Why I Won’t Read “Anti-Racist Baby” to My Baby
Three years ago, I brought my son to our local Barnes & Noble bookstore to find a new bedtime story. While browsing, I stumbled upon “Anti-Racist Baby” in the children’s section. Curious, I picked it up to flip through its pages. I entered a book that taught a child how to navigate and respond to a world through the lens of an adult with a rigid perspective on race and power dynamics.
Meanwhile, my son scampered over to the rack featuring Dr. Seuss and crouched down to explore the lower level of books.
As he turned the rack, he spun into a world of whimsy and wonder, where cats donned hats, fish could chat, and elephants hatched eggs.
He boarded a spaceship to the solar system. With Thing 1 and Thing 2 by his side, he set out on a rhythmic intergalactic odyssey to explore distant planets and brave a walk on the moon.
While I immersed myself in this book that prescribed the steps to developing social consciousness, my son found his way to the shelf featuring the Little Blue Truck series.
With unbridled energy, he hopped onto the azure vehicle with a diversity of animal species friends. With them, he learned about friendship, empathy, and the confidence to make good choices and to do the right…
