The Doll Test

This ebook was made available for me to read and review by Carole Boston Weatherford, Lerner Publishing Group, and NetGalley.

The illustrator of this picture book is David Elmo Cooper. The illustrations are very powerful and beautifully artistic. The illustrator notes indicate that he purchased dolls like those used in the experiment, took pictures of them, and the artwork is created from composite images. The effect is both beautiful and somewhat haunting.

This is well researched and delicately phrased. This is a very difficult experience to explain to young children. Last year, I was trying to explain the civil rights movement in terms a 2nd grader can understand to my own grandkids, so I appreciate the struggle of the author. The information is factual and uncomfortable. The book adds nice images and softens the story by telling it from the dolls point of view. This manages a challenging topic very elegantly.

The text is a poem that was modified for a picture book, which worked well.
I would consider this a low trauma introduction to this subject with grade school-age kids. While this is geared towards younger kids, it's also a good resource for an older demographic because it contains quite a few facts, including an expanded further reading list on this topic. As well as pictures and facts from the actual studies. This functions as a resource beyond the picture book aspect.

Thank you to Carole Boston Weatherford, Lerner Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

As someone who has discussed the doll test throughout their entire career I can see myself using this book for all ages. It is I great way to remember our history and to make it stick.

A hallmark of a really good author is the ability to focus on something that is overlooked by others and to shine a bright light on it. Carole Boston Weatherford, the author of “The Doll Test: Choosing Equality,” did exactly that. Many people are familiar with Brown vs The Board of Education, but few people—including myself—aren’t always aware of many of the facets of the case, namely, the four dolls used in psychological experiments as evidence for overturning segregation.

The author did a beautiful job of showing how Dr. Kenneth and Dr. Mamie Clark used their training and expertise in a study to show how deeply segregation affected school children. This book, narrated by the four dolls themselves, reveal how children in school associated the two white dolls with “good,” while the two black dolls were associated with “bad.” After their study, they argued that this was evidence that school segregation was deeply harmful to the psyches of black children. And while I agree, I would also argue—although I haven’t read the duos no doubt comprehensive scholarly articles—that school segregation was only part of the problem. Rather, it was the persistent and pervasive racism and discrimination in the country as a whole. And, also, it was the severe lack of African American representation, including within the publishing industry, that wrongly led African American children to see themselves as somehow less than their white counterparts.

This doll test by the Clark’s is so important to the history of the United States that it absolutely needed to be told. For my part, I’m grateful that I was given the opportunity to read and review this book.

The illustrations by David Elmo Cooper were really beautiful. Cooper’s note at the end of the book really show how deeply he cared about this book, to the point where he held similarly made dolls in his hands so that he could reproduce them faithfully.

This is an educating and beautiful book. I can definitely see this book earning a multitude of awards. I can’t wait to see this book in homes, schools, and in libraries across the nation.

I received an ARC of ““The Doll Test: Choosing Equality”” by Carole Boston Weatherford from NetGalley, Lerner Publishing Group, and Carolrhoda Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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.

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

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.