The Talk
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor winner!
As a little boy grows into a bigger boy, ready to take on the world, he first must have that very difficult conversation far too familiar to so many Black and Brown Americans in this gentle and ultimately hopeful picture book.
Jay’s most favorite things are hanging out with his pals, getting kisses from Grandma, riding in his dad’s cool car, and getting measured by his mom with pencil marks on the wall. But as those height marks inch upward, Grandpa warns Jay about being in too big a group with his friends, Grandma worries others won’t see him as quite so cute now that he’s older, and Dad has to tell Jay how to act if the police ever pull them over.
And Jay just wants to be a kid.
All Black and Brown kids get The Talk—the talk that could mean the difference between life and death in a racist world. Told in an age-appropriate fashion, with a perfect pause for parents to insert their own discussions with their children to accompany prompting illustrations, The Talk is a gently honest and sensitive starting point for this far-too-necessary conversation, for Black children, Brown children, and for ALL children. Because you can’t make change without knowing what needs changing.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Williams (Jump at the Sun) writes tenderly about a playful, athletic Black boy named Jay who's growing like a weed at the speed of light. When he becomes too big to be little and too lean to have "chub in my cheeks," his family gives him variations of The Talk. As Jay spends time playing with best friends, all portrayed with brown skin, they're advised to no longer gather in groups. "Grandpa says, I believe y'all could be the next/ Thurgood Marshall, Elijah McCoy, and Bessie Coleman.// But some folks might think you're the next troublemaker." Whether he's visiting a store or walking down the street in a new hoodie, Jay's relatives offer tips for how he might survive an anti-Black world, sure to tell him that "I'm not to blame" and that "I'm the beat of their hearts; the joy in their smiles." This portrayal of a close-knit family and Jay's Black kid joy is as warmhearted as it is resolute, while digitally rendered illustrations by debut artist Uchendu depict desaturated instances of racial prejudice as well as brightly hopeful portraits of Black luminaries, providing an emotive realism to Jay's maturation and his family's greatest fears and dreams. Ages 4–8. Author's agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. Illustrator's agent: Jessica Saint Jean, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.