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UNITED METHODISTS STAND AGAINST RACISM

 

Resources for Children

As United Methodists examine ways to end racial injustice, offering resources about racism to children can help a younger generation be part of the solution. The resources below can aid in introducing this challenging topic to elementary school-aged children.

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Featured Resources

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Elementary School Audience

• Brown Sugar Babe by Charlotte Watson Sherman is a message of self-love. When a little girl has doubts about the color of her skin, her mother shows her all the wonderful, beautiful things brown can be!
• Magnificent Homespun Brown by Samara Cole Doyon, as told by a succession of exuberant young narrators, is a story -- a song, a poem, a celebration -- about feeling at home in one’s own beloved skin.
• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman follows a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms.
• Hands Up! By Breanna J. McDaniel recasts a charged phrase as part of a Black girl's everyday life – hands up for a hug, hands up in class – before culminating in a moment of resistance at a protest march.
• I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet is a picture book based on real events that tells the story of one girl who inspires a community to stand up to bullying.
• Honeysmoke by Monique Fields tells of a young biracial girl’s experiences in looking around the world for her color.
• The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
• Tips for talking to Children About Race and Racism by Erin Winkler, Associate professor of Africology and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
• Talking About Race and Racism by Ijeoma Oluo. Follow up discussions with an additional article and video.
• Parent Tool Kit: How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism
• Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester explores what makes each of us special and emphasizes that race is just one of many facets of a person.
• Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Dunca Tonatitu tells the 1944 story of Sylvia Mendez being denied enrollment to a “Whites only” school and the lawsuit her parents won that led to the end of segregated education in California.
• Desmond and the Very Mean Word by Desmond Tutu is a touching story about compassion and forgiveness based on his real life experience as a child.
• White Flour by David LaMotte is based on true events and uses vivid rhymes and colorful illustrations to tell the story of a whimsical and effective response to a Ku Klux Klan rally in Knoxville, TN in May 2007.
• Lillian’s Right to Vote by Jonah Winter tells the story of 100-year-old Lillian telling her family’s tumultuous voting history as she slowly makes her way up a hill to the polling station to vote.
• Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey tells of Ruth and her family realizing as they go on a trip in their new car in the early 1950s that black travelers are not welcome everywhere.
• Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney is a compelling picture book that uses dynamic illustrations and poetic text as a great starting point for conversations about racism and discrimination.
• The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson uses expressive watercolor illustrations and a lyrical narrative to tell the touching story of two girls who form a friendship meeting across a fence during segregation.
• Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story by Paula Yoo tells the rags-to-riches story of the Chinese American Hollywood star in the 1930s and 1940s who broke new ground for future generations of Asian American actors.
• Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman tells of resistance Grace met when she wanted to play Peter Pan in the school play. The book uses expressive watercolor illustrations and a strong main to tell an engaging story about challenging gender and racial stereotypes.
• The Soccer Fence: A story of friendship, hope, and apartheid in South Africa by Phil Bildner uses simple text and expressive pencil and acrylic illustrations to tell a story of hope and change.
• The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko is an inspiring story about a couple who changed the world for interracial couples and opened people’s eyes to the unfairness of any law that restricts whom you are allowed to love.
• If A Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks by Faith Ringgold tells of Marcie learning about Rosa Parks during a magical bus ride to school.
• When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton is a stunning picture book adaptation of the bestselling memoir Fatty Legs, a story about discrimination and the power of the human spirit.
• Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renee Watson uses poetic text and paper-cut illustrations to tell the story of the African American singer who was born in 1896 faced racial discrimination while breaking into the musical world.
• Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson is an award-winning picture book biography that tells the story of Mandela’s life, from his tribal childhood to the triumph of his election as President of South Africa.
• My Name is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Uddin is a heartfelt story about a Muslim boy struggling with his identity and a great starting point for discussions about prejudice and discrimination.
• Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer by Carole Boston Weatherford is a striking picture book biography that chronicles the life of one of the civil rights movement’s most inspiring leaders.
• We Troubled the Waters by Ntozake Shange uses stirring poetry and striking illustrations to give a voice to the everyday and extraordinary people who fought for racial justice during the civil rights movement.
• The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles tells the story of six-year-old Ruby in 1960 being ordered to attend first grade at an all-white school and the angry mobs of parents who refused to send their children to school with her.
• Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination.
• Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love is an exuberant picture book in which a glimpse of costumed mermaids leaves one boy flooded with wonder and ready to dazzle the world.
• Mary Had a Little Glam by Tammi Sauer: This little Mary has STYLE! In this fun take on Mother Goose, fashion-forward Mary helps some of childhood's most beloved characters go glam.