I found this book to be really evocative despite its simple and clear writing. The messages in the book are raw yet child friendly. A true look at the effect that inequality has on a personal level. Love that this book is not just a story and that it is very real and has true facts throughout. The discussion guide is brilliant and the quotes from Muhammad Ali are inspirational. I think this book should be used in all classrooms to show the reality of inequality and empower children to stand up for what is right and be the change that the world needs.

Title: For Beautiful Black Boys who Believe in a Better World *****
by Michael Waters; Illustrations by Keisha Morris

This book contains the sad truth about growing up Black in America today. And for a young boy, Jeremiah, the deaths of the Charleston nine, of Trayvon Martin ,and of Michael Brown do not make sense. But, while it states the facts as they stand and as supported by statistics, it is hopeful and is told with compassion and optimism that what isn’t right will somehow be made better through our actions, like voting, marching, praying, organizing and speaking out against injustice.

Beautifully illustrated in muted colors by Keisha Morris https://www.behance.net/keishamorris
Written by Michael Waters https://michaelwwaters.com

Thanks to #NetGalley for ARC of #ForBeautifulBlackBoyswhoBelieveinaBetterWorld #ForBeautifulBlackBoys #NetGalley

For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World by Michael W. Waters is a book about activism. It follows Jeremiah through the years as he learns from his parents about the violence happening against black and brown people. Through their discussions, Jeremiah determines how he, as a kid, can fight against injustice.

I feel like during these days of protest, kids can sometimes feel like there's nothing they can do. This book does a great job of giving kids an idea of what they can do at their age to fight against injustice. A discussion guide from the Muhammad Ali Center is included at the back of the book. I think this would spark lots of discussion with kids whether it's at home or at school. It leaves a simple message that we need a better world, and the kids are our hope for the future. Raise them right! #ForBeautifulBlackBoys #netgalley

This book is a great one to guide young readers as they talk and learn about the current events of our world. It talks of the importance of civic duty and standing up for what you believe. This will make a great addition to libraries.

First, I would like to say I am a white woman with a black daughter-in-law that I happily welcomed into our family. I am not a racist.

There are black people killed by white cops who didn't deserve it. That is a fact, and it needs to be stopped. We all agree on that point.

I am giving this book a bad review for two reasons. The first is the insinuation that Michael Brown was just some innocent 18 year old who wanted to go to college. The author could say that his son asked about Michael Brown before details were known about his behavior the night he was killed. That may be, but the book still gives the impression to other young people that Michael Brown was innocent and not a convenience store thief who attacked a police officer and did not have his hands raised in the air when he was shot. He was charging the policeman when he was shot.

The second reason I am giving this book one star is that this book is on racism and the insinuation is that white people are the ones shooting guns in black neighborhoods forcing families to hide in hallways. I worked with a young black girl who moved from Milwaukee because it was so dangerous, and she was afraid of getting shot in her home because of black gang violence. She told me bullets were going into houses on a regular basis.

The majority of black shootings are black on black. I would like to see a book written by a black person imploring other black people to stop that violence.

A very timely book. I thought it was a bit cheesy, but I still think it is an important book kids should read so they better understand important issues like racist violence and killings.

The cover and title are gorgeous. The concept for this is excellent and necessary and painful. The art and depiction of the family is beautiful. The execution to me was disappointing. The writing was eh, and the voice - especially of the kiddo, wasn’t there for me. Grateful this exists but hope more people take a go at this content &framing and that publishers keep putting more work like this out. I think it can be done better and in a way that kids can hear themselves in it even more. I did appreciate that there was a resources section at the end. I wish teaching tolerance didn’t always get the first nod (I’ve found teaching for change and zinn to be more progressive and beyond .. tolerance). But having a resource section is clutch for a book like this so I’m glad it was there and it had a lot going for it.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As the news plays on the television in the background young Jeremiah ask his Dad, "Who's that?"..."What did he do?"..."Why is he lying in the middle of the street?"

Trayvon Martin
Michael Brown
Alton Sterling
Philando Castile
Jordan Edwards
Charleston Nine

Those are their names.
Being Black...That's what they did.
Racism and Injustice...That's why they are no longer here with us.

Jeremiah's Dad begins explaining these things to Jeremiah, always ending in, "It doesn't make sense...None at all." But Jeremiah is not quite ready to talk about it.

When Jeremiah is ready to talk about what is going on in our communities today, his parents are ready to have the conversation. Are you ready?

This book will help you prepare to have this much needed conversation with your children, your students, and any young person in your life. Included after the story is a Discussion Guide by the Muhammad Ali Center. This guide will prepare you on how to establish a space space to speak about race, as well as further the discussion by exploring ways we all can all make change. By voting, marching, organizing, speaking, writing, praying, and loving we can change the world!

Wondering how to talk to your kids about protests and why you have a "Black Lives Matter" sign in your window? This book will help - and does so in a gentle, yet honest way. And shows it is OK to not be ready to talk, even though new events happen. Early in the book Jeremiah asks to grow dreds - and he is told it will take time. Passage of time is shown as his hair grows, and his family makes decisions about how to participate (organize, vote, pray...) and speak out for Black Lives. The rich pictures effectively support the narrative and the discussion guide by the Ali Center makes useful for families and classrooms. #ForBeautifulBlackBoys #NetGalley

Jeremiah asks his parents about the gun violence he sees and hears about; his parents respond with love and guidance. This quick-read could be used in every home and classroom. This book is teachable, thought-provoking, realistic, and includes beautiful & colorful illustrations, Author has included a discussion guide in the back for teachers and parents: How to talk about racism. violence, and change.

What a great current events book for my students! This will be a great lead in to discussing the events that are currently going on at this moment. Its factual, the storyline is good and the artwork is colorful and impressive. The story even lists current names that are setup relevant to the racial movement against the police. It would have been great if somehow Breonna Taylor could be added so that the story could include black women.

This is a wonderful book that hears the questions of a young, Black child about the tragic cases of injustice towards Black young men in the news. His father patiently responds in the most comforting manner. The book is a great avenue to open dialogue in families as they struggle with this difficult issue.

In reading the first couple of pages of For Beautiful Black Boys , I felt burned by the weight of Black males killed by racist violent police officers and assailants. As I continued to read, the burden gradually lifted as Jeremiah thought about the pandemic of racialized violence and gleans from his father's activism, speaking at a rally and vigil. Jeremiah asks questions and makes statements about the newspaper article and televised news report. Jeremiah doesn't fully express himself until he gains insight from his parents and community.. The father and mother offers their son wisdom in how to foster restorative justice in diverse ways.

What is immediate in the story is the love and knowledge that the parents instill in Jeremiah and his sisters' lives. The narrative thread of Jeremiah growing locks was brilliant. The locks symbolize Black beauty and Black empowerment. Black folks with locks were often criticized by school administrators and employers because it didn't align to western standards of white beauty. Morris' illustrations compliments the story. The fusion of drawings and collage allows readers to follow the trajectory of Jeremiah's sense of social justice. The Author's Note and Discussion Guide provides a context for readers to understand Waters' agenda of restorative justice for Black boys, for Black people. Black boys who read this picture book will help them understand that violence and racism could be challenged. They can discover their potential in bringing this reality into fruition.

I randomly clicked on this book, thinking it might be a good addition to my diverse classroom library. I had no idea what beauty was lying ahead for me. "For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World" is a fantastic text that I honestly believe needs to be in every classroom. Walters is able to elegantly deal with current events that make most grown adults cringe. Once, getting into the book I was worried perhaps a clear stance would be taken and it would cause waves through parents. This book is on all sides/ the best side that we all just want a better world for all children. I loved the honesty and emotion written throughout this book. It is seriously essential literature now with the Black Lives Matter Movement taking full force. I can not say enough good things about this book. I will be using this in my classroom no matter what grade I am assigned to. I can also see myself using this text as a mentor text in writing.

I received an electronic ARC from Flyaway Books through NetGalley.
This will become a go to book for talking about racism with elementary and middle grade children. Jeremiah asks about news reports about people who have died. His father explains what he can and lets Jeremiah set the pace for discussion. The illustrations show Jeremiah growing up through the story. Finally, when he's ready, he asks his parents to explain and answer his questions.
Waters provides answers that can be processed by elementary and middle grade readers.
The included Discussion Guide is powerful and should help adults engage in meaningful discussion.

simply beautiful. This #picturebook made me cry.
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Jeremiah has questions as he reads the news over his father’s shoulder or sees it on TV. Black men & women are dying and he doesn’t know why. He’s just a kid and he doesn’t want to talk about it. It’s not until things reach a boiling point that Jeremiah goes to his parents and asks why. His dad doesn’t have the answers, but tells his son ways to help: voting, marching, praying. Together we can make this world better for the next generation.
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I was shook reading this. As someone who doesn’t have children of my own I can’t imagine the conversations that need to take place or how to go about them. Waters does an amazing job of showing exactly how to do that and productive and positive ways to facilitate change. This is inspired by a true story of the #author and his son. Gun violence and racism can’t be fixed until we stand up and use our voices. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC. All ages buy this #book September 22.

When looking at books for the lower elementary age group that deal with racism, you typically find two kinds: the kind where we all need to celebrate our differences and the kind that talk about significant people from the past who have fought against inequality. I have been looking for books that would help teachers and families talk about the reality of police brutality in a way that is sensitive for younger kids, but still fosters the conversation. I have really only found one other book so far (Something Happened in Our Town), so I'm very glad to have another title to add to the list. I think this handles the discussion of the violence in a way that kids can understand and is real, but not so detailed that it feels like too much for the age. I think the "Jeremiah didn't want to talk anymore" refrain was a bit unnecessary, but this is a wonderful book to add to any collection and help provide a mirror and a window for our students.

The illustrations in this book are outstanding and in a picture book that is paramount. They help to tell the story in ways that text alone can not. I like the way we can watch Jeremiah’s locs grow as the story proceeds.
The message is a good one, but all those murders gathered in one unrelenting list is certainly a heavy load for a picture book to carry. I see this as a book to be read between a parent and child with pauses along the way for discussion. I think it would be less effective in a classroom setting where there might not be time for the nuanced conversation these events deserve.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book to read and review

Michael Waters’ book should be in all school libraries, as well as in any home with children. He writes about the horrific murder of Black people in a way that is accessible to children. The story focuses on the love and support of Jeremiah’s family and discusses the problem and solutions in an honest way that encourages discussion and reflection.

If you are a parent or educator, please preorder this picture book (available in September)! It shows the impact that violence has on a child and how that makes him want to effect change to make the world a better place. The author includes a discussion guide to help an adult learn to approach a discussion about violence and race in the classroom.
We educators have a responsibility to allow for honest conversations surrounding race and violence to help today’s children better understand their rights and emotions, so that they act with empathy in a meaningful, impactful way to change the injustice and inequality.

I’m rating this four stars for the book because it is so brief, but five stars for the intent. 4.5 stars rounded up.

Advanced readers copy provided courtesy of #netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.