msgabbythelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Racism. Sadly we need books about it still. This is an excellent text that tackles the topic in a sensitive way, yet also does not sugarcoat it either.
It is set up in a great way--a white child and a black child ask questions pertaining to their race. How they see the world through their eyes. There is a character who is more understanding, a character that has animosity. I feel it was an excellent depiction of how conversations might go.
But there is also a story. Of how both the white character and the black character have an opportunity to rise up and make a difference with their Asian classmate. The book reminds that systemic racism isn't just about black/white; it has reaches all over. BUT it ends hopeful. If only children ran the world.
Additionally, there are excellent questions and resources in the back of the book for parents to use with their children.
It is set up in a great way--a white child and a black child ask questions pertaining to their race. How they see the world through their eyes. There is a character who is more understanding, a character that has animosity. I feel it was an excellent depiction of how conversations might go.
But there is also a story. Of how both the white character and the black character have an opportunity to rise up and make a difference with their Asian classmate. The book reminds that systemic racism isn't just about black/white; it has reaches all over. BUT it ends hopeful. If only children ran the world.
Additionally, there are excellent questions and resources in the back of the book for parents to use with their children.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
A tough but important subject to cover as a picture book. Lots of words. Lots to cover for all children and adults. And pretty good art. It felt helpful and direct and inclusive. And it had a lot of text in the back giving advice on framing answers to young people's questions on discrimination and fairness and race. And on how one might respond when your children are dealing with hard issues. There's no way to cover this perfectly for everyone and it clearly tried to be general. 4.5 of 5.
caiken4's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this more. It was an opening to a broader discussion for sure. It barely touched on anything. It barely touched on treating everyone equally, but I did feel like it pushed the premise of don't trust the police. It even says "Most do the right thing, but they all don't". I don't feel like that's the right idea to give children about the people who protect and serve our community! We spend so much time putting SROs into our schools to build a positive foundation with the local law enforcement, that I'm sad to see a book aimed at children 4 to 9 to push the idea of don't trust the police. They are bad.
sandylovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I gave it 3 stars because it felt geared more toward parents who don't know how to explain what is going on it the world and not toward kids. It seems like it would be difficult for younger kids to learn from this book. I hate that we have to have this type of book but it is very important and necessary. It also felt very preachy.
I loved when the little white girl and the little black boy came together and included the new boy from a country far away. The illustrations were amazing.
This book was banned/challenged because of "divisive language" and was thought to promote anti-police views.
I loved when the little white girl and the little black boy came together and included the new boy from a country far away. The illustrations were amazing.
This book was banned/challenged because of "divisive language" and was thought to promote anti-police views.
emilym4488's review against another edition
5.0
Something Happened in Our Town
Marianne Celano
A banned children’s book that teaches kids how to talk about discrimination and prejudices.
Marianne Celano
A banned children’s book that teaches kids how to talk about discrimination and prejudices.
zoes_human's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful parent-teacher resource for broaching the difficult topic of racism and police shootings of Black people. The picture book portion models this challenging conversation in a White family and in a Black family. The back of the book provides great definitions of related terms that are broken down simply for kids. Additionally, there is a supplemental section with additional tips to help adults who don't feel ready to have this conversation and aren't certain how to tackle some of the questions that kids can ask. A valuable resource that has a place in EVERY library.
jg12389's review against another edition
5.0
This book wasn't written for me in mind and I don't have kids but I wanted to check it out after I was doing some research around Banned Books Week. I saw that this kid's book was one of the top ten banned/challenged books of 2020 in the US. So sad that we, as white people, can't seem to even handle talking about the truth of our history. How else will we repair and build a better future? This book should not be censored. Shame on us.
cateyeschloe's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
This book is intended for kids 4-8, and, although it’s a very short story, the authors really packed in a lot of great dialogue and information.
The story presents the perspective on the situation of a cop shooting a Black man both through the eyes of both a white girl and a Black boy.
There’s a lengthy Notes section at the end of the book intended as a resource for adults when they have discussions about race with kids. A lot of the advice and tips presented are awesome and great conversation starters and guides.
For my personal taste, this book is a little generous in its presentation that some cops are bad and some cops are good. The book even goes so far as to say “… remember that most police officers never fire their guns during their whole careers because they try to solve problems without violence. There are many police officers who work hard and want to help people.” As someone who staunchly stands by the notion that ACAB, this portrayal was a bit much for me. However, I also recognize the need to teach small children the necessity of going to the police if they are lost, in danger, etc., so I understand the stance.
Something Happened In Our Town is a great resource and I would definitely recommend it to any adults with children in their life. Honestly, it offers some great talking points between any individuals in general.
There is no viable reason for this book to be banned anywhere. Kids are real people just like the rest of us and they face these real situations in the world just like we do - especially Black and BIPOC children. This books takes on the real world and offers help in guiding children through the difficulty of it, simplifying the dialogue without losing its significance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Bullying