Given the protests in America and the questions kids may be asking, this week we have a teacher’s list of children’s books that discuss racism, including “Something Happened in Our Town.” Plus, this week’s app features for the classic “Goodnight Moon”, and the more unusual “Son of the Sun & Wizard Lizard.”
Garry Froehlich
Jellybean Tunes
A Teacher’s List Of Children’s Books That Discuss Racism
“Given today’s climate and our fight for justice, I want parents, teachers, grandparents, aunts/uncles, and anyone who regularly comes in contact with children to be aware there are resources that can help start the conversations of race and racism. There’s a misconception that they’re too young and don’t understand, but they do! They just don’t always have the tools to express it.”
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/childrens-books-about-race-and-racism
The teacher, Brittany Smith, is fundraising to create her own children’s book. You can donate here:
Something Happened in our Town
One of the books on the list tackles things head on, with kids hearing about a black man being killed by the police and having questions. Here is an interview with one of the authors:
https://www.theconsciouskid.org/interview-with-dr-marietta-collins
I guess it says something that I haven’t been able to find the book for purchase new or as an e-book (there’s an audio version on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Something-Happened-Our-Town-Injustice/dp/1433828545), but there is an authorized reading of the book on YouTube.
CNN and Sesame Street to Host a Town Hall Addressing Racism
‘The 60-minute special “Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families” will air on Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. ET.’
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/02/us/cnn-sesame-street-standing-up-to-racism/index.html
Goodnight Moon
by Loud Crow
Goodnight Moon is a classic children’s book, and the app includes full narration, word highlighting, animations on every page, and even a magnifying glass to find hidden objects. Currently free.
Son of the Sun & Wizard Lizard
by Kidappers Ltd.
From our review last year:
“Son of the Sun is an animated children’s book app about the journey of a ray of sunshine, forgiveness, and making the world a better place. Unlike many picture books, the app presents several paragraphs of story and then a separate interactive, animated version of events. It’s unusual, but it works – the story is good and a little different than the standard fare, and the graphics are polished.”
Free as of this writing.
