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Category: Book Corner

Transracial Adoption Books

Book Corner – Back to School

For Children Going to Preschool Through Grade 3

All Are Welcome

By Alexandra Penfold
Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman

The Day You Begin

By Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez

The first day of school is scary – especially when you are worried about fitting in. Will there be other kids who look like you? Will the other kids like you if your clothes or lunch or language is different from theirs? Both of these reassuring books feature happy inclusive classrooms. Children of different colors, nationalities, and religions are shown learning and having fun together. Reading one – or both – of these books with your young child will help ease the back-to-school jitters.

Transracial Adoption Books
Transracial Adoption Books

For Girls Going Into Grades 7 and Up

You Are More Than Magic: The Black and Brown Girls’ Guide to Finding Your Voice

By Minda Harts

Full of great advice and written in a friendly style, You Are More Than Magic is an affirming and helpful guide for all girls of color. The book contains chapters on what to look for in a friend, finding mentors, setting boundaries, saying what you mean (without being mean), speaking up for yourself, and much more. At the end of the book the author includes a discussion guide, a section for caregivers of girls of color, questions for white readers, and other useful resources. Truly an excellent book for girls of color and the people who care about them.

Transracial Parenting Book

Book Recommendations for Families Created in Transracial Adoption

Our Transracial Journeys families regularly seek out books to share with their children and to read for themselves, as white parents of black children. We are fortunate to have a resource in the Transracial Journey's Board of Direcors Secretary, Avril McInally. With a Master of Library Science from Kent State University and over 35 years as a public librarian, Avril and her colleague, Vicki Richards, collaborate to curate phenomenal book recommendations for our children and parents.   The Book Corner is a regular feature in our Transracial Journeys monthly newsletters. If you would like to receive monthly book recommendations via email, please subscribe.

Recommended books for white mother of black son

Book Corner: My Seven Black Fathers

My Seven Black Fathers:

A Young Activist’s Memoir
Of Race, Family, and the
Mentors Who Made
Him Whole

By Will Jawando

 

Recommended books for white mother of black son

Will Jawando is a civil rights lawyer, an activist, and a loving husband and father of four. Currently a councilmember in Montgomery County, Maryland, he has worked for Nancy Pelosi, Sherrod Brown, and Barack Obama. My Seven Black Fathers is the story of how Will grew from a young boy with a white mother and an absent father to a successful adult. In his book, Will celebrates the Black men who stepped up to provide guidance and support – from a fourth grade teacher to the President of the United States. My Seven Black Fathers is an enjoyable, inspiring, and hopeful read.

The book is also a call to action. The author encourages Black men to become mentors, and encourages white people to “relearn and retell the story of Black men in this country and in turn help to shape a new story about who America is… help enable mentoring relationships between Black men and boys…” Will Jawando is “…working for a future that’s less like the past, a future where race and gender are less predictive of our outcomes, especially those of Black boys.”

Book Recommendations for Families Created in Transracial Adoption

Our Transracial Journeys families regularly seek out books to share with their children and to read for themselves, as white parents of black children. We are fortunate to have a resource in the Transracial Journey's Board of Direcors Secretary, Avril McInally. With a Master of Library Science from Kent State University and over 35 years as a public librarian, Avril and her colleague, Vicki Richards, collaborate to curate phenomenal book recommendations for our children and parents.   The Book Corner is a regular feature in our Transracial Journeys monthly newsletters. If you would like to receive monthly book recommendations via email, please subscribe.

Book Recommendations for Transracial Adoption

Book Corner: Why Not You?

Why Not You?

Written by Ciara and Russell Wilson
Illustrated by Jessica Gibson
Preschool-2nd grade

 

Book Recommendations for Transracial Adoption

How can children make their big dreams come true? The encouraging rhyming text of this colorful picture book encourages kids to believe in themselves, work hard, and try again when they meet obstacles along the way. The joyful illustrations are action-packed with diverse children playing and pursuing their dreams. Why Not You is a happy and inspiring confidence booster!

Book Recommendations for Families Formed in Transracial Adoption

Our Transracial Journeys families regularly seek out books to share with their children and to read for themselves. We are fortunate to have a resource in our Transracial Journey's Secretary on Board of Direcors, Avril McInally. With a Master of Library Science from Kent State University and over 35 years as a public librarian, Avril and her colleagues collaborate to curate phenomenal book recommendations for our children and parents.   The Book Corner is a regular feature in our Transracial Journeys monthly newsletters. If you would like to receive monthly book recommendations via email, please subscribe.