A breathtakingly beautiful rendering of a heartbreaking story that strives to inform young readers about an ugly part of American psyche. The author/illustrator does an excellent job conveying emotion.

As someone who did not learn this history until college, I absolutely believe that this book should be in all American schools, libraries, and (daringly) homes. The Doll Test does an amazing job delivering our disturbing American history by packaging it into age appropriate and historically accurate language and pictures. This title is well researched and takes the time to convey history correctly to our young ones devoid of all of the guilt emotions that lead us to challenge recognizing history in its true form.

This book opens with a psychological test given to young children in the 1940s where they were shown two dolls, identical except for the color of their skin, and asked to choose which dolls had certain traits associated with them and which dolls they identified with most. Most children assigned "bad" traits to the black doll and "good" traits to the white one. The distress black children showed at identifying that the black doll looked like them led the researchers to conclude that segregation and prejudice were harmful to the children's self-esteem. This study was used as one piece of evidence in the Brown vs Board of Education trial that declared that "separate was not equal" and set the precedent for the end of school segregation in the United States. The second half of the book discusses that trial and its role in creating a fairer society with more opportunity for black students.

The book is informative. It uses simple language that will be accessible for elementary students, with more in-depth information provided in a post-script with historical photographs. The illustrations are a mix of collage and painting. They provide an intentionally warped perspective that is meant to simulate the unease felt by young black students as they encountered the doll test and the unfairness of segregation. That unease makes the book an unlikely choice for light bedtime reading, but highly recommended for elementary school classrooms and libraries, or for parents who want to start a conversation with their children about prejudice or the history of segregation.

Thank you to Netgalley and Carolrhoda Books for providing an advance copy of this book for review.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

A wonderful look at how the doll test changed our way of seeing segregation. An important lesson for everyone to know this book is appropriate for young children to see that all kids (and people) are created equal.

5/5 ⭐️ I remember learning about the Doll Test when I was younger, obviously! It was a much needed experiment that showed how white people can change the perception of black people and their beliefs! To make white people be more superior and black people inferior due to the color of their skin! It’s heartbreaking to see that black children at that time did not love the skin they were in and in today’s society there’s still black people with that mentality! But for me I love my blackness and teach my daughter that too! When she’s able to read she will read this!

A good way to explain to younger readers what segregation was and why it was harmful. By seeing how children chose dolls based on their color, young readers can understand that segregation was a harmful thing. Well written and a new approach to the subject. I will purchase it for my 3-5 library.

This is an incredibly interesting book. I don’t really know much about the intricacies of how the Civil Rights movement. We know about the protests, and sit-ins, and rallies but I have never heard this before.

Knowing that this happened, knowing that children ran out of the room crying because they didn’t want to say they looked like the “bad” doll…. Wow. That’s devastatingly heart wrenching.

I’m so grateful for this book, and for the further reading section at the end, because wow. I should know more about this topic.

I really liked this book! I learned a lot, and this book also made me feel a lot of emotions. But first, I want to note that I don't think this book is FOR kids. It's ABOUT kids, but I think that kids would be scared/sad/mad/etc. when reading this book. That aside, I think that this book is so well-written and informational. People NEED to know about this crucial case, and I am so grateful that I read this book. The author condensed the information just enough so that it didn't overwhelm the reader, but it gave an accurate lesson on this case and what it means in a historical context. Lastly, the illustrations were unique and impressive! The illustrator did an interesting thing with depth and perspective, but I don't know how to describe it in words. The pictures were like the icing on the cake, and worked beautifully in conjunction with the writing to make a masterpiece of a book.
Bravo!

Thank you to Carolrhoda Books, and imprint of Lerner Publishing, and Netgalley for this digital arc.
Short sentences that are almost poetic relay the essential contribution one piece of psychological research made to outcome of the 1952 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case. Their 1954 decision determined that separate was anything but equal, and was to end. Psychologists Drs. Kenneth and Mamie Clark visited schools with four dolls, two black and two white, and asked the children to answer a few questions. The findings were undeniable. Attorney Thurgood Marshal represented the plaintiffs, and Dr, Kenneth Clark was an expert witness. Back matter includes information about the psychologists, the lawyers, the plaintiffs, and resources while David Elmo Cooper photographed vintage Effanbee Twinkie dolls, the last type used in the experiment. This is a short picture book which is perfect for all levels because of the quality of the presentation. The Doll Test by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by David Elmo Cooper is superb.

I remember learning about the doll test in one of my college classes. It is absolutely heart breaking that black children would point to the black dolls as being bad. I'll never know what it's like to be black in America, much less in the 1950s, but it's books like this one that are incredibly important to preserve and distribute. I am obviously outside the target demographic of this book, as I am not a child, but I feel that adults can learn from reading the book as well. If I had a young child, this book would definitely be on their bookshelf.

This book tackles the story and consequences of the doll test—a study undertaken in the 1940s by Dr. Kenneth Clark and Dr. Mamie Clark, two Black psychologists, who used dolls to evaluate the effects of segregation and racism on Black children's self esteem. This study was then used as evidence in Brown v. Board of Education, which led to the desegregation of public schools in the United States. It's a difficult topic to present in a concise and interesting way for young readers—how do you write about a psychological experiment? But the author does a great job, and I was particularly intrigued by the decision to tell the story through the perspective of the dolls. The illustrations were incredibly powerful, and I loved that the illustrator took his own photos of the dolls used in the study.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Doll Test, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by David Elmo Cooper, is one of those picture books that is wonderful for children but still packs a punch for adults. This book tells the story of the famous 1939 doll experiment from the dolls' perspectives. For those unfamiliar with this experiment, researchers showed Black and white children two dolls, one white and one Black. They asked them questions such as, "Point to the doll that's good" (Children of both races almost always chose the white doll.) and "Show me the doll that's ugly." (Children of both races almost always selected the Black doll.) This research was used in the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case which "ended" racial segregation in schools (legally, but not in practice). In a way, the dolls in this experiment forever changed education in America. It's hard enough to read about this experiment in a text-only format, but it is utterly heartbreaking when combined with Cooper's illustrations. This is a book for my forever shelves.

Thanks to Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books, and NetGalley for a review copy of The Doll Test.

Carole Boston Weatherford continues to produce high quality, accessible books on American history. The author always shines light on topics that are in danger of falling to the wayside.

I don’t know how I never knew about this test! This is a really important story for Black history that I will get for my classroom. It is told in an engaging way with beautiful illustrations. I’d read it to my middle schoolers.

This book was about an unfortunate yet important time in American history that should not be forgotten. I already knew about the doll test, but this is a great way to introduce it to younger readers. The art was unsettling, which fits with the narrative.

This was an insightful exploration into the irreparable harm segregation had on black children. The book beautifully illustrates what encompassed the 'doll test' which consisted of Black psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark presenting children with two black and white baby dolls while asking which doll they liked best and which doll looked like them. This investigation was the evidence needed to challenge school segregation eventually leading to the US Supreme court ruling school segregation illegal.

Amazing book.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy.

This was interesting because it's an important nonfiction topic told with dolls. It's so important because we need to understand the psychological effects of segregation on children. This is a picture book and it's written simply enough for young children to understand. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Profound, educational and beautifully illustrated. A must-read for older kids! It would be best read as a group with discussion questions throughout.

This was an insightful picture book that appears to be well-researched. Told from the perspective of the dolls used, the book describes how a set of four dolls were used to analyze how segregation affected school children through the use of short, poetry-esque sentences. The layout and wording could make this book a contender for library read-alouds for several age groups, and could lead to discussions about the topics covered in the book as well as the literary and illustration techniques used.

The illustrations were well done and detailed. I read the ebook via the app on my phone, and I’m excited to see the pictures in a larger format in the print book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC to this book. The illustrations of David Elmo Cooper, are fantastic. His in-depth explanation as to his choices for his illustrations was fantastic. It was something that felt appropriate for the topic at hand. I think that Carole Boston Weatherford's choice to make the Dolls themselves the viewpoint that we see, was a brilliant choice, especially when diving into an uncomfortable topic for some. I had only heard about this in passing through school, so to be able to dive into it more and be able to have this to explain to my daughter? I think that education is so incredibly important. So we can make sure that we don't repeat such mistakes in the future, that everyone can learn and grow, and work together to make it better. Brilliant book, I would recommend this to everyone.