Recent events have shaken the country to the core. There are many people who are hurt and angry for various reasons and rightly so. Little children, even if they don't watch the news or listen to the radio can still be exposed to the goings on through friends and talk at school. They may then come home with questions about matters that parents are not ready to discuss. Books then are a way for parents and caregivers to broach difficult subjects.
As a bonus, drug use and abuse is rampant across the United States. For those who may have been the victims of this or who may have seen family members suffer due to addiction, Zetta Elliot's book Bird is a book that deal with addiction in a touching way without giving too many details and which ends in a somewhat hopeful way.
Carol Swartout Klein's book Painting for Peace in Ferguson uses verse to tell the story of the events in Ferguson and how the community came together to paint for peace. The before and after pictures are amazing to look at as well.
In terms of books that help kids solve problems Keeping the Peace: The Kids' Book of Peacemaking by Anders Hanson is a wonderful resource. It teaches kids to recognize when a problem has occurred and then proceeds to give them the tools to work through problems.
We are not all the same and we are not all equal. Regardless of parents' best intentions and the lessons they impart at home kids will realize that some kids are different. Those differences may be readily apparent or they may be mores ubtle. Susan Martineau's Dealing With Differences is a wonderful little book in which she gives examples and provides some role playing situations that can be used in the classroom or at home.
These books are mostly centered on events here in America but if you are looking for books that deal with issues worldwide this blog has some excellent resources.
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