Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story about Racial Injustice

A Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company Original World Premiere Production
A NEW YORK TIMES and #1 INDIEBOUND BEST SELLER
American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom's Top 10 Most Challenged Books
A Little Free Library Action Book Club Selection
National Parenting Product Award Winner (NAPPA)

Emma and Josh heard that something happened in their town. A Black man was shot by the police.

"Why did the police shoot that man?"

"Can police go to jail?"

Something Happened in Our Town follows two families―one White, one Black―as they discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children's questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives.

Includes an extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers with guidelines for discussing race and racism with children, child-friendly definitions, and sample dialogues. Free, downloadable educator materials (including discussion questions) are available at www.apa.org.

From the Note to Parents and Caregivers:

There are many benefits of beginning to discuss racial bias and injustice with young children of all races and ethnicities:

• Research has shown that children even as young as three years of age notice and comment on differences in skin color.
• Humans of all ages tend to ascribe positive qualities to the group that they belong to and negative qualities to other groups.
• Despite some parents’ attempts to protect their children from frightening media content, children often become aware of incidents of community violence, including police shootings.
• Parents who don’t proactively talk about racial issues with their children are inadvertently teaching their children that race is a taboo topic. Parents who want to raise children to accept individuals from diverse cultures need to counter negative attitudes that their children develop from exposure to the negative racial stereotypes that persist in our society.

Order the companion books, Something Happened in Our Park: Standing Together After Gun Violence and Something Happened to My Dad: A Story About Immigration and Family Separation.

Marianne Celano, PhD, ABPP is a faculty member at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, providing psychological services to underserved adults, youth, and families. Marianne is a co-author with Drs. Hazzard and Collins of the New York Times bestselling Something Happened in Our Town and Something Happened in Our Park.

Marietta Collins, PhD, is a faculty member at Morehouse School of Medicine, providing psychological services to underserved adults, youth, and families. Marietta is also involved in community advocacy efforts focused on children’s behavioral health and social justice in the Atlanta, GA, area. She is a co-author with Drs. Hazzard and Celano of the New York Times bestselling Something Happened in Our Town and Something Happened in Our Park.

Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP, is a faculty member at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, working at clinics serving mostly minority and immigrant families. As a psychologist, Ann has utilized therapeutic stories in treatment with children and teens. As a community advocate, she has focused on children's behavioral health and social justice. She is a co-author with Drs. Collins and Celano of the New York Times bestselling Something Happened in Our Town and Something Happened in Our Park.

Jennifer Zivoin worked as a graphic designer and then as a creative director before finding her artistic niche illustrating children's books. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with highest distinction from the honors division of Indiana University. Jennifer lives in Indiana with her husband and two daughters.