Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness

by Anastasia Higginbotham, Anastasia Higginbotham (Illustrator)

Overview

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

**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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948340403
Publisher:	DOTTIR PR
Publication date:	11/17/2020
Series:	Ordinary Terrible Things Series
Edition description:	Special ed.
Pages:	72
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

ANASTASIA HIGGINBOTHAM is the author and illustrator of Divorce Is the Worst, Death Is Stupid, and Tell Me About Sex, Grandma—all part of the Ordinary Terrible Things series. She lives in Brooklyn.

Librarians love her, but not as much as she loves them.

Editorial Reviews

Reading Not My Idea and then discussing it helps both children and adults engage whiteness and challenge white privilege. It’s a catalyst for social change. —THE PROGRESSIVE MAGAZINE

The book not only helps children become aware of racism, it also empowers them to work toward justice and cultivates activism...appropriate for younger kids as well as older ones, making it a great tool for family discussions. —THE STRATEGIST

White families may appreciate Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness for helping children understand their personal privilege and how their choices can either contribute or dismantle white supremacy. —HUFFPOST

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

As someone floundering to find the right words to engage in conversation, I appreciate this book because it provides very clear and specific language to talk about white privilege. —THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY

Very blunt, but not harsh. Incredible resources for a parent/caregiver to use with their children who may be having questions about race and racism. —THE MINING JOURNAL

Higginbotham was named one of People Magazine’s "25 Most Influential People in 2018" and as more and more schools adopt her book she could end up being the most influential person among elementary school kids in America. —GIANTFREAKINROBOT.COM

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

In her brilliant square picture book “Not My Idea”, Anastasia Higginbotham skilfully argues and explains in a child-friendly way, why 'Racism is a white person’s problem and we are all caught up in it – mostly by refusing to look at it.' The author not only informs children about white supremacy and the oppression of people of colour, she also comforts them and encourages them to make a difference, no matter how small they are. —WHITE RAVEN SELECTION 2019

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

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

I am in love with Not My Idea, and with Higginbotham’s direct, radical, compassionate approach to talking about whiteness, racism, and the need to tell painful but important truths. —KATE SCHATZ, NYT-bestselling author of Rad American Women A–Z, Rad Women Worldwide, and Rad Girls Can

Anastasia Higginbotham is a children's book author and illustrator, not an athlete, but to teach kids to stand up against racism, she's taking a knee next to Colin Kaepernick. —FORUM

Higginbotham is silently asking her readers to be more aware of everything around them...she is able to take control of the narrative and answer questions that expand on what little the child can gleam from adults. —MEL SCHUIT, blogger at Let's Talk Picture Books

Anastasia’s books are works of love and urgency...She’s doing the work that few have tried. —GREG O'LOUGHLIN, founder of The Educators' Cooperative

MORE ABOUT the critically acclaimed Ordinary Terrible Things series by Anastasia Higginbotham:

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)

Author/illustrator Anastasia Higginbotham is a book creator who doesn’t shy away from tough topics. She tackles them directly in the “Ordinary Terrible Things” series, published by Dottir Press. These kid-friendly books can help start important conversations. —CITIZEN TIMES

A beautiful assemblage of a book—as if Romare Bearden himself rose from the dead and created a sequel to Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.—COURTNEY E. MARTIN, columnist for On Being

From the Publisher

2018-06-25
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)

Kirkus Reviews