The Talk

by Alicia D. Williams, Briana Mukodiri Uchendu (Illustrator)

Overview

A Coretta Scott King Author Honor winner!

As a little boy grows into a bigger boy, ready to take on the world, he first must have that very difficult conversation far too familiar to so many Black and Brown Americans in this gentle and ultimately hopeful picture book.

Jay’s most favorite things are hanging out with his pals, getting kisses from Grandma, riding in his dad’s cool car, and getting measured by his mom with pencil marks on the wall. But as those height marks inch upward, Grandpa warns Jay about being in too big a group with his friends, Grandma worries others won’t see him as quite so cute now that he’s older, and Dad has to tell Jay how to act if the police ever pull them over.

And Jay just wants to be a kid.

All Black and Brown kids get The Talk—the talk that could mean the difference between life and death in a racist world. Told in an age-appropriate fashion, with a perfect pause for parents to insert their own discussions with their children to accompany prompting illustrations, The Talk is a gently honest and sensitive starting point for this far-too-necessary conversation, for Black children, Brown children, and for ALL children. Because you can’t make change without knowing what needs changing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534495296
Publisher:	Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	167,356
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.30(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Alicia D. Williams is the author of Genesis Begins Again, which received Newbery and Kirkus Prize honors, was a William C. Morris Award finalist, and for which she won the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent; and picture books Jump at the Sun and The Talk which was also a Coretta Scott King Honor book. An oral storyteller in the African American tradition, she lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Briana Mukodiri Uchendu is an illustrator, visual development artist, and a first-generation Nigerian American. Her work is inspired by her interests in folklore, film, and animation and her passion to highlight voices that usually go unheard. A recent graduate from Ringling College of Art and Design where she majored in illustration, she currently lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas. The Talk is her picture book debut.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/29/2022

Williams (Jump at the Sun) writes tenderly about a playful, athletic Black boy named Jay who’s growing like a weed at the speed of light. When he becomes too big to be little and too lean to have “chub in my cheeks,” his family gives him variations of The Talk. As Jay spends time playing with best friends, all portrayed with brown skin, they’re advised to no longer gather in groups. “Grandpa says, I believe y’all could be the next/ Thurgood Marshall, Elijah McCoy, and Bessie Coleman.// But some folks might think you’re the next troublemaker.” Whether he’s visiting a store or walking down the street in a new hoodie, Jay’s relatives offer tips for how he might survive an anti-Black world, sure to tell him that “I’m not to blame” and that “I’m the beat of their hearts; the joy in their smiles.” This portrayal of a close-knit family and Jay’s Black kid joy is as warmhearted as it is resolute, while digitally rendered illustrations by debut artist Uchendu depict desaturated instances of racial prejudice as well as brightly hopeful portraits of Black luminaries, providing an emotive realism to Jay’s maturation and his family’s greatest fears and dreams. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. Illustrator’s agent: Jessica Saint Jean, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

In this effective early introduction to race relations and police brutality in America, Jay is a young boy who loves racing up and down the block with his friends. Jay’s commitment to remaining a happy child is a welcome element in this exploration of an all-too-relatable experience with no easy answers.

1/1/2023 - Horn Book

Guaranteed to spark a discussion about the issues everyone should be talking about. KQG 

10/2022 - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The prose is conversational and light, but as the protagonist grows throughout the pages, older readers will still feel represented and invested in the story. Read this with younger readers who may not have had the Talk yet, or read it with older kids to talk about what it was like before the Talk. The warm illustrations hint at the racism the protagonist experiences but more prominently capture the love he feels in his home, and the focus on characters over setting allows for Williams’ words to soar.

09/01/2022 - Booklist

★ 08/12/2022

K-Gr 2—Jay and his friends love to race each other and be kids; when the marks on the wall show that Jay, who is African American, has grown a couple of inches, his mother looks on sadly because the world won't see him as a little boy anymore. When he and his friends hang out together, some people aren't happy about it. Jay's grandpa warns them not to crowd in groups of more than four because people may think they're troublemakers. As Jay grows into a young man, his parents continue to warn him about how to behave in public and what to do when stopped by the police. Before Jay leaves the house in a black hoodie with the hood up, his family sits him down for "the talk." Though it's not an easy conversation, Jay's family reminds him that whatever happens is never his fault and that he is surrounded and supported by his family. This picture book is an excellent portrayal of the difficult conversations many Black and brown families have with their children to keep them safe. Powerful illustrations capture every stage of Jay's growth from fun-loving kid to young man. There is a wordless spread depicting instances of racial profiling and injustice that allows readers and their adults to have a self-guided discussion about the images and the feelings they evoke. VERDICT This powerful picture book about race, family, and growing up is an essential purchase for every library's collection, putting words to an impossible and necessary conversation, and giving children whose families don't have "the talk" a window for understanding and an opportunity for compassion and change.—Myiesha Speight

School Library Journal

★ 2022-07-27
As Jay moves from childhood to preadolescence, loving adults prepare him for what that means for him as a Black boy.

Jay, who loves superheroes and racing his friends, is thrilled that he’s grown two inches—he’s no longer a “shrimp.” But Mom hugs him sadly, looking over his head at the news, and says, “They won’t see you as a young boy anymore, either.” And when Jay and his friends skateboard up the street, they get indignant looks from White passersby. Grandpa tells them not to gather in groups of four or more, Mom instructs Jay how to behave in stores, and Dad tells him how to act when pulled over by police. When Jay starts to leave the house in his hoodie and earphones, his parents call him back in for a talk, depicted in a wordless spread of shadowy vignettes showing scenes of the struggles young Black people face—being stopped by police or treated with hostility by White people. After, Jay’s parents and grandparents envelop him in a loving embrace, assuring him that he has done nothing wrong. Williams’ narration is shaped by a convincing, youthful first-person voice, and Uchendu’s powerful art conveys both the joyful energy of childhood and the pain of adults who can’t shield children from a racist world. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A loving approach to sharing painful realities with children, this book strikes a chord. (Picture book. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews