Looking for a book about race for children? This is such a hard subject to talk about with kids, especially preschoolers. We received a book for free to consider for a review called Sarah Rising, written by Ty Chapman and illustrated by DeAnn Wiley. It’s a beautiful book that tackles a delicate subject. It’s really for children ages 5-8, as indicated, but Rosie and I read it. She had a lot of very good questions.
The book is about a girl named Sarah who gets to go with her dad to a protest to speak out against violence against Black people. The protesters are so loud, that Sarah gets scared. She sees a beautiful Monarch butterfly and lets go of her dad’s hand to follow it through the crowd, only to find herself right smack in the middle between police and protestors and learns that sometimes those that are called upon to protect, don’t always do it. In fact, it can be quite the opposite.
The book is inspired by the protests that happened during the Minneapolis Uprising after the police killing of George Floyd. The story allows for a child’s-eye view and provides parents and caregivers an opportunity to talk about why people protest and racial injustice.
In the back of the book, the author includes a note about his own experience growing up Black and touches upon the practical ways kids can get involved in activism.
I liked how this book gave us several entry points to talk about different views and experiences. We ended up pulling it off the shelf during Black History Month, so it tied in well with other conversations we were having in our home.
Click here to see and print this free Monarch butterfly coloring page – you can color by number!
And click here to see this interesting and resourceful handout on how it’s not too early to talk with children about race.
USEFUL INFO FOR GROWN UPS:
- Book: Sarah Rising
- Written by: Ty Chapman
- Illustrated by DeAnn Wiley
- Age Range: 5-8
- Board Book: 40 pages
- Publisher: Beaming Books (May 24, 2022)
- ISBN-13: 978-1506478357
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We hope this book about race for children helps you start or continue an important conversation.
