This book offers a way for adults to talk about tough race issues with kids. I really liked the illustrations, which added to personality to the story.

I wouldn't use For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World as a part of our curriculum. However, I would definitely purchase copies for classroom libraries and use it as a read aloud, with small groups, and to show the windows and mirrors our students need. The book did a nice job explaining key people and ways to be an activist. It did feel a bit didactic though.

A beautiful children's book to help all of us try to make sense of how cruel the world can be. Especially to Black boys.

**Thank you to NetGalley, author Michael W. Waters, and Flyaway Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World is an emotional, informative, and strong story. Michael W. Waters challenges his readers to really think about the events that have happened in recent history regarding the injustices against the Black community. He has created a narrative through a young boy's eyes, asking questions, and being confused by the constant injustice. I think this is a great narrative for young readers to follow because they are probably asking similar questions, too.

Waters' writing is clear and powerful. He beings with the questions of confusion: "Why is this happening?" "What are they doing?" but as Jeremiah grows up, he starts to ask questions of "How can I make a difference?" "What can the community do to change these events?"

The story is a strong conversation starter about racial injustices for young readers, and Waters provides guides on how to have those conversations in the back of the book.

Along with the powerful story are beautiful illustrations. They are detailed and bold and full of emotion. I hope to share this story with young readers in the future.

Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racism

I requested a free ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of the book.

For Beautiful Black Boys who Believe in a Better World was written by a Black father for his son, and I think for all children of all colors. The picture book realistically approaches the son’s confusion and dismay at many recent violent Black deaths, many of children. Especially important are several end pages discussing racism, activism, and solutions with young children.

I was incredibly impressed with this book. It tells the story of Jeremiah and his family as they react to violence and murder in the news. This was inspired by Waters' own experiences with his son as he grew up with Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and other young black people being killed in horrible ways.

This book explains the events briefly and in a sensitive manner that a child would understand, whilst not going into detail that would not be appropriate for the age group. It tells children that it is ok to be frustrated and angry with what happens in the world and provides a good model for parents about how to approach such issues and how to allow time for your child to talk about how they feel about them.

What I really loved, though, were the discussion points at the end of the book. It really guides adults of different roles in how to address issues and really holds your hand through it so you can approach it properly.

I am buying a copy!

Why?
This is a question asked numerous times in this book and for a good reason. Why are so many black youths and adults dying with no rhyme or reason? Why can’t justice be served? Why do we keep fighting for justice even though there seems to be no hope?

In the year 2020, racism is still alive and well. The killing of black people is still alive and well. How do we explain it to our kids and our youths? Michael W. Waters wrote this about the conversations he had with his son Jeremiah as he grew up. It’s a guide, if you will, of how to approach this conversation with kids. Of how to tell them the truth without scaring them but also without lying to them.

Although this is a children’s book, the message goes beyond. The message that racism has no place. That we are more than the color of our skin. That we will not stop fighting until there is equality.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flyaway Books for a copy of this book!

Gorgeously illustrated and a beautiful book showing something that can be done about the problems plaguing a community. Getting this book for our library.

My class thought For Beautiful Boys Who Believe in a Better World was a powerful story. They said that they learned a lot about past injustices in America, commenting on the link between George Floyd that they heard a lot of this year, and others in the story. The book led to an extremely powerful discussion about injustice and the importance of being anti-racist. My students related to Jeremiah, and thought that the suggestions for making changes for our society and our future were useful and valuable. I will be purchasing this book for use in my classroom for valuable anti-racist discussions. Thank you to Flyaway Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

A gorgeous, heartbreaking, hopeful story of a young boy figuring out his place in the world. This is such a wonderfully designed book -- the illustrations are so rich with detail, humanity, compassion. The expressions on the faces of these characters are such a key part of the storytelling. The story is told with compassion and delicacy, yet it also resists pulling any punches. Highly recommended, and is also a fantastic educational resource with a wealth of information in the back for readers looking to make changes in the world around them.

I really liked the story and liked the family interactions. The illustrations were crisp and well thought out. An excellent choice for diversity collections.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was released 22 Sep 2020, by Flyaway Books.

This book introduces us to a loving family. The story begins as Jeremiah, the young boy, asks his parents if he can grow locs. They agree and as the story, and time, passes, so does his hair.

Over this span of time, the family’s news feed is too often filled with the deaths of different black boys. At one point the family is forced to shelter in their hallway because of gunfire in the street. With each death, Jeremiah asks questions his parents try to answer. Each one of these sections includes, “It doesn’t make sense,” and ends with a similar refrain, “But Jeremiah didn’t want to talk anymore.”

The parents are activists working to draw attention to these miscarriages of justice and to make change. Jeremiah worries about them.

While this family might be fictional, the murdered youths are very real: Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, the Charleston Nine, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Jordan Edwards. All deaths, even those of five Dallas police officers are condemned.

While this is a story of violence against black boys, it’s also about what to do to change it. Eventually, when Jeremiah’s locs are fully grown, he is ready to talk. He comes to his parents stating, “I’m tired of people hurting each other! I’m tired of people shooting each other! I’m tired of people killing each other! I’m tired of people hating each other just because they are different or because of the color of their skin!” His parents echo his feelings. What follows is a collection of actions for what the family does to enact change.

Keisha Morris’ illustrations are flat out gorgeous. Michael W. Waters prose is profound. It's important that this book shows the impact of violence against black boys on other black boys. It's equally important that it directs readers towards changing the racist system.

In the author’s note, Michael Waters explains his motivation for writing this book. The back matter also includes a discussion guide with specific categories: Preparing Yourself for the conversations, Establishing a Safe Space, Speaking about Race in the Classroom, Speaking About Violence in the Classroom, Exploring Change-Making and Discussing This Book At Home.

Highly Recommended.

Based on his own son and experiences through that young son's life, Michael Waters tells a family story of Jeremiah and his persistent questioning about the shootings, particularly of young black boys but also including that of five police officers. Jeremiah is waiting for his hair to grow so he can have locks and there's a chuckle when he gains permission plus later comparing it to the patience people must have when working for equal rights. As he grows, more tragic shootings happen and the phrase, "That doesn't make sense" repeats. Beautiful black boys like Jeremiah fight for better, shown in "also beautiful" illustrations by Keisha Morris. There are two pages of activities for extending the learning at the back.

This book reflects the emotional lives of black boys across the country and world as they witness and experience crimes against black bodies in the news, their neighborhoods, places of worship. What is the impact on this systemic racially motivated violence often at the hands of police and white supremacy? We know that our children are watching and experiencing this and we must ask ourselves, how are we making a change? What does it look like to collectively address systemic racism and violence and how do we as individuals make a difference and protect all children but especially black children who feel this threat directed at them personally and to their friends and family. This book does a thoughtful and realistic way of addressing these issues. What I appreciated most is that it puts the readers in the room and in the shoes of Jeremiah and his family. Please vote, please speak out, please commit to anti-racism.

For Beautiful Black Boys.... is a heartwarming children's book about a young black boy who is processing all of the tragic deaths of many people of color. For most of the book he is learning about and taking in the information and then he finally processes the injustices that are occurring. He comes to realize what he can currently do as a young kid and what he will be able to do in the future.

This is a fantastic picture book to begin the hard conversations as to why Black people continue to die in senseless racist acts. Inspired by real-life events it is a story of one family's attempt to face and fight back against the racism and gun violence that has become all too common in our country.

Jeremiah finds out about the many black people who have been killed tragically because of their colour. He decides that he will one day change the world.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book but from a very gentle start on page one, it hit me with the brutal truth of the killings from the second page onwards. These people need to be remembered but it felt as though each story just got a cursory mention as it hurried on to the next event. Perhaps it was to emphasise the sheer number of boys who have been killed but to me it came across as something of a list. At the end of the story I didn't feel as though I knew much more about them than I did at the beginning and it apart from being shocked at the brutality of the story, I didn't feel drawn in as much as I should.

This is a gorgeous book that I hope will be on as many Black boys' bookshelves as possible. It should be in every library, readily available. It should be read at storytime.

Take a look at life through the lens of a beautiful black boy, Jeremiah, who decides that he wants to grow out his hair. Through out the process of growing up and gaining longer locks, he sees the injustices of how black lives are treated in society. He asks his dad questions about why these violent attacks happen and Dad sometimes has answers to these hard questions and sometimes he doesn't. Jeremiah witness his Dad participate in actions that can educate and create change. We watch Jeremiah grow to find his voice and how he plans to create change.

This was a terrific book and I highly recommend you read it. It touches on current events surrounding racial injustice, gun violence, the need for people to rise up and have their voices heard, and for communities to come together to create the change we need in this world. The only reason I marked that I wouldn't use this book in my classroom is that I teach littles who aren't developmentally ready for the themes in this book. If I taught older elementary students, I would definitely have this in my class library.