I'm buying one for every newborn from here on out! ( )

I can't rate this book. It's important. I love that it exists. There are some great parts. At the same time, I have so many issues with it. Many of these issues arise from me being the parent of a 5-year-old who asks a lot of questions. We've read a lot of books about race and racism over the years, so this topic was not new to her. Of all the books about racism we've read, this one gave her the most trouble. So at least some of my issues can be chalked up to this book not being written for kindergarteners. Still, here they are:

1. You really have to read Kendi's books for adults to fully understand what he's saying in this board book. "Point at policies as the problem, not people" makes it sounds like Kendi's saying interpersonal racism isn't a problem. He's actually saying that POC are not to blame for inequality, but it can easily be read the other way. Ditto for "There's nothing wrong with the people!" My kid was like, "But there's something wrong with racist people!" I had to explain the author meant there's nothing wrong with the people who are negatively affected by racism.

2. The word choice was sometimes questionable. For example, the book uses the word "groups" over and over when I think it would be clearer to say "cultures" or "kinds of people." The text says, "Antiracist Baby welcomes all groups voicing their unique views." But there are many groups we do not welcome (racist groups, obviously). Ditto "Antiracist Baby doesn't see certain groups as 'better' or 'worse.'"

3. Some of the visual metaphors didn't work. Particularly "Knock down the stack of cultural blocks." I think the book is trying to say all cultures are equal, especially that white culture should not be the default or the standard. But the illustration is of a baby knocking down building blocks. The blocks have a sun, a lightning bolt, a bee, and a tree on them, so there are no visual clues that the blocks represent different cultures, nor do kids assume that stacking blocks mean ranking them. My 5yo was deeply confused by this. Why can't we stack blocks? I tried to explain the metaphor, but in the end, she just needed to be told that no culture is better than another culture. I wish the text said this plainly.

3b. The illustration that affected my daughter the most was the ladder metaphor. In step 2 we see a white woman climbing a ladder and grabbing an award while a brown woman is climbing a broken ladder. On the last page, we see the brown woman has reached the top of the ladder and it appears the white woman has repaired the ladder (she's holding a hammer). Does this imply white saviorism? I think it does. My kid sees in this ladder metaphor the story of a good white person fixing the broken system. I offered an alternative explanation, "Maybe the brown woman fixed the ladder and the white woman is just testing it."

3c. The butterfly in a net illustration was also tricky for my 5yo. The net is catching blue butterflies but not the pink butterfly. I said to my kid, "The net is the problem, not the butterflies." But she said back, "What about the white person holding the net?!" (I'm actually proud of her on this one.)

4. I think sacrifices in meaning were made in order to make it rhyme. The text says, "No one will see racism if we only stay silent," in order to rhyme with "violent" in the next line. I had to read and re-read that sentence to make sure I read it right. If we stay silent about racism, no one will see it? Really? Won't the people affected by racism see it whether we talk about it or not? I know the message of this step is that it's crucial to name racism and talk about it. But how weird to say neglecting to talk about it will make it invisible.

Okay, I want to end with what I love about this book. Step 8 "Grow to be an antiracist" is so important and conveyed in a way that really worked. We are always learning and changing. We will never know everything. And the final step about believing in a better future is the perfect way to end the book -- on a hopeful note.

Despite the rough time I had reading this to my kid, I'll still recommend it and share it widely with the caveat that grown-ups need ought to put in the prep work before talking about it with children.

Edited to add: The picture book version will have an added letter from Kendi to parents and caregivers "outlining questions and discussion starters to encourage conversations about race and racism with young children." So that will be a big improvement on the board book!

EducatingParents.org rating: Caution - Read With Care
Book is filled with CRT ideologies. Text is far more complex than the target audience (ages 1-5).
Children at such a young age do not worry about the color of skin, nor do they understand race. They determine friendships based on kindness, love, and other content of character. Are the other kids on the playground fun to play with? Are they nice? Do they share? This book is not meant for babies but parents who want to indoctrinate their children with woke content.

This book opens up lot of possibilites for conversation about race. Some of the wording is a little advanced for the age range this book appears to target, but it opens up plenty of possibilities for conversations about race and justice. Some people want this book banned from school libraries. I pity people whose world is so limited that these statements cause fear. ( )

Whether or not you agree with Ibram X. Kendi's ideas, I think these ideas are pretty complex and so simplifying them in a board book for babies feels like it skews the more nuanced truth. The goal of raising kids to be welcoming to people of all ethnicities/races and stand up to racism may be well intentioned, but the language of color-blindness, equity, and policies is still too didactic and advanced for a baby to understand. That's my two cents anyway. :-) ( )