Catana Tully explores questions of race, adoption and identity, not as the professor of cultural studies that she became, but as the Black child of German settlers in Guatemala who called her their “little Moor.”
You can find the book on amazon: Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity
Catana Tully is also an Adoption Couseling Expert–see more about her work at splitattheroot.com
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book! Super cute! This sweet story is about a biracial little girl who stays home with (White) dad while her (Black) mom goes to the beauty shop for her weekly scheduled appointment. She “does” her daddy’s hair while she anticipates what mommy will look like when she comes home.
Another self-published book that I love! Buy it here!
(I just ordered a new one from this author that I’ll review soon)
I’m always looking for books that reflect multiracial families. I buy any and all of them (I really need to post more reviews). This one, “The Hello, Goodbye Window” by Norton Juster is one of my favorites. The little girl has a brown momma and white pappa, as well as, a brown grandma and white grandpa. To read a detailed review, click the link above.
Add to your multicultural library: Buy The Peace Book online.
Add to your multicultural library: Buy “We’re Different, We’re the Same” online.
I believe that teaching children to love themselves (and others) is one of the greatest gifts that you can give! I also believe that children should learn to celebrate differences in the home and that their teachers and friends can, and should, be a wonderful source of influence and affirmation. My heart is that my web site and this blog can be tools that ALL people can use to help decrease the gap of hatred and misunderstanding and increase the bond of unity and understanding!
Below is a poem from the book The Crayon Box that Talked
The Crayon Box That Talked
by Shane DeRolf
While walking in a toy store,
The day before today,
I overheard a crayon box,
With many things to say…
‘I don’t like Red!’ said Yellow.
And Green said, ‘Nor do I!
And no one here likes Orange,
But no one knows just why.’
‘We are a box of crayons
That doesn’t get along.’
Said Blue to all the others,
‘Something here is wrong!’
Well, I bought that box of crayons,
And took it home with me,
And laid out all the colors,
So the crayons could all see.
They watched me as I colored
With Red and Blue and Green,
And Black and White and Orange,
And every color in between…
They watched as Green became the grass,
And Blue became the sky,
The Yellow sun was shining bright,
On White clouds drifting by,
Colors changing as they touched,
Becoming something new.
They watched me as I colored.
They watched till I was through.
And when I’d finally finished,
I began to walk away.
And as I did, the crayon box
Had something more to say…
‘I do like Red!’ said Yellow.
And Green said, ‘So do I!
And, Blue, you were terrific,
So high up in the sky!’
‘We are a box of crayons,
Each one of us unique.
But when we get together,
The picture is complete.’
*TM & copyrighted, 1996, 1997, 2001 Shane DeRolf.
Joy! Oh, joy! In sharing the other books with you today, I discovered that Lisa Harper published another book at the end of May. In “You Belong to Me Little One“, she captures some of her favorite memories with her son, her favorite little man. So, white mommy and brown little boy. I ordered it today so I’ll give you an update after I receive it!
UPDATE: Precious poem and adorable pics! My heart gets FULL when I see books reflecting multiracial families! Thank you, Lisa Harper!
Here’s another book by Lisa Harper. Based on a poem she wrote immediately after the arrival of their first adopted child, this story is perfect for anyone who has adopted or is going to adopt. I have to admit that I was disappointed with this book. While it is a darling poem, the book is SHORT. I read “I’m the Luckiest Mommy” first (I ordered them together) and this book had half the pages…well, actually it had the same number of pages but half of them were left BLANK. I called the publisher and they said it was not missing any pages. I still didn’t believe it and contacted the illustrator Sandra Martin (who by the way did a wonderful job) and again, she confirmed it wasn’t missing any pages. Disappointing. I guess if I were an adoptive mommy, it wouldn’t matter…I would just be thrilled to have a book about adoption that reflected my family. So, you might want to add this one to your collection.
This is such an adorable book! I love that it shows a white mom and brown daughter! The author, Lisa Harper, based the book on a silly song she sang to her daughters. My youngest daughter LOVES it! One of the things that I really like is the book can be for adoptive families or interracial families! A pet peeve of mine is when every book that shows a multiracial family is ABOUT being a multiracial family. Can’t someone just make some books that REFLECT multiracial families and are just everyday, fun books? Lisa Harper has done just that with this adorable book. There aren’t many out there, if you know of others, let me know! You WILL want to add this to your collection.
Spork
by Kyo Maclear
Another great book!
His mum is a spoon. His dad is a fork. And he’s a bit of both. He’s Spork! Spork sticks out in the regimented world of the cutlery drawer. The spoons think he’s too pointy, while the forks find him too round. He never gets chosen to be at the table at mealtimes until one day a very messy ? thing arrives in the kitchen who has never heard of cutlery customs. Will Spork finally find his place at the table? This “multi-cutlery” tale is a humorous and lively commentary on individuality and tolerance. Its high-spirited illustrations capture the experience and emotions of anyone who has ever wondered about their place in the world.
Here’s a detailed review on Amazon. Add to your multicultural collection, BUY HERE!
Beyond the Golden Rule: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Responding to Prejudice (click on the link to download for FREE) is another great publication produced by Teaching Tolerance. The four part book is broken down by age group: Preschool Years, Elementary & Preteen Years, The Teen Years and Part 4: Reflecting Upon Our Own Biases. LOTS of great information!
Your brother routinely makes anti-Semitic comments. Your neighbor uses the N-word in casual conversation. Your co-worker ribs you about your Italian surname, asking if you’re in the mafia. Your classmate insults something by saying, “That’s so gay.”
And you stand there, in silence, thinking, “What can I say in response to that?” Or you laugh along, uncomfortably. Or, frustrated or angry, you walk away without saying anything, thinking later, “I should have said something.”
People spoke about encounters in stores and restaurants, on streets and in schools. They spoke about family, friends, classmates and co-workers. They spoke about what they did or didn’t say — and what they wished they did or didn’t say.
And no matter the location or relationship, the stories echo each other.
Speak Up! is a book that shares love, insight and pain, but also offers “lost words”, practical solutions and hope for a better tomorrow.
Download your free copy of SPEAK UP!
Another great resource offered by Teaching Tolerance.
Here’s another great poem from Arnold Adoff that was in the book All the Colors of the Race
On my applications
by Arnold Adoff
On my applications I can
put:
this girl:
a black,
white,
Christian,
Jewish,
young
woman:
student,
musician,
singer,
dancer,
runner in the middle distance races,
is willing to help you
if you take her as she
is.
Here is a tiny treasure that I found in the library this summer. A book of poems, All the Colors of the Race
The lady said
by Arnold Adoff
The lady said: what are you going to
be
when you grow
all the way up?
And I said: a woman.
And she said. No. I mean what are
you
now?
And I said: a girl.
And she said: No. I mean what do you call
yourself?
And I said: Honey. Baby. Sweet
potato
pie
face me.
If she finds it hard,
I find it easy
to make it hard for her.
I’m Your Peanut Butter Big Brother
by Selina Alko
Interracially married, author/illustrator Selina Alko came up with the idea for this book while pregnant with her first child. She wondered what the child might look like–and created a darling children’s book that reflects the many possibilities.
(from the book) Big Brother wonders whether the new baby will look like him. He blends from semisweet dark Daddy chocolate bar and strawberry cream Mama’s milk. He’s the baby’s peanut butter big-brother-to-be.
Will the baby’s hair look like big brother’s soft, crunchy billows of cotton candy, or Noel’s string beans locked this way and that, or Akira’s puffy head of broccoli flowerets?
Will the baby’s eyes match big brother’s–hot cocoa footballs set wide apart–or will they be a perfect pair of pennies?
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the illustrations! This will be a favorite in our home for sure! Order here.
by Robert Munsch
I’ve been on a quest this summer to find books that reflect multiracial families. This is a super funny one! The book is about…you guessed it, a little boy who has a loose tooth. His parents, the dentist, his friend–even the Tooth Fairy–find wacky ways of pulling Andrew’s tooth that no one should ever try! (WARNING: do NOT read to children who have not already lost a tooth…you will scare them to death!)
One of my favorite things about this author (aside from his books being hilarious) is the fact that he incorporates diverse families in the illustrations. This family appears to have a white mother, white father, white child (Andrew) and two brown children. Andrews best friend is Asian, the Tooth Fairy is brown and the people in the city are are very diverse.
Here’s dad with the kids:
Read it, let me know what you think!
I spent many hours as a child loving Shel Silverstein’s book of poems, Where the Sidewalk Ends
No Difference
by Shel Silverstein
Small as a peanut
Big as a giant,
We’re all the same size
When we turn off the light.
Red, black or orange,
Yellow or white
We all look the same
When we turn off the light.
So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!
Love it? BUY IT!
by Garth Williams
The Rabbits’ Wedding is, hands down, my youngest daughters favorite book. It has been as far back as I can remember. It’s a sweet story about two little rabbits, one white and the other black, who fall in love and want to be together forever. The illustrations are darling! Garth Williams is famous for illustrating many books, two of the most notable are Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. Here’s a favorite page that always produces laughs:
Interestingly, the book was banned in several places during the 1960’s for fear that it was “brainwashing” children into thinking integration/interracial marriage was good.
Sweet message + darling illustrations = priceless!
The Painted Man: What My Son Taught Me About Race
by Desmond Williams
Another great find!
Father in a multiracial family, Desmond Williams, puts pen (pencil) to paper and creates a soon-to-be-published graphic novel The Painted Man: What My Young Son Taught Me About Race. The collection is a “coming of race” memoir that finds a dad confronted by racially charged questions posed directly by his young son and the people with whom they come into contact.
This book can be used as a conversation starter, a self-reflection inducer, or simply a window into an experience that might not reflect your own.
BTW, I found it interesting that Williams is from Brooklyn, NY. I would have thought “they” were much more versed in this thing we call “race”.
Mother’s Day
by Anne Rockwell
or see if it’s at your local library!
Happy Mother’s Day!
In my constant endeavor to find books that reflect diversity, I ran across this great book by author Anne Rockwell. I thought the timing couldn’t be more perfect!
Mother’s Day is set in Mrs. Madoff’s class where children (reflecting different cultures and ethnicities) discuss the different ways they will celebrate the holiday, making breakfast, hiking, snuggling, etc. The children were asked to bring in a button for class that they use in making a special tissue paper flower for mom (bonus: instructions are included). I enjoyed many things about the book (illustrations are darling) but I especially liked that a single mother is represented along with a grandmother raising her granddaughter. The children and mothers spent lots of time picking out their button and had little stories about why they chose their particular button. Mom’s didn’t know what the button was for and were surprised that it was to make a flower. Really sweet book! Buy your copy here
Do you have any books to share?
MultiracialFamily.net 
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