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Race Cars is a picture book that serves as a springboard for parents and educators to discuss race, privilege and oppression with their kids.
About the author
Jenny Devenny, LCSW is a psychotherapist, author, illustrator and native New Yorker currently living in Los Angeles with her husband and son. She is dedicated to providing anti-racist psychotherapy to children, adolescents and families and has experience facilitating groups and workshops on racism and white privilege. Jenny is passionate about helping adults, specifically white adults, have meaningful conversations about race with the children in their lives and believes that if we want to dismantle white supremacy we need to start with our youngest. This is her first book. Find her on Instagram: @jennydevennylcsw.Charnaie Gordon is a Diversity and Inclusion Expert, blogger, podcast host, digital creator, and author of Lift Every Voice and Change: A Sound Book, Race Cars, and A Kids Book About Diversity. She also serves as a member of the National Advisory Board for Reading is Fundamental for their Race, Equity, and Inclusion (REI) initiative. More than anything else, she cares about connecting people with great books they'll love. In her world, books are an absolute necessity. Charnaie is passionate about instilling a love of reading, lifelong learning, and curiosity in her kids. She hopes to inspire others to do the same with their children. Find her online at hereweeread.com and @hereweeread on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Summary
Race Cars is a children’s book about white privilege created to help parents and educators facilitate tough conversations about race, privilege and oppression.
Written by a clinical social worker and child therapist with experience in anti-bias training and edited by a diversity expert, Race Cars tells the story of 2 best friends, a white car and a black car, that have different experiences and face different rules while entering the same race.
Filled with bright, attention-grabbing illustrations, a notes and activities section at the back helps parents, guardians and teachers further discuss these issues with children.
Why is this book important? As early as 6 months old, a baby’s brain can notice race-based differences; children ages 2 to 4 can internalise racial bias and start assigning meaning to race; and 5- to 8-year-olds begin to place value judgments on similarities and differences. By age 12, children have a complete set of stereotypes about every racial, ethnic and religious group in society. Our guidance is especially crucial during this impressionable time.
Race Cars offers a simple, yet powerful, way to introduce these complicated themes to our children and is a valuable addition to classroom and home libraries.
“… a great tool for helping young people understand structural racial inequality—and the importance of challenging it!” – Margaret A. Hagerman, Associate Professor of Sociology, Author of White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America
“… can jumpstart important conversations with children about racism, white privilege, and how to fight racial injustice in their own lives.” – Marianne Celano, New York Times bestselling co-author of Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice
Additional text
Race Cars is an engaging and creative book that offers kids a look at how policies and practices, along with people in powerful positions, can reproduce unequal hierarchies, opportunities, and outcomes. The authors provide an excellent guide for parents to use as they engage in meaningful discussions about racism and inequality with their kids. This book is a great tool for helping young people understand structural racial inequality—and the importance of challenging it!
