Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race
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Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Megan Madison (Author), Jessica Ralli (Author), Robin Miles (Narrator),
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,880 ratings
Editors' pick Best Books Ages 3-5
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Based on the research that race, gender, consent, and body positivity should be discussed with toddlers on up, this read-aloud board-book series, now adapted for audio, offers adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way.

Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic-driven audiobook offers clear, concrete language that young children can grasp and adults can leverage for further discussion.

While young children are avid observers and questioners of their world, adults often shut down or postpone conversations on complicated topics because it's hard to know where to begin. Research shows that talking about issues like race and gender from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and allows them to recognize and confront things that are unfair, like discrimination and prejudice.

This first book in the series begins the conversation on race, with a supportive approach that considers both the child and the adult.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    13 minutes
  2. Author
    Megan Madison, see all
  3. Narrator
    Robin Miles
  4. Audible release date
    March 16, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Listening Library
  7. ASIN
    B08LZWVYQT
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 13 minutes
Author Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli
Narrator Robin Miles
Audible.com Release Date March 16, 2021
Publisher Listening Library
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08LZWVYQT
Best Sellers Rank #243,173 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#502 in Geography & Cultures for Children
#1,395 in Children's Books on Prejudice & Racism
#4,159 in Growing Up & Facts of Life for Children

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,880 global ratings
Every family needs to read & discuss this book!
5 Stars
Every family needs to read & discuss this book!
Thank you for finally writing a book that clearly explains to young children what racism is. Every family actively working on being anti-racist needs this book. I wish it existed while I was still teaching because it is an excellent resource. If this book makes you uncomfortable it is because you are racist & have some work to do unlearning all of the systemic racism you’ve bought into your entire life. My fellow white people, it is okay to feel uncomfortable, it is okay to realize you were raised in a system of people who made all of the rules so they could benefit from them. Let’s have these tough conversations and let’s have age appropriate ones with our kids so they don’t grow into ignorant human beings. The discussion part in the back of the book is very helpful too. Buy this book, you won’t regret it (unless you find being called out on your own internalized racism offensive, then I cannot help you but you do need to grow and evolve)!
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Top reviews from the United States

Kristin Slechticky
5.0 out of 5 stars Great option to start a conversation about race with Littles
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024
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Immediately fell in love with this book. The illustrations are wonderful and the words offer up a great way to start a conversation about race with Littles to begin to understand.
One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars Diversity, Equality, Empathy, & Compassion
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2023
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There is more than on way to learn. Critical thinking is SO important.

Books OPEN minds. Seeking diversity increases the quality of decision making.

If children of color are old enough to EXPERIENCE racism, white children are old enough to LEARN about racism. It's not meant to make people feel bad about themselves, it's meant to make people AWARE and critically think for themselves.

The less you learn, the easier you are to be controlled. Reading books opens your mind to many new, exciting and challenging ways of thinking. To have empathy and compassion for others.

To those who have a problem with this book, please take a step back and look at this book from a new and different perspective. This isn't teaching white children to feel guilty, it's teaching ALL children to ACKNOWLEDGE skin color but DON'T treat people differently because of stereotypes based on skin color. Don't let your fear stop an opportunity for growth and the betterment of the future.

Education is elevation. The highest form of knowledge is empathy.

Nelson Mandela said, "Education of the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world." Let's bravely change the world for the better together.
16 people found this helpful
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Hot Rod
5.0 out of 5 stars Racism is a grown ups thing!
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2023
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Kids don’t come seeing skin color differences or judging another kid’s race. Sadly, someone older has to instill that racism within. Happily, little kids all played together. Initially, older kids chose their team by race to play basketball. I broke that up when I had my turn — picking the BEST players!😊 At our Public Library I will set up the Dr. King book display with a Kids section and an Adults one in January!
4 people found this helpful
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Danielle Kipfer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for young children
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2023
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Good book to have with young childs book collection. Good for learning and opening up the conversation about race and equality for all.
2 people found this helpful
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Lolo
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for 2-yr-old and up
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2021
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As someone trying to navigate early childhood teaching about race (with a two and a half year old), I am so happy to have found this book! Written with great care, it’s a fun read for a kid but gets you using language about skin color and even touching in big concepts of what-is-race and racism.

Fun illustrations, great art. Simple enough that my toddler follows it overall; and then the harder concepts he can skim over but they allow me to start formulating how to talk to him about them, made me realize things that are hard for me to verbalize to him, etc.

Also love this for grandmas/etc to read. It shows them how we want to talk to our children about race, models some language for them and pushes their thoughts from the “colorblind” concepts & language they taught us. They feel scared to even talk to me about talking about race with kids... and this book is a good segue, they can look and think it over and gives us a practical avenue to discuss.

Note: this review is written by a white mom in an all-while family.
18 people found this helpful
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Jenny
1.0 out of 5 stars Rasist itself , devisive and harmfull to young minds.
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2022
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It is a shock to see this one being taught in school!
There are so many things wrong with this book.

Despite what the book suggests, children don't care about skin color. They are obviously not blind but they are “color-blind”.Children play with anyone who is friendly and nice, and children never divide each other by skin color.
The book, however, makes it the main focus, that you belong to a specific group of people, exclusively because of your skin color. More than that, the authors are convinced that it is your moral obligation to point your child's attention to skin color.

It is true to say that many of our kids weren't even aware of the color of their skin until discussions in class.

The discussions in our school started ironically on MLK day, despite the fact that the man famously preached to judge people by the content of their character not the color of their skin. I think it is especially disturbing that some kids were basically harassed and put into a humiliating "victimhood" position.

The book says that there are basically only two big groups of people: “all the people of color” and another group called “white people”. I personally find this idea more than simplistic and incredibly divisive.

Illustrations in the book suggest that if you're of any color but white you will always be playing a bad guy, you will always be somehow victimized. Is that how you want to see your child growing up? An oppressor or oppressed? Is it healthy or productive? Are the pictures shown in the book in any way describe today's reality?

An unhealthy fixation on race makes people obsessively find racism everywhere, even in banal things. Have you ever said to your child that princesses have to have blonde hair? Is it the only hair color that your daughter's dolls have?
The book shows that only white kids can be mean. Seriously? Does your skin color make you a bad person? Isn't it the purest example of racism itself? Throughout the book, white people and kids showed in a negative light. What is happening here? How can’t our schools see the obvious hypocrisy?

Schools should be a politics/activism/radicalism-free zone. The book openly associated itself with a radical political movement which is absolutely unacceptable.
Unfortunately, it is also a sign of a much bigger problem in our educational system.
I want to believe that most of our educators truly believe that they are doing a good thing. Meanwhile, tempted by virtue signaling, others are blindly sacrificing our children's mental health.
102 people found this helpful
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Marie Bossert
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2021
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Reading this to my child really made me step out of my comfort zone. I guess I was raised to not point out differences among people. Either way, it's always felt so taboo to talk about people having different skin colors. It doesn't feel taboo to talk about people having different hair colors or eye colors, why should skin be taboo? Pretending that everyone is the same is harmful. Anyway, the book discusses color, the science (melanin) behind the color of our skin, the history of racism, etc. It also outright addresses different forms of racism. It has really paved the way for conversations, even things as simple as talking about how my daughter and I, as very fair-skinned people, are much more susceptible to sunburn than my niece and nephew, who are Black, because of the amount of melanin in each of our skin. Having read this book to my child, I feel much more comfortable discussing ways in which people are the same and different. I also bought a couple of other books about diversity.
19 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Jessica Hernández
5.0 out of 5 stars Súper libro!
Reviewed in Mexico on March 12, 2024
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Esta colección es excelente para hablar sobre nuestra piel y el respeto a todos. Versión en cartón excelente para niños pequeños.
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Jessica Hernández
5.0 out of 5 stars Súper libro!
Reviewed in Mexico on March 12, 2024
Esta colección es excelente para hablar sobre nuestra piel y el respeto a todos. Versión en cartón excelente para niños pequeños.
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Shristi
5.0 out of 5 stars Really nice
Reviewed in the Netherlands on May 5, 2024
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My child loves this book and we have had some important conversations with the help of this book :)
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Holly Edgar
5.0 out of 5 stars Great approach to a tricky topic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2024
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This book is a great starter for addressing the topic of racism with little children. It’s not too earnest and helps tackle a difficult subject directly and with empathy
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Aline
5.0 out of 5 stars Très intéressant
Reviewed in France on December 18, 2023
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La notion de différence et de couleur de peau est bien traitée.
Les dessins sont beaux.
Le livre parle des scènes du quotidien, il permet d’ouvrir la discussion avec son enfant.
En plus, en fin d’ouvrage il y a une section pour les parents pour creuser un peu plus les sujets abordés.
Je recommande.
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Chelsea Jimenez
3.0 out of 5 stars Doesn’t seem very appropriate for a child
Reviewed in India on July 3, 2022
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I did not like this book for my 3 year old. It seemed inappropriate for children.
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