Black Like Kyra, White Like Me

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Black Like Kyra, White Like Me book cover

Black Like Kyra, White Like Me is children's book written by Judith Vigna and released in 1992 by Albert Whitman & Company. Written with a socially conscious agenda, Black Like Kyra, White Like Me endeavors to tackle racism and racist prejudices within a text suitable for young children. Black Like Kyra, White Like Me has received both positive and negative reviews ever since publication in 1992.

Plot

The story is about Christy who is thrilled when her best friend Kyra Kirk's family moves in next door. Unfortunately, some of the neighbors are not at all pleased to be joined by African Americans. Even the girl's mother expresses hesitation, remarking that she is going to wait to get to know Kyra's mother better before inviting her for coffee. One family after another leaves the neighborhood picnic in quick succession when the Kirks arrive, but someone returns to overturn the food tables and let the air out of the tires on the Kirks' van. In the end, one of the prejudiced families moves away, and the friendship between the narrator and Kyra--effectively portrayed in Vigna's soft, evocative watercolors--deepens.[1]

Positive Review

Back Like Kyra, White Like Me has received praise for being both a teaching tool about racism and a reflection of racial conflict and divide. In addition, in Pittman 's Whited Out: Unique Perspectives on Black Identity and Honors Achievement, Vigna's Black like Kyra, White Like Me is stated to be fundamental in producing and teaching empathy in early childhood development. Furthermore, Vigna's illustrations have been praised for their attractiveness and ability to lighten up the story's heavy mood.[2]

Negative Review

In contrast Black Like Kyra, White Like Me also received backlash for its perceived "racial insensitivity and insincerity, it also often included on lists of controversial children's literature

In 2000, A patron of the Toronto Public Library complained about this children’s picture book about a black family moving into an all-white neighbourhood and encountering racial prejudice. The complainant said the story “reinforces negative stereotypes about blacks and positive types about whites.” In the end, the book was retained in the library’s collection.[3]

References

  1. Publisher Weekly. Black Like Kyra, White Like Me. Retrieved on January 1, 2021.
  2. "Children's Book Review: Black Like Kyra, White Like Me by Judith Vigna". Retrieved on January 1, 2021.
  3. Black Like Kyra, White Like Me. Retrieved on January 1, 2021.