That Flag

by Tameka Fryer Brown, Nikkolas Smith (Illustrator)

An affecting picture book from Tameka Fryer Brown and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Nikkolas Smith (The 1619 Project: Born on the Water) that challenges the meaning behind the still-waving Confederate flag through the friendship of two young girls who live across the street from each other.

Bianca is Keira’s best friend. At school, they are inseparable. But Keira questions their friendship when she learns more about the meaning of the Confederate flag hanging from Bianca’s front porch. Will the two friends be able to overlook their distinct understandings of the flag Or will they reckon with the flag’s effect on yesterday and today

In That Flag, Tameka Fryer Brown and Nikkolas Smith graciously tackle the issues of racism, the value of friendship, and the importance of understanding history so that we move forward together in a thought-provoking, stirring, yet ultimately tender tale.

A perfect conversation starter for the older and younger generations alike, this book includes back matter on the history of the Confederate flag and notes from the creators. 

Genres: Picture Books, History, Social Justice, Childrens, Friendship, African American, Race

Unknown Binding

First published January 31, 2023

About the author

Children's book author. Montessori mom. Reads banned books.

Reviews

[Alliah Agostini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Tameka Fryer Brown took the topic of the Confederate flag head-on and nailed it.

This book starts out showing the sweet, child-like common bonds between two very good friends, but shortly introduces the very divisive symbol that strains their friendship. Brown wisely uses a museum visit, and later, an inter-generational conversation to help bring the traumatic associations of this symbol to life for the main character, Keira. While the overt differences between both friends were clear, there were certain expertly placed nuanced moments and conversations that hit just as hard, if not harder. Nikkolas Smith's expert artivism is in full effect throughout the book, with appropriately moody, expressive images that reflect the gravity of this conversation on the main characters.

Note, please read the author and illustrator notes. They share additional historical context about the flag, and both individuals' personal perspectives on growing up in the shadow of this symbol as African-Americans raised in the South, and their respective optimistic hopes of the power of sharing truth with children through this and other work.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST read to talk about topics like the Confederacy, "Southern heritage" and symbols of hate. It is SO beautifully and tastefully done. Indeed some people do not fully grasp the meaning behind symbols and to call out in a way that doesn't completely vilify the South.....yes yes yes

I'm a fan. And I will recommend. And I will talk with Audrey one day about it.

[Cara (Wilde Book Garden) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am once again here to remind everyone that PICTURE. BOOKS. ARE. LITERATURE.

Everyone please read this - especially Americans.

CW: Racism, white supremacy, references to slavery

[Alina Borger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is pitch perfect and illustrated in a super-accessible style. While it’s painful to watch the heroine face the US’s racist history—head on and for the first time—it’s also powerful to see her family standing with her and supporting her through it.

I also appreciate that her teacher speaks about it directly.

Backmatter expands on the history of the confederate flag in an honest and unflinching way.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes adults want to protect kids from things, but don't know if a child is ready to hear the heavy realities of why something is dangerous, or at least, how to distill it so it makes sense and is not too depressing or terrifying.

That Flag is a story about two young girls who are best friends. The Black girl is not allowed to play with the white girl outside of school, because the white girl’s family flies a Confederate flag outside their house.

This was an interesting book about how relics of slavery stay with us and are often trivialized and romanticized. I think a lot about it was well-done, but I did not love how simple the turnaround was for the white family. I guess I object to the idea that racism is so easily relinquished.

Though the topic is niche and important, the way the message was conveyed did not fully land for me personally.

[Stephanie Lucianovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly important and powerful book. Gut-wrenching, honest, valuable. Fight what Florida is doing to schools and buy, borrow, give, read and request THAT FLAG.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading. More than likely what will happen is it will be challenged and banned because this country is too afraid to confront our past and admit where we were wrong.

[Maeggie Dotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and Important...

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very strong book and the message is clear. The illustrations are incredible, particularly all of the dark colors used to indicate the depth and seriousness of the topic. The first time we see the flag flying at Bianca's house, the home is depicted in such a foreboding way that I initially thought it to be overdone, but upon reflection realized that it is appropriate to the age group.

Two things that I found interesting to note. One was that it took the impetus of the museum trip to force Keira's family to discuss history with her, despite their (understandable) unease about that flag flying down the street. The page when they hug her extra-tight seems nearly gratuitous - why then? The other element that's worth mentioning is how Keira doesn't simply accept Bianca's note as "now everything is fine". Bianca will have to earn her trust, which seems true to life.

Bianca's family's turnaround from Confederate flag-waving to vigil attendees was the only part of the book that, sadly, did not ring true to me at all.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for kids to explain why the Confederate Flag is more than southern pride. Would be a good book to use to start a discussion of racism in America.

[Carly Really Very Normal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, gentle art illuminates this gorgeous story of friendship, justice, growth, and facing the truth of our shared history.

[Aya Khalil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning book by Tameka Fryer Brown with gorgeous illustrations by Nikkolas Smith. Tameka tackles an important topic for kids of all ages, about the confederate flag and it's racist history and how people still fly that flag nowadays. It's a great picture book that starts conversation about race and racism and also how kids should deal with friends whose parents have bigoted views. The ending is great and reminds kids and readers that people can change and still be friends and allies if they're willing to learn and change their views. Beautiful and poignant work.

[rjxdnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to learn and be educated on things so that I can’t offend or be rude to anyone. I didn’t knew this until I listened to this book and it was great. I loved it and I’m thankful that I can learn things like this everyday 🩷

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A picture book every child should read which I read during Banned Books Week. Keira questions her friendship with her neighbor Bianca when she finds out what the Confederate flag flying from Bianca’s house means.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unflinching and age-appropriate look at the Confederate flag and why it's a part of our history that we shouldn't be proud of.

[Claire Dannaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave That Flag 5 out of 5 stars. It’s about two girls, one Black, one white, and how they see the Confederate flag differently. The text is serious and emotional. The pictures show school scenes, families, and the flag in different places. It’s more about conversation than plot. I’d use it to talk about symbols, history, or friendship. Could pair with a writing/drawing prompt: what’s something you’ve seen that means different things to different people?

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keira and Bianca are inseparable best friends at school, but only at school. Keira is not allowed to go to Bianca's house because Bianca's house displays a Confederate flag. Race had not been a factor in their friendship until Keira learns the history of the Confederate flag. This is an inspiring story of friendship and reconciliation with a powerful message about the importance of learning history and understanding how the Confederate flag has been used to promote hate and violence.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book after seeing The ARTivist Nikkolas Smith speak at AASL23 and I was just as impressed with it as I was with his speech. We need art now more than ever to fight the good fight. This picture book shows how divisive the Confederate flag can be to our country. We need to discuss issues of the past so they'll never be repeated.

[Patricia Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful. Brought tears to my eyes.

[Sarah BT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important and powerful book. It opens up a conversation for readers.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that explains a lot about the confederate flag through the eyes of children.

[Kim Pyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated. I was moved to tears reading this to my kids. Like the author, I too believe in telling children the truth.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: THAT FLAG by Tameka Fryer Brown and Nikkolas Smith, ill., HarperCollins, January 2023, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-06-309344-7

“A majority of Southerners now view the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism, according to a new Quinnipiac poll, a major reversal over a flag that up until very recently most Americans just associated with ‘Southern pride’…55% of Southerners now mainly associate the Confederate flag with racism, the poll found, compared to 36% who said the flag was more of a symbol of Southern pride…Republicans were the only demographic polled that overwhelmingly said the Confederate flag was more a symbol of Southern pride, 74%, than racism, 16%.”
– Forbes, “Majority Of Southerners Now View The Confederate Flag As A Racist Symbol, Poll Finds” (7/15/2020)

“When it will be right? I don't know
What it will be like? I don't know
We live in hope of deliverance
From the darkness that surrounds us”
– Paul McCartney (1993)

“The Confederate flag largely disappeared after the Civil War. The growing battle over the Reconstruction South’s racial order of Jim Crow segregation brought back the Confederate flag’s use as a political symbol. Supporters of the States Rights Party in 1948 used the flag as a symbol of support for segregation and the denial of fundamental human and civil rights for African Americans. The use of the Confederate flag as a symbol of segregation became more widespread and more violent after the United States Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954. Southern states were resisting federally mandated integration and incorporated the flag into their official symbolism.
On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, murdered nine African American worshipers during a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. A widely circulated photo of Roof on the internet showed him holding a gun and the Confederate flag. After capture, Roof said the purpose of the murders was to start a race war. The shooting increased the awareness of racial violence and terrorism in the United States and led to the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state capitol grounds on July 10, 2015.”
– Carol Pomeroy, Salisbury [NC] Post, (1/29/2023)

Bianca is white. Keira, the narrator of THAT FLAG, is Black. The two are best friends at school. But Keira is not permitted to visit Bianca’s house, or invite Bianca over, because Bianca's parents keep a Confederate flag flying in their front yard.

Two things happen to bring a new perspective to the situation. First, the girls’ class embarks on a field trip to a fictional Southern Legacy Museum, for which Keira’s father is one of the chaperones.There, the students encounter exhibits relating to the Confederate flag that include an auction block; a cotton gin; KKK memorabilia and photos; and a “Colored” water fountain and sign.

“Back on the bus, Dad and I sit up front, behind the driver. I stare out the window, remembering those pictures and that flag. My best friend’s flag.
Later that night, my family and I talk for a long time. They tell me things they’ve never told me about before.
About the scary things my grandpa saw when he was just a kid.
About Grandma being spat on for trying to go to school.
About Mom and Dad getting called bad names and chased by people in a truck.
About the Freedom Riders.
About Selma.
About the Charleston 9.
We talk about the things Black people have to do every day to stay safe. After our talk, I feel scared, confused, and mad.
But mostly I’m sad.”

The next day, Bianca does not bring up any of the history from the museum that is now weighing so heavily on Keira. This perceived lack of empathy leads Keira to keep to herself at school and to stop the reading and playing together that helped define the two girls’ friendship.

The second thing that happens is a news broadcast: “Two Black people were shot in their own front yard by three white men. They show pictures of the men on TV. They’re standing in front of that flag. That hate flag.”

Keira and her parents attend a candlelight vigil for the murdered couple and unexpectedly see Bianca and her parents there. When they pass Bianca’s house on the way home, the hate flag is gone. There is now space for the two friends to become even closer.

I know of no other picture book that addresses the issues surrounding the Confederate flag. This is a must-have for elementary libraries everywhere. (But I’m afraid that adding this to a school or classroom library in Ron DeSantis’s Florida might result in charges against the librarian!)

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Debbie Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

We teach children, from a very young age, the importance of being honest and telling the truth. And as our children grow older, we hope that those they encounter hold honesty and truth-telling in high regard.

As a teacher, I look for honesty and truth-telling in the books I choose to add to my classroom library, and that’s exactly what I found in THAT FLAG written by Tameka Fryer Brown and illustrated by Nikkolas Smith.

When I read THAT FLAG aloud to my sixth graders, they immediately connected with main characters Keira and Bianca. These best friends spend their days working as partners at school, but they are separated from being friends outside of school because of that flag - the Confederate flag - hanging outside Bianca’s house. Keira’s understanding of that flag and Bianca‘s understanding of that flag are quite different, as is often the case of people with varying levels of melanin in their skin.

A school field trip and a community tragedy brings truth to the forefront, and the space is made for the learning, unlearning, and relearning journey Bianca’s family needs.

When I read aloud the beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated THAT FLAG, I noticed a similar phenomenon happen - reading this story created the space in my room for my own reader-writer-thinkers (my students) to non judgmentally share stories from their own families and how they too are doing the learning, unlearning, and relearning work to gain a better understanding of the truth behind things like that flag.

The classroom conversations we had were deep, meaningful, and, because of the story itself and the factual back matter included in THAT FLAG, full of truth. My students also walked away with a better understanding of how to engage in potentially challenging conversations in an appropriate way, and that’s something that will serve them well as they continue to do the work of reading, writing, and thinking as truth-seekers and truth-tellers.

THAT FLAG is a book meant for all ages, a book that needs to be in every classroom K-12 across the US, and a book that belongs on every bookshelf in every home in the US.

[Dylan Teut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several times over the past several years, I've found myself behind a pick up truck chugging along a Nebraska highway going about 5 under the speed limit. That's not the unusual part (people sure like to take their time around here). The unusual part has been Confederate flag bumper stickers and even one flapping along in the spring air next to an American flag. Nebraska plates. I sit and wonder, "What on earth does that flag mean to you? What are you trying to tell me and the world by putting it on your pick up truck?" Usually, I exit before them and a chance to talk to the driver passes along as quickly as they do down the highway.
This is a subject that, to my knowledge, has not been touched in picture books. It's long overdue. It has become evident that adults are going to stick with their pride and heritage and symbolism. Children are our hope and our greatest ambassadors marching in the future for change. It's long overdue that we take occasion to stop and really think about why we do some of the things we do. Tameka Fryer Brown has taken a tough topic (especially for those in the South) and approached it with great courage and wisdom, and in a friendly way that does not guilt or shame, but rather causes children (and hopefully the adults that read the book with them) to pause and ponder just what on earth some of these symbols represent, and why it's so hard to let them go. I applaud Tameka for handling this subject in a developmentally appropriate manner, but also in a manner that can reach upper grades. I hope this book is a conversation starter for readers of all ages, and I hope it causes many to stop and review why some so desperately cling to certain symbols. The writing is succinct and the point is made clear without being didactic or filling a reader with utter shame and guilt. Shame and guilt don't lead to change; it's thoughtful rhetoric and compassion toward our neighbor that will make a difference. The events in this book are a perfect example of such.

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

     Keira and Bianca are best friends at school but not at home because Bianca's family flies the Confederate flag. Keira doesn't totally understand until her school takes a trip to the museum and suddenly she isn't sure she can be friends with Bianca at all. This is a very powerful and hopeful book. I felt that the point of views of both girls was done very well and with consideration in the fact that they are children learning about a racism and its symbols. Mostly I appreciate that both families of the girls are not angry or mean toward each other just cautious so that when Bianca's family learns what their flag really represents today, they do not have to overcome wrongs of their past other than the flag. A great book and primer for kids on what the Confederate Flag means and how to deal with it in relationships.

[Rita (RitaReadsTrash) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because Harper Collins was too busy being their worst selves, this release got slightly buried. It's really a shame. Hell, it's probably already banned in half the country.

I'm sure the cover gives you a hint to the subject matter. I love how the authors did not shy away from fact and history, while creating this book. I am absolutely adding this to our personal library, as it's a great starting point for a lot of heavy conversions with kids.

I don't usually feature picture books, however this is one I think everyone should read. Take 10 minutes to read it when you run in for holds. Or, add it to your library holds. Gift it to your local elementary school, your slightly problematic friend, and yourself.

Did you know, they intentionally show pictures from the Civil Rights Movement in black and white to make it feel historic and far away? Because it's clear we could all use the reminder, we haven't come as far as we'd like to pretend.

[Sue Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet, yet thought-provoking book about two girls, best friends at school, yet divided by family experiences and beliefs. The story parallels the chasms in our country today, with friends and families deeply split over strongly held opinions. Tameka Fryer Brown explains in no uncertain terms what the Confederate Flag stands for, but allows grace when one of the families seems to change as the result of an act of violence. The author offers a note of hope and possibility at the end. The illustrations of Nikkolas Smith go beautifully with the text. I especially appreciated the way he captures the girls’ expressions as they read, played and hung out together. His illustrations of historical movements like the March on Selma resemble photographs and are exceptionally well done.

[Rashmi Bismark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant, stunning, and moving book by Tameka Fryer Brown, visually enhanced by Nikkolas Smith’s emotive artwork. Tackling the realities of the Confederate flag in an age appropriate way is no easy task. This book manages to do so with grace, honesty, vulnerability, and warmth. The beautiful ending reminds us of the possibilities for change and allyship when the whole story is embraced with a willingness to explore more and the caring nature of tender friendship. The backmatter is a must-read. This book should be in every American library.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW.

This book is so vital and so important and wow. What a wonderfully delicate, friendly way to walk readers through the issue of the Confederate Flag - presenting a Black girl and her family and a white girl who doesn't see anything wrong. You only wish more people would see the way this flag is used now and realize the whole 'southern heritage/pride' argument falls so flat when it's not being used for anything inclusive... only to further hateful agendas.

Seriously a wonderful conversation starter, and such a gentle handling of the materials. A perfect example of how to discuss difficult topics with children.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!