Have you seen the “A Kids Book About…” series yet? I had seen the books floating around Instagram for a while and been intrigued, so I decided to take advantage of a 25% off sale (plus free shipping on 3 or more books) that they had this summer and give them a try. With more than 25 titles to choose from, it was a tough decision which to buy, and I could have spent a small fortune on these. But, I managed to narrow it down to A Kids Book About Money, A Kids Book About Empathy, and A Kids Book About Racism. Read on to learn a little about the series, to see our impressions based on these three books, and to get a quick peek at which titles I have my eye on next!
“A Kids Book About…“ began with A Kids Book About Racism, written by CEO and co-founder Jelani Memory, a black father with a blended family. He wrote this book to foster important conversations in his own family, believing he’d only need the one copy… Now, he runs a “publishing company that makes kids books that matter, because kids are ready.” The books in the series are written by a wide variety of authors passionate about a wide variety of topics (from financial coaches to high schoolers to a retired NFL coach). The books are longer than most picture books (at quick glance, they seem to range from 64 to 72 pages long), but the text tends to be sparse, so the target audience can handle it.
Though the text is sparse, remember that these topics have been chosen because they’re important for children to learn about and talk about. You might be able to read these books quickly with your children, but be prepared to visit them multiple times and leave extra time for questions and discussion, so that you and your family get the most out of them.
What our family noticed right away is that these books are straightforward and simple, with no bells and whistles or anything at all to distract kids in an illustration. In fact, the only illustrations are really changes in font colors and styles. The authors approach difficult and/or complex topics honestly, but in a very age-appropriate manner (the books are all aimed at 5 and up), with suitable sensitivity when necessary. In each of the three books we own, the authors even use humor (once again, when appropriate, such as repeating the word “really” approximately 247 times to get his point across) to connect with the children.
I mentioned that there are more than 25 books in the series. In addition to the 3 we bought this summer, I’ve got my eye on A Kids Book About Disabilities, A Kids Book About Emotions, and A Kids Book About Failure. And… I may have already ordered our next book in the series… A Kids Book About Gratitude. My choice should give you a strong hint about what our Family Focus Trait for November is going to be!
If you could write A Kids Book About… something, what would your something be?
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