Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Powerful story helps guide talk of bias, shootings.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
SOMETHING HAPPENED IN OUR TOWN follows two families, one Black and one White, in the aftermath of police shooting a Black man in their community. The families' discussions, questions, and answers focus on how children process traumatic events, and aims to help children identify and counter racial bias. At the end of the story are guidelines for discussing race and racism, child-friendly definitions, and sample dialogues for parents and caregivers.
Is It Any Good?
The simple, direct language the authors use in the story and the appendix of resources makes this a phenomenally good resource for families to talk about racial bias. Something Happened in Our Town offers a gentle, age-appropriate account of a troubling, all-too-real situation kids may hear about in their community or on the news. Clear language about the police killing of a Black man provides the terminology, discussion questions, and children's perspective on the impact of racial bias. The clarity of ideas and the emphasis on growth and responsibility, coupled with the tools to start and continue important discussions, make this book an essential read.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about racial bias they've seen in their school or community that is similar to that discussed in Something Happened in Our Town. What have you seen, and how did you feel when it happened? What made those events memorable for you?
Do you think jokes about skin color are funny? Why or why not?
How can something you say hurt another kid's feelings?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Illustrator : Jennifer Zivoin
- Genre : History
- Topics : Activism , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Magination Press
- Publication date : April 4, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
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