Parenting Is Activism: Books Edition

The 10 books I love to read with my little Black boy. Whether you're a parent or just in community with young people, take a look and lean into the way books like these can help us raise better people

In a society that teaches us to be transactional, to put ourselves first, to lean into our privilege and step on others as we climb, parenting is activism.

In a society that teaches boys to quell their emotions, to embrace entitlement and aggression, to dominate others, and to center themselves in everything that they do, parenting boys is activism.

As a book lover and young mom, it was a no brainer that I would turn to books as an extension of my “parenting is activism” journey.

Here are the titles my wife and I turn to over and over again — and the ones you should snag for the children in your life. Whether you’re a parent, educator, aunt, uncle, godparent, neighbor of children, or someone with a little library in your community, these titles are perfect for the littles in your world and we all benefit from children who are guided towards love and care:

1. Whoever You Are / Quienquiera Que Seas — Wrriten by Mem Fox & Illustrated by Leslie Staub

   1. This board book is written in both English and Spanish which is already a green flag! It details how there are children all over the world who may look different, speak different languages, or come from different places but that they feel joy, pain, and sadness just like us. This is such a great gateway book for talking to your kids about international affairs and human rights atrocities in places like Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Haiti, and beyond. The children in those faraway lands want, feel, and need the same things that we do here in America.

2. Bodies Are Cool — Tyler Feder

   1. The illustrations in this book are soooo gorgeous and worth it all on their own. Each page explores different types of bodies and concludes with the phrase “bodies are cool.” The repetition has become a mantra for my two-year-old so much so that I can imagine him encountering someone in public who looks different from him and me being able to remind him, “bodies are…” and him finish my sentence with “cool!” The text and imagery affirms people with varying skin colors and conditions, mobility aids, sizes, shapes, genders, and more while still being age appropriate. It’s perfect for normalizing difference!

3. The Great Big Book of Families — Written by Mary Hoffman & Illustrated by Ros Asquith

   1. My son has two moms so we always knew we wanted books that allowed him to feel seen. This book goes a step further honoring that some kids have two moms or two dads, or one mom and one dad, or only a mom, only a dad, or are raised by other relatives/guardians altogether. Subsequent pages describe that families can be big or small, can live in all kinds of homes, use different types of transportation, celebrate different holidays, and so much more.

4. A is for Activist — Innosanto Nagara

   1. Many children’s books are designed to expose kids to the alphabet and this one does so with socially conscious and progressive phrases which I love. Some pages feel geared towards an older audience (like ‘C’ where the author writes "‘creative counters to corporate vulutres’ lol) but I appreciate the exposure to a wider vocabulary that my child can one day ask me the meaning of! And there are still enough childlike motifs for my son to beg for this book every bedtime.

5. How We Feel — Written by Leah Osakwe & Illustrated by Becky Paihe

   1. This is a great read for exposing children to various emotions and how it’s not just okay to feel a range of things but that it’s what makes us human. Particularly with raising a boy, I want him to become comfortable with his feelings early on and not quell his vulnerability.

6. Baby’s First Book of Banned Books: Special Lessons for Rebellious Young Readers — Laura Korzon

   1. This is a simple and straight forward book that presents illustrations of banned book titles — like the Diary of Anne Frank — with brief and age appropriate summaries of what the books are about.

7. Colombia — Written by Alexandra Alessandri & Illustrated by Manu Montoya

   1. One of my friends bought my little one a book about her home country and I love it for soooo many reasons! Not only does he get to explore his Tia’s homeland, but each page includes a different image of a child so he is subtly exposed to the fact that children come in all shapes, colors, abilities, and sizes. A few pages also expose him to Spanish words like “uno, dos, tres” and “rojo, verde, naranja, y amarillo” so that’s always a bonus over here.

8. Baby Young, Gifted, and Black — Jamia Wilsn & Andrea Pippins

   1. This book introduces young readers to Black musicians, athletes, politicians, writers, and civil rights leaders through vivid imagery and quick phrases like “I move my body like Misty Copeland” and “I stand up for myself and for others like Martin Luther King, Jr.” Pretty self-explanatory as to why I love this one but I also appreciate that the book goes beyond the typical historical figures and also includes odes to writers like Zadie Smith and athletes like Pelé.

9. Happy to Be Nappy — Written by bell hooks & Illustrated by Chris Raschka

   1. Now I can’t lie, I was disappointed with this one on my first read because it didn’t follow typical children’s book patterns of repetition and rhyming but my kid LOVES it so we’ve stuck with it. It follows girl protagonists (which we try to expose our little one to often!) and embraces kinky and curly hair.

10. Every Little Thing — Adapted by Cedella Marley based on the song “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley, Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

    1. I always “read” this one by singing it to the melody of the Bob Marley song which my little one *loves* and it’s full of messages about showing people you care about them through your actions.

Honorary Mentions:

1. The Hallo-Wiener — Dav Pilkey

   1. This book follows a Dachshund dog that is made fun of by other dogs in the neighborhood for his unique size. Then, on Halloween, this unique size allows our main character to save the day and he becomes celebrated by the very people who bullied him. On the one hand, I don’t want to encourage cozying up to bullies and not standing up for yourself BUT I like that the book honors the Dachshund’s feelings, encourages him to be himself, and rewards that behavior in the end. It’s also a perfectly silly book that my little one cracks up at!

Those are my current top 10 (+1) and I’m sure it will evolve as my son gets older and is able to handle longer reads. When that happens, be on the lookout for an updated list. In the meantime, tell a friend to tell a friend. Or better yet, buy these titles for a child or parent you love :)

Are there children’s book not on the list that I should look into? Send the recs my way!

Lastly, if the above was helpful to you at all, please subscribe for more reading lists (for adults and young people) as well as my reflections on parenting, social justice, and changing the things about our society that we cannot accept.