Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness

3 of 17
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness
64 pages; Dottir Press
A young white boy begins to become aware of injustices against people of color in reaction to news coverage of a police shooting and a young brown boy in a gift shop being followed by a security guard while white customers are left to roam free. As the protagonist starts to pose questions—"Who is that with their hands up? Why is that policeman screaming at him?"—he becomes more and more confused and frustrated by his parents'responses: "We don't see color." "You don't need to worry about this. You're safe." For white folks who aren't sure how to talk to their kids about race, this book is the perfect beginning. At the end, a garden is planted beneath the handwritten words "Grow justice inside yourself like a bean sprout in a milk carton."
— Jacqueline Woodson