A Book by its Cover: Reading Stereotypes

In an effort to foster contact between children of different ethnicities and eradicate stereotypes before they form, this social experiment uses storytelling as a vehicle for cultural understanding. Two very different schools, same format: Books designed to comfortably address race and prejudice are read to 9-10 year olds, ending with each child creating a book expressing their experience with prejudice. The books are then swapped between the schools. The ethnicity of each child’s “book-pal” is finally revealed in the form of a small gift, introducing themselves. Lesson of this story: We’re more alike than different.