"What can I do?" often emerges as my friends process the racial tensions of the last few weeks. They might be reluctant to march in a peaceful protest. Writing letters to their representatives in government doesn't seem for them to be enough. What's a parent or grandparent, uncle or aunt to do? I have an idea. Take a look at the books that your children have in their library. Are their bookshelves filled with authors of a single ethnic group or nationality? Look at a few of the publications that your children read often. Are the pictures of the participants in the books on their library of all one ethnic origin or heritage? Maybe it's time that the children within your influence learn that kids who don't look like them might be similar to them. Perhaps your kids can see that children whose eyes and hair are different have something in common with them. Recent studies indicate that children become aware of bias earlier than once thought.
One such new release is Eddie Harvey Jr's "Daddy Does Things Differently". With illustrations painted by Michelle White, children can learn what happens when a normal family has to adopt new routines when Mommy has to begin to work outside of the home full time. Will the children in this family be able to adapt to the skills that Daddy has as full time house parent? This is a warm look at what so many families have to work through together as the job market undulates.
The next time you are searching for books to add to the collection of your children. Take a closer look at what your kids are seeing when your read to them.