of kindness can lead to an entire community joining in to help. With themes of acceptance, kindness, and strength in numbers, this timeless and profound feel-good story will resonate with readers young and old.
Call Number: PIC KER 2018
ISBN: 9781524769550
Publication Date: 2018
Not My Idea by Anastasia HigginbothamAn honest explanation about how power and privilege factor into the lives of white children, at the expense of other groups, and how they can help seek justice. --THE NEW YORK TIMES ONE OFHUFFPOST'S RECOMMENDED "ANTI-RACIST BOOKS FOR KIDS AND TEENS" **A WHITE RAVEN 2019 SELECTION** NAMED ONE OFSCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL'S BEST BOOKS OF 2018 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. This book does a phenomenal job of explaining how power and privilege affect us from birth, and how we can educate ourselves...Not My Idea is an incredibly important book, one that we should all be using as a catalyst for our anti-racist education. --THE TINY ACTIVIST Quite frankly, the first book I've seen that provides an honest explanation for kids about the state of race in America today. --ELIZABETH BIRD, librarian "It's that exact mix of true-to-life humor and unflinching honesty that makes Higginbotham's book work so well..."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (*Starred Review) A much-needed title that provides a strong foundation for critical discussions of white people and racism, particularly for young audiences. Recommended for all collections. --SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (*Starred Review) A necessary children's book about whiteness, white supremacy, and resistance... Important, accessible, needed. --KIRKUS REVIEWS A timely story that addresses racism, civic responsibility, and the concept of whiteness. --FOREWORD REVIEWS For white folks who aren't sure how to talk to their kids about race, this book is the perfect beginning. --O MAGAZINE
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson; E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Clover's mom says it isn't safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But the two girls strike up a friendship, and get around the grown-ups' rules by sitting on top of the fence together. With the addition of a brand-new author's note, this special edition celebrates the tenth anniversary of this classic book. As always, Woodson moves readers with her lyrical narrative, and E. B. Lewis's amazing talent shines in his gorgeous watercolor illustrations.
Call Number: JUV WOO
ISBN: 9780399231162
Publication Date: 2001
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy by Ekua Holmes (Illustrator); Floyd Cooper (Illustrator); Tony Medina; Javaka Steptoe (Illustrator); R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator)TheNew York Times' 14 Antiracist Books for Kids and Teens Arnold Adoff Poetry Awards 2020, Special Recognition Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 2019 Bank Street College of Eduction Best Children's Books 2019 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book 2019 Kirkus Reviews Best of 2018, Middle Grade Poetry School Library Journal, Best Books 2018, Poetry These short, vibrant tanka poems about Black boys and young men depict thirteen views of everyday life: dressed in Sunday best, running to catch a bus, growing up to be teachers, and much more. Each of Tony Medina's tanka is matched with a different artist--including recent Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Award recipients.
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson (Editor); Cheryl Willis Hudson (Editor)Fifty of the foremost diverse children's authors and illustrators--including Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Kwame Alexander--share answers to the question, "In this divisive world, what shall we tell our children?" in this beautiful, full-color keepsake collection, published in partnership with Just Us Books. What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 lavishly designed pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists. Featuring poems, letters, personal essays, art, and other works from such industry leaders as Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming), Jason Reynolds (All American Boys), Kwame Alexander (The Crossover), Andrea Pippins (I Love My Hair), Sharon Draper (Out of My Mind), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Ellen Oh (cofounder of We Need Diverse Books), and artists Ekua Holmes, Rafael Lopez, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, and more, this anthology empowers the nation's youth to listen, learn, and build a better tomorrow. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018! A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2018!