Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith Picks: Positive Books About Kids of Color

Last updated: September 19, 2023

Allison Briscoe-Smith is one of the United States' leading experts on talking to kids about race and racial trauma. With a background and expertise in clinical psychology and a focus on trauma and ethnic minority mental health, she currently serves as director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Wright Institute. In addition to her teaching and clinical work with both kids and adults, she also provides trainings and consultations regarding the impact of race and implicit bias on education and workplaces.

Her work is also informed by the fact that she's a mom of three mixed-race kids -- ages 2, 9, and 11 -- who helped her put this list together. "I turned to my kids to ask them what books they felt like they saw themselves in, that talked about race, and that they really liked," Dr. Briscoe-Smith says of the books featured here. These books are all kid-approved celebrations of characters of color who embrace who they are and appreciate difference. To learn more about Allison Briscoe-Smith and her work, watch her discuss Parenting in Support of Black Lives with Julie Lythcott-Haims and Ibram X. Kendi or visit her website.