by Taye Diggs:
This is a story about “Mixed Mike” who has a White mom and a Black dad. He experiences people telling him that his parents don’t match and that he should choose which race to hang out with. His attitude is that he is “mixed up perfectly,” and that he is perfect the way he is. It’s a story with positive messaging about mixed race children.
Using this book as an educational tool:
This book helps remind children that we all look differently, and that being unique is not bad. Ask them to think about differences in the people around them, and practice taking the perspective of someone who is treated poorly for being different. Some questions they could consider include
Do you know anybody who is mixed race? Do people treat them differently?
How do you think Mike felt when people told him he doesn’t match?
If you heard a classmate tell someone that they needed to choose one race to hang out with, what would you do?