Very Good Hats by Emma Straub - AJ Youssef

 


Very Good Hats is a fun, imaginative story about the variety of things that could double as a hat, such as tortellini for your fingers, a plastic cup for your bear, or even clouds when you're on a plane. This teaches young children that not everything needs to be used in its intended purpose, and to think outside the box.


This narrative contains many anti-bias elements that are perfect for children-
  • It avoids tokenism because it includes multiple people of different backgrounds, avoiding the fact that there are more non-minorities than minorities. The use of tokenism can imply a one sided, inaccurate perspective that minorities are less important than non-minorities. A book including many different types of people who look different increases the chances that a kid will find someone that looks like them. This could change their view on self image, especially if they feel marginalized in their community

  • There are different lifestyles shown in the book, emphasizing that people have different jobs, disabilities, and roles within the same community. It is good for children to be exposed to the fact that everyone is different, and that they all contribute positively within their environment, no matter how different they are

  • There are no stereotypes contained, which are dehumanizing, oversimplified assumptions about a certain group of people. Everyone is doing the same thing: being a part of the same community. The lives of people of color don't contrast negatively with those who aren't, and no character is depicted having a stereotypical role

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