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Title details for Race Cars by Jenny Devenny - Available

Race Cars

A children's book about white privilege

by Jenny Devenny
Charnaie Gordon
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Race Cars is a children's book about white privilege created to help parents and educators facilitate tough conversations about race, privilege, and oppression.
Written by a clinical social worker and child therapist with experience in anti-bias training and edited by a diversity expert, Race Cars tells the story of 2 best friends, a white car and a black car, that have different experiences and face different rules while entering the same race.
Filled with bright, attention-grabbing illustrations, a notes and activities section at the back helps parents, guardians, and teachers further discuss these issues with children.
Why is this book important? As early as 6 months old, a baby's brain can notice race-based differences; children ages 2 to 4 can internalize racial bias and start assigning meaning to race; and 5- to 8-year-olds begin to place value judgments on similarities and differences. By age 12, children have a complete set of stereotypes about every racial, ethnic, and religious group in society. Our guidance is especially crucial during this impressionable time.
Race Cars offers a simple, yet powerful, way to introduce these complicated themes to our children and is a valuable addition to classroom and home libraries.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 12, 2021

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780711262928

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780711262928
      • File size: 2030 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      May 15, 2021
      An automobile race as metaphor to explain White privilege to young children. Transparent collaboration between a White author/illustrator and a Black editor bespeaks the book's dual purposes: "to support...[Black, Indigenous, and People of Color] children in resisting social messages of racial inferiority and to support white children in developing a positive self-concept" that does not require a sense of superiority. In the text, intentional spacing disrupts the compound word racecar to introduce two race cars, Chase, who is black, and Ace, who is white. They enjoy racing, and Chase is exceptionally fast. He ends up being the first black car to ever win a race. The all-white car "race committee" decides "to change a few of the rules" to maintain white cars' advantage. Ensuing pages show Chase blocked from a route open only to white race cars and then stopped by a "race officer," metaphorically showcasing systemic and institutional racism at play. The thoughtful concluding discussion guide may help readers understand the metaphor, but it doesn't directly address several issues that risk undermining the text's good intentions. Why is every car on the race committee white to begin with, and why has "no one...ever seen them?" Isn't White dominance of powerful institutions painfully visible in the real world? How are readers to understand the cars of other colors that appear? Why is a female race committee member the first to speak out against the unfair rules? An earnest, uneven effort at tackling a big topic with little ones. (author's note, editor's note, reading tips) (Picture book. 4-8)

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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