The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth

Product Description

Thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators invite you into their homes to witness the conversations they have with their children about race in America today in this powerful call-to-action that invites all families to be anti-racists and advocates for change.
As long as racist ideas persist, families will continue to have the difficult and necessary conversations with their young ones on the subject. In this inspiring collection, literary all-stars such as Renée Watson 
(Piecing Me Together), Grace Lin 
(Where the Mountain Meets the Moon), Meg Medina 
(Merci Suárez Changes Gears), Adam Gidwitz 
(The Inquisitor’s Tale), and many more engage young people in frank conversations about race, identity, and self-esteem. Featuring text and images filled with love, acceptance, truth, peace, and an assurance that there can be hope for a better tomorrow, 
The Talk is a stirring anthology and must-have resource published in partnership with Just Us Books, a Black-owned children’s publishing company that’s been in operation for over thirty years. Just Us Books continues its mission grounded in the same belief that helped launch the company: Good books make a difference.
 
So, let’s talk.

Featured contributors: Selina Alko, Tracey Baptiste, Derrick Barnes, Natacha Bustos, Cozbi A. Cabrera, Raul Colón, Adam Gidwitz, Nikki Grimes, Rudy Gutierrez, April Harrison, Wade Hudson, Gordon C. James, Minh Lê, E. B. Lewis, Grace Lin, Torrey Maldonado, Meg Medina, Christopher Myers, Daniel Nayeri, Zeke Peña, Peter H. Reynolds, Erin K. Robinson, Traci Sorell, Shadra Strickland, Don Tate, MaryBeth Timothy, Duncan Tonatiuh, Renée Watson, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Sharon Dennis Wyeth

“Project[s] love and support.” –The New York Times”The go-to book for talking to kids about race and privilege. . . . A must-read for every family.” –Ellen Oh, editor of Flying Lessons & Other Stories and cofounder of We Need Diverse Books

“May this magnificent collection inspire us to move from dialogue to deep action.” –Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

From School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up—There comes a time when parents and caregivers have to give “The Talk” to children. “The Talk” can be about sexual orientation, racism, or gender and/or racial identity. Children can ask complex questions, which can cause adults to pause. Adults wonder, “How do I begin to answer?” This collection of poetry and prose, which focuses on race, offers a great starting point. With contributions from writers including Derrick Barnes, Cozbi A. Cabrera, Nikki Grimes, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Christopher Myers, and Renée Watson, the text answers tough questions and shares the struggles of marginalized people, who are forced to navigate hostile environments. Black, Native, and immigrant experiences are spotlighted. For example, in “Why Are There Racist People?” by Duncan Tonatiuh, a student asks, “Where does racism come from?” This question leads Tonatiuh on a search to find the answer. Tonatiuh concludes that racism is a tool used to prevent unity and exploit marginalized groups. This title can be a tool for teachers, educators, and caretakers to center the intersectional struggles of diverse racial and ethnic groups, and the use of poetry and prose offers multiple ways to interact and engage with the text. VERDICT A heartfelt collection that speaks to the multifaceted and nuanced struggles of marginalized people. Recommended for public and school libraries.—Ruth Guerrier-Pierre, New York Public Library

Review

A NEW YORK TIMES
Best Children’s Book of the Year

An NPR Best Book of the Year

Praise for The Talk:
“The essays, stories, poems and letters . . . make plain that the hard conversations we all need to have about race are part of a broad reckoning with our nation’s history.
The book’s black-and-white images project love and support.” —
The New York Times

“This star-studded collection of #ownvoices authors calls readers in for
necessary reminders in s