Racism and Intolerance

This book covers serious subject matter in a gentle way for children. “Racism” and “intolerance” are explained with examples kids can relate to. The author discusses how prejudice could manifest at school. The most difficult pages to read are “Around the world” and “Changing lives.” Some of the examples given are buildings being bombed and war. The accompanying drawings illustrate these issues but aren’t graphic. The second half of the book is about what can be done to change things. Kids are given easy ways that they can make a difference. They are also instructed to tell an adult if they experience racism themselves.

I like how the illustrations are inclusive, with different people in every picture. In the middle of the book, though, we follow a family who has to leave their home until they meet a charity worker on the next page. There is a delightful cat drawn on every page. It comforts the people who are experiencing intolerance. It’s fun to find the cat in the illustrations, and I think it makes the subject matter easier to read. I read this book with my nine year old, and he didn’t think it was too scary for kids. It’s an important subject, and I think this book does a great job of both explaining and empowering.