Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race

Based on the research that race, gender, consent, and body positivity should be discussed with toddlers on up, this read-aloud board book series 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 board book offers clear, concrete language and beautiful imagery 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. [Adapted from publishers’ description.]

ISBN: 9780593382639 | Rise x Penguin Workshop

This is one of the books in the Teach Truth pop-up display. Here is the text on the colorful information sheet that is behind the book for visitors to read as they learn about books that are banned or challenged.

Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race is the first in a series of board books that have faced bans and challenges across the country from California to Kentucky to since it was published in 2021.

The book was coauthored by Dr. Megan Pamela Ruth Madison, a Black queer critical race theorist, and Jessica Ralli, a white mom and library worker, and was illustrated by Isabel Roxas. In Westfield, New Jersey the book was removed from school libraries after a formal complaint was made by a parent and the school board approved the decision with an 8-0 vote.

The efforts were supported by a group called the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR), which characterizes the book as anti-white. This group has also attacked transgender rights. In 2004, after years of organizing, advocates for the freedom to read were successful in passing a state law protecting all NJ students from censorship. In March 2025, Katy Independent School District in Texas discreetly removed Our Skin from its instructional resources after removing classics like The Handmaid’s Tale and Slaughterhouse Five in 2024.