If your ever wondering when the right time might be to talk to your little ones about race, ethnicity and tolerance, the time is now.

If you, like so many of us, want to know how to help and affect change, we would encourage you to proactively address the topic with them from an early age, rather than waiting for them to come to you with questions about what they might have seen at school or picked up in the media.

“Silence will not protect you or them,” said Beverly Daniel Tatum, a psychologist and author of “Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race.” “Avoiding the topic is not a solution.”

We’ve pulled together a list of children’s books, for a variety of ages, to help get you, and them, comfortable about having these often difficult but vital conversations.

We truly believe that education is the key to unlocking everything, and what better way to help them understand race, ethnicity and acceptance from as young as possible. So let’s start learning:

Mixed by Arree Chung (age 2+)

The Anti-Racist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi (age 2+)

Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev (age 2+)

Skin Again by Bell Hooks

Separate Is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh

Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine

One Family by George Shannon

Be Who You Are by Todd Parr

The Snowy Day By Ezra Jack Keats (ages 3-8)

If All the World Were by Joseph Coelho (ages 3-8)

The Color of Us by Karen Katz

Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester

All Are Welcome Paperback by Alexandra Penfold (ages 3-8)

A Poem for PeterBy Andrea Davis Pinkney (ages 3-8)

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña (age 4+)

Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan (age 6+)

Thunder Boy Junior by Sherman Alexie (age 3-8)

We March by Shane W. Evans

A Piece of Home by Jeri Watts (age 3-8)

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (age 8-12)

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (age 8-12)

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This list was pulled from a variety of source, including: Mother.ly, NYTimes, and parent recommendations