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It is never too early to talk to your children about race.

With all that is going on in the news right now, you may be looking for resources to start that conversation. Below is a list of books and resources that can help. These books are just a highlight of what is available through NCRL’s ebook services. Get started here; there are many more books and resources out there!

Picture Books

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson

Mixed by Arree Chung

A Ride to Remember by Sharon Langley

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford

Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh

Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano and Donald Moses

The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson and Vanessa Bradley Newton

Chapter Books

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Curtis

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson

Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged by Jody Nyasha Warner

Books for Young Adults

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely

Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in American edited by Ibi Zoboi

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Dig by A.S. King

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal

March, Books 1-3 by John R. Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Stamped: Racism, Anti Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz & Kekla Magoon, Overdrive

Additional Book Lists and other Resources

100 Race-conscious Things You Can Say to Your Child to Advance Racial Justice

Talking Race with Young Children- Podcast

Anti-Racism For Kids 101: Starting To Talk About Race

ADL’s Children’s Book List

Diverse Children’s Book List

Here’s How W. Kamau Bell Talks About Race With His Kids

31 Children’s books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance

Illustrator Christian Robinson uses art to talk about anger

Fifteen titles to address inequity, equality, and organizing for young readers

School Library Journal’s Antiracist Resources and Reads: Lists for All Ages

We Need Diverse Books– Imagine a world in which all children can see themselves in the pages of a book! This nonprofit advocates essential changes in the publishing industry and promotes literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.

Raising Race Conscious Children- A resource to support adults who are trying to talk about race with young children.

embracerace– Tools, resources, discussion spaces, and networks to raise kids who think critically about racial inequity

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