Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race - Hardcover

Madison, Megan; Ralli, Jessica

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593519396 ISBN 13: 9780593519394

Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop, 2021

Synopsis

Based on the research that race, gender, consent, and body positivity should be discussed with toddlers on up, this read-aloud series offers adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way. Now available as a hardcover picture book! 

Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic-driven picture book offers clear, concrete language and beautiful imagery that young children can grasp and adults can leverage for further discussion.

While young children are avid observers and questioners of their world, adults often shut down or postpone conversations on complicated topics because it's hard to know where to begin. Research shows that talking about issues like race and gender from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and allows them to recognize and confront things that are unfair, like discrimination and prejudice.

This first book in the series begins the conversation on race, with a supportive approach that considers both the child and the adult. Stunning art accompanies the simple and interactive text, and the backmatter offers additional resources and ideas for extending this discussion.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Megan Pamela Ruth Madison is a political educator and a lifelong student of radical Black feminism. She earned her PhD in Social Policy from Brandeis University. As a scholar-activist, her approach to research and practice is guided by the Sociopolitical Ecology of Development, a theoretical framework that she developed as a part of her dissertation. Megan has served on the boards of the National Association for the Education for Young Children and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. With Jessica Ralli, she co-authors First Conversations–an award-winning series of anti-bias books for young children and their grown-ups.

Jessica Ralli is the Early Literacy Programs Coordinator at Brooklyn Public Library where she develops & manages grant-funded programming including Books Unbanned Storytimes. She has an M.A. in Early Childhood Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and has taught in museums, schools, and libraries. Jessica is a contributor to School Library Journal, and in 2020, she received the Library Journal Movers and Shakers Award for her advocacy work in libraries. Jessica is currently co-authoring the award-winning First Conversations series with Megan Madison, published by RISE X Penguin Workshop.

Reviews

Toddler-PreS—A book that attempts to break down race and skin color in a nonjudgmental way, opening up the possibilities for discussion, sharing stories, and developing a path to critical thinking on the subject of racism. "We see different skin colors at the playground, at the grocery store, and on TV," states an opening spread, providing a neutral way into the discussion of how color became a system for unfairly sorting people into the haves and have-nots. Toddlers will feel the injustice even before they can pronounce the words. Friendly full-color spreads provide plenty of details to pore over. VERDICT Children and adults can come together over this book, which takes apart the meanings of race and skin color at the foundational level. It's a stepping stone on the path to understanding what it means to be human, with cheerful art and easy language.—Kimberly Olson Fakih

Edition details

• Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593519396
• ISBN 13: 9780593519394
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Roxas Isabel
• Number of pages: 40