Title: Skin Again

Author: bell hooks

Illustrator: Chris Raschka
ISBN: 0-7868-0825-X
Copyright: 2004
Summary: The Skin Im In is told in the
first person. This book focuses on the idea
that we are more than just the skin we are in.
Our skin is simply one of the many things
that make up the person we are. This book
also discusses the importance of not making assumptions about someone
without getting to know them first. bell hooks also stresses the importance
of individuality and self-acceptance.
Question

Yes N
o

Does the story positively represent

HUGS?

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino/a

Native American/American
Indian

Asian American/Pacific Islander

LGBTQIAA

Women

Elderly

Characters with visible

disabilities, etc.

Is there a clear effort made to avoid

tokenism?

tokenism- all characters look the

same with only slight variations.

ex: women have bows and men

have a tie

Is the author qualified to write on the

N/
A

Comment
s

topic?

have they done research on the

topic?

do they identify as the

race/ethnicity represented in the book?
4

Does the book use

multilingual/bilingual text?

Was the book published within the last

8 years?

Is this book void of racial stereotypes?

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino/a

Native American/American
Indian

Asian American/Pacific Islander

LGBTQIAA

Is this book void of gender

X
stereotypes?

Females in more than caretaker

roles, males in more than tough roles

Are females as well as males

depicted in leadership roles?

Does this book use inclusive language? X

Are various family units depicted?

1
0

Is the setting credible?

1
1

Are races represented across all

settings?

Ex: Native American/American

Indians outside of Thanksgiving

1
2

Does this book encourage a positive

self-image for children?

1
3

Is this book void of class stereotypes?

1
4

Is this book void of sexual orientation

stereotypes?

1
5

Is this book void of religion

stereotypes?

1
6

Are cultural settings realistically

represented?

Comments: This is an excellent book for building positive selfacceptance in students of all backgrounds. bell hooks does a wonderful
job of explaining that it is important to know someone for more than just
what they look like on the outside. It discusses and positively reinforces
the things that make us alI unique and different. I would use this book in
my classroom.

Title: I Love My Hair

Author: Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Illustrator: E.B. Lewis
ISBN: 978-0-316-52275-5
Copyright: 2001
Summary: The main character in this
book is a little girl named Keyana.
Keyana discusses the difficulty of
brushing her hair, but her mother
reassures her that she is lucky to have the
hair that she does. Keyana learns to love
her hair because of the many different
ways she can wear it. She realizes that her hair makes her special.
Question

Yes N
o

Does the story positively represent

HUGS?

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino/a

Native American/American
Indian

Asian American/Pacific Islander

LGBTQIAA

Women

Elderly

Characters with visible

disabilities, etc.

Is there a clear effort made to avoid

tokenism?

tokenism- all characters look the

same with only slight variations.

ex: women have bows and men

have a tie

N/
A

Comment
s

Is the author qualified to write on the

topic?

have they done research on the

topic?

do they identify as the

race/ethnicity represented in the book?

Does the book use

multilingual/bilingual text?

Was the book published within the last

8 years?

Is this book void of racial stereotypes?

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino/a

Native American/American
Indian

Asian American/Pacific Islander

LGBTQIAA

Is this book void of gender

stereotypes?

Females in more than caretaker

roles, males in more than tough roles

Are females as well as males

depicted in leadership roles?

Does this book use inclusive language? X

Are various family units depicted?

1
0

Is the setting credible?

1
1

Are races represented across all

settings?

Ex: Native American/American

Indians outside of Thanksgiving

Does this book encourage a positive

self-image for children?

1
3

Is this book void of class stereotypes?

1
4

Is this book void of sexual orientation

stereotypes?

1
5

Is this book void of religion

stereotypes?

1
6

Are cultural settings realistically

represented?

Comments: All students can learn from this book. It does a wonderful
job of encouraging a positive self-esteem while teaching students to
accept others. As long as you are proud of who you are, it does not matter
what others think. I would use this book in my classroom.

Title: Henrys Freedom Box

Author: Ellen Levine
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
ISBN: 978-0-439-77733-9
Copyright: 2007
Summary: Henry Box Brown doesnt
know how old he is or anything about his
past. All Henry knows is that he is destined
to be a slave forever. When his master dies,
Henry is taken away from his mother to
work in a factory. Here he decides that he
cannot stand to be a slave any longer.
Henry puts himself in a box and which gets
shipped to Philadelphia where he would remain a free man.
Question

Yes N
o

Does the story positively represent

HUGS?

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino/a

Native American/American
Indian

Asian American/Pacific Islander

LGBTQIAA

Women

Elderly

Characters with visible

disabilities, etc.

Is there a clear effort made to avoid

tokenism?

tokenism- all characters look the

same with only slight variations.

ex: women have bows and men

have a tie

N/
A

Comment
s

Is the author qualified to write on the

topic?

have they done research on the

topic?

do they identify as the

race/ethnicity represented in the book?

Does the book use

multilingual/bilingual text?

Was the book published within the last

8 years?

Is this book void of racial stereotypes?

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino/a

Native American/American
Indian

Asian American/Pacific Islander

LGBTQIAA

Is this book void of gender

X
stereotypes?

Females in more than caretaker

roles, males in more than tough roles

Are females as well as males

depicted in leadership roles?

Does this book use inclusive language? X

Are various family units depicted?

1
0

Is the setting credible?

1
1

Are races represented across all

settings?

Ex: Native American/American

Indians outside of Thanksgiving

Does this book encourage a positive

self-image for children?

1
3

Is this book void of class stereotypes?

1
4

Is this book void of sexual orientation

stereotypes?

1
5

Is this book void of religion

stereotypes?

1
6

Are cultural settings realistically

represented?

Comments: Even though this is a difficult topic to teach children, this

book describes slavery in a very age appropriate way. Hearing a true story
is also a great way for children to learn about the brutality of a rough
situation. I would read this book in my classroom.

Title: Lola Loves Stories

Author: Anna McQuinn
Illustrator: Rosalind Beardshaw
ISBN: 978-1-58089-259-9
Copyright: 2010
Summary: This book follows the ideas of a
little girl named Lola. Lola loves going to
the library to get books. Each book she finds
inspires her to act out the story the following
day. Some stories include being the perfect
princess, and her mother fixing things that
go wrong.
Question

Yes N
o

Does the story positively represent

HUGS?

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino/a

Native American/American
Indian

Asian American/Pacific Islander

LGBTQIAA

Women

Elderly

Characters with visible

disabilities, etc.

Is there a clear effort made to avoid

tokenism?

tokenism- all characters look the

same with only slight variations.

ex: women have bows and men

have a tie

Is the author qualified to write on the

topic?

have they done research on the

topic?

N/
A

Comment
s


do they identify as the
race/ethnicity represented in the book?
4

Does the book use

multilingual/bilingual text?

Was the book published within the last

8 years?

Is this book void of racial stereotypes?

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino/a

Native American/American
Indian

Asian American/Pacific Islander

LGBTQIAA

Is this book void of gender

stereotypes?

Females in more than caretaker

roles, males in more than tough roles

Are females as well as males

depicted in leadership roles?

Does this book use inclusive language? X

Are various family units depicted?

1
0

Is the setting credible?

1
1

Are races represented across all

settings?

Ex: Native American/American

Indians outside of Thanksgiving

1
2

Does this book encourage a positive

self-image for children?

1
3

Is this book void of class stereotypes?

1
4

Is this book void of sexual orientation

stereotypes?

1
5

Is this book void of religion

stereotypes?

1
6

Are cultural settings realistically

represented?

Comments: Although this book does a great job encouraging children to

read, I would not use it in my classroom. There is clear tokenism in the
fact that all characters look the same with only changes to the skin color.
Characters in this book are also seen in traditional roles- the mother
makes everything better, and the daughter is reliant upon others.
Personally, I see the stories she reads as a way to escape from the
stereotypical life she lives. I would not recommend reading this book.