My kid can’t really read yet, but they brought me home a book. This exchange occurred in the first ten pages:
“Papa, that man is as black as ashes, isn’t he?”
Papa laughed. “Dogs and horses come in different colors, don’t they?”
“But he’s not a horse, is he, Papa?”
“No, he’s not a horse.” Papa patted her on the head. “But colored folks aren’t much different.”
I WONDER WHY THIS BOOK WAS FREE IN THE LIBRARY.
(I’m not blaming my kid, they chose it just based on the cover.)


This is different from the blurb on the back of the book, but not by much. I guess the version on the back just doesn’t mention the racism and I didn’t know much about the timeframe. (That part is certainly on me.)