The Antiracist Kid: A Book About Identity, Justice, and Activism

Jewell (This Book Is Anti-Racist) combines direct and powerful text with eye-catching illustrations by Miles (I Want My Book Back) in this empowering guide to combatting racist ideology. Assuring readers that “even the smallest action can have a big effect for positive change,” the creators define the key titular concepts by breaking them up into three chapters. In “Identity,” Jewell impresses that words and labels, while necessary for personal self-expression, are also often used to establish a power imbalance in which “people who are in the dominant culture” hold significant sway while those outside it do not. Using text that flows at an engaging clip between simple and complex topics, subsequent chapters on justice and activism smartly outline subjects such as colonization, equity, institutional racism, and privilege. Miles’s digital art elevates the issues addressed, portraying an array of intersectionally diverse children in precise lines and poppy color while highlighting core narrative values via striking panels (gender, citizen, and class identity are called out in an angular yellow rectangle). This vital tome approachably examines anti-racism and activism while leaving ample space for questions and critical thinking, encouraging readers to become active participants in social change. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)