I AM AN ANTIRACIST SUPERHERO

In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, kids like Malik are learning how to be thoughtfully involved in their communities.

First grader Malik has a lot of questions for Mommy and Daddy when the three of them (all of whom are Black) happen upon a diverse group of people protesting the death of Floyd. The answers Malik’s noticeably distressed parents have to offer are concise but straight to the point—they inform Malik that Floyd was “a Black man who was killed by the police because of the color of his skin” and lay out the basics of racism. A tonal shift in his parents’ expressions and Moreno’s illustrations—from full colors and layered digital brush strokes to a more playfully flattened, minimalistic line drawing style—sees Malik go from frowning at the grown-up–sized problems of the world to learning of actionable, kid-sized solutions. The suggested “superhero” tactics—looking, listening, feeling, and acting—are inspired by named young anti-racist activists like Wynta-Amor Rogers but are made accessible to readers with schoolyard examples; Bacon stresses that these strategies can also be applied to situations where racism isn’t as pronounced or explicit. Activities to reinforce these lessons and a glossary of productive terms to further these discussions at home or in formalized instruction make for an overall productive addition to any collection of youth activism resources. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A smart, step-by-step guide to anti-racism superheroics.