Not my idea :

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Not my idea :

Title :

Not my idea : a book about whiteness, / written and illustrated by Anastasia Higginbotham.

Title:

Not my idea :

Author:

Higginbotham, Anastasia

Format:

Books

Series:

Ordinary terrible things

Ordinary terrible things.

Physical Description:

64 pages : color illustrations ; 23 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

ISBN:

9781948340007

Production / Publication Information:

New York : Dottir Press, [2018]

Summary:

A white child sees a TV news report of a white police officer shooting and killing a black man. "In our family, we don't see color," his mother says, but he sees the colors plain enough. An afternoon in the library's history stacks uncover the truth of white supremacy in America. Racism was not his idea and he refuses to defend it.

"A necessary children's book about whiteness, white supremacy, and resistance. Important, accessible, needed." --

Language:

English

Genre:

Picture books.

Fiction. (OCoLC)fst01423787

Juvenile works. (OCoLC)fst01411637

Picture books. (OCoLC)fst01726789

Geographic Term:

United States -- Race relations -- Juvenile literature.

Subject Term:

White people -- Race identity -- Juvenile literature.

Racism -- Juvenile literature.

Prejudices -- Juvenile literature.

Racism -- United States -- Juvenile literature.

Racism -- United States -- History -- Juvenile literature.

Civil rights movements -- United States -- History -- Juvenile literature.

African Americans -- Social conditions -- Juvenile literature.

White supremacy movements -- United States -- Juvenile literature.

Denial (Psychology) -- United States -- Juvenile literature.

Prejudices. (OCoLC)fst01075260

Racism. (OCoLC)fst01086616

Whites -- Race identity. (OCoLC)fst01174825

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	J/305.8/HIGG	31480011167373	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Amesbury Public Library	J362.84 HIG	32114002527258	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library Children's Room	J 305.8 HIG	31330008668182	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Billerica Public Library	J 305.8/HIG 2018	33934004540952	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Burlington Public Library	J 305.8 HIG	32116003566193	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Carlisle - Gleason Public Library	J 305.8 HIG	32117001955875	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Essex - T.O.H.P. Burnham Free Library	J 305.8 HIG	32119000431031	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Georgetown Peabody Library	J 303.4 HIGGINBOTHAM	32120001327921	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groton Public Library	J 305.8 HIG	37003701939481	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Hamilton-Wenham Public Library	J 305.8 HIG	30470001693620	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	J/305.8/HIG	31479007001703	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lowell - Pollard Memorial Library	YA 305.8 HIG	31481005363234	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library	J 305.8009 HIG	32124001849645	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Methuen - Nevins Memorial Library	J 305.8 HIG	31548003200251	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Newburyport Public Library	J PARENTING TOUGH STUFF HIGGENBOTHAM	32128003696201	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library	J 305.8009 HIGGINBOTHAM	31478003525863	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Rockport Public Library	J 305.8 HIGGINBOTHAM	32129002470614	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Tewksbury Public Library	J 305.8 HIG	32132003107680	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Topsfield Town Library	PS 305.8 HIGGINBOTHAM	32133002390269	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	J 305.8 HIG	31990004693870	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Wilmington Memorial Library	KIDS 323.119 HIGGINBOTHAM	32136003350059	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

An honest explanation about how power and privilege factor into the lives of white children, at the expense of other groups, and how they can help seek justice. --THE NEW YORK TIMES

ONE OF HUFFPOST'S RECOMMENDED "ANTI-RACIST BOOKS FOR KIDS AND TEENS"

**A WHITE RAVEN 2019 SELECTION**

NAMED ONE OF SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL'S BEST BOOKS OF 2018

Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness is a picture book about racism and racial justice, inviting white children and parents to become curious about racism, accept that it's real, and cultivate justice.

This book does a phenomenal job of explaining how power and privilege affect us from birth, and how we can educate ourselves...Not My Idea is an incredibly important book, one that we should all be using as a catalyst for our anti-racist education. --THE TINY ACTIVIST

Quite frankly, the first book I've seen that provides an honest explanation for kids about the state of race in America today. --ELIZABETH BIRD, librarian

"It's that exact mix of true-to-life humor and unflinching honesty that makes Higginbotham's book work so well..."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (*Starred Review)

A much-needed title that provides a strong foundation for critical discussions of white people and racism, particularly for young audiences. Recommended for all collections. --SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (*Starred Review)

A necessary children's book about whiteness, white supremacy, and resistance... Important, accessible, needed. --KIRKUS REVIEWS

A timely story that addresses racism, civic responsibility, and the concept of whiteness. --FOREWORD REVIEWS

For white folks who aren't sure how to talk to their kids about race, this book is the perfect beginning. --O MAGAZINE

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-In this call to action, a young white child catches news fragments of a police officer shooting an unarmed black man. They witness their family members' discomfort, avoidance, and eventual dismissal of the shooting (and the resulting protests) while claiming, "We don't see color." The child's confusion leads them to the library for answers about the history of racism in the United States. Ultimately, they vocalize feelings of frustration to their parent. Told in second person to an assumed white audience, the text intersperses firm declarations that the structure of whiteness oppresses people of color with gentle reassurances that growth and change are possible-when bolstered by honesty and accountability. Higginbotham's trademark collage connotes the sweet simplicity of homemade crafts sharpened with the candor of radical zines, and adds layers of meaning that can serve as conversation starters for keen-eyed readers. A page discussing economic oppression, for example, depicts white hands with shirt sleeves made of U.S. dollar bills. The inclusion of a relatable narrative alongside age-appropriate language and direct explanations make this an essential text for young readers, and adults, unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the role of white people in dismantling racism. Back pages include an activity section that is visually rich but structurally vague; each page reads more as a discussion point than an exercise. In an image depicting racial profiling, the security guard closely observing a black child also appears to be a person of color; in a book on whiteness, this feels like detraction from an otherwise consistent message. VERDICT A much-needed title that provides a strong foundation for critical discussions of white people and racism, particularly for young audiences. Recommended for all collections.-Ashleigh Williams, School Library Journal © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

A necessary children's book about whiteness, white supremacy, and resistance.Higginbotham's text includes both dialogue among white adults and a white girl grappling with her growing race consciousness and additional text that references and unpacks the ideas in that dialogue. The connective tissue between these two essential pieces of the book can be weak, but the book as a whole is sure to spark conversations, and its collage art and DIY aesthetic may encourage creative expression. The dialogue begins when the girl overhears snippets of a news story about a police officer (whose white hand is shown holding a gun) killing an unarmed black man. "Oh no, not again," says her mother, covering her eyes, and the girl asks "What? Mom. What not again'?" Instead of responding, Mom turns off the TV and dodges questions, asserting, "Our family is kind to everyone. We don't see color." The girl grows increasingly frustrated and eventually seeks information independently while also asserting that she does see color and knows "that what that police officer did was wrong!" Precisely how she came to this raised consciousness isn't clear, and no adults seem sympathetic or overtly supportive. Narrative text directed at readers (perhaps also absorbed by the girl as she reads?) highlights white people engaged in anti-racist activism, and it avoids undermining itself by also placing historical and contemporary black activism at the center. Curiously, however, the text excludes people of other races from its discussion.Important, accessible, needed. (Picture book. 5-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.