Social Justice Books

Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

The Door at the Crossroads

Reviewed by Lyn Miller Lachman Review Source: Pirate Tree Book Author: The novel from Zetta Elliott’s own imprint, Rosetta Press, begins on September 11, 2001, when 16-year-old Genna Colon witnesses the destruction of the Twin Towers from across the river in Brooklyn while her Jamaican-born boyfriend, Judah, remains in Brooklyn in 1863. Except that Judah is […]

Fred Korematsu Speaks Up

Book Review by Lyn Miller Lachman Review Source: Pirate Tree Book Author: At the time of the bombing, Fred Korematsu helped his Japanese immigrant parents and U.S. born brothers at the family nursery. He had fallen in love with an Italian American woman, and to keep from being sent to the camp and separated from her, […]

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton

Reviewed by Lyn Miller Lachman Review Source: Pirate Tree Book Author: Don Tate’s biography Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton (Peachtree, 2015) achieves that balance. Drawing on Horton’s own writings, biographies and histories, and archival sources, this picture book for elementary-age readers begins with his listening to sermons and surreptitiously peeking over the […]

Selecting, Rating, and Reviewing Titles for Social Justice Books

A frequently asked question is, “How do we select titles for the book lists at Social Justice Books and assess books in our reviews?” There is no one single article nor checklist that any of us can rely on. The Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books is a good start. However, there are many more articles about bias […]

Council on Interracial Books for Children (CIBC)

Social Justice Books draws inspiration from the work of the Council on Interracial Books for Children (CIBC) formed in 1965 with the objective “to promote a literature for children that better reflects the realities of a multicultural society.” The impetus to create the council came from Mississippi Freedom School teachers concerned by the racist portrayal […]

Developing Critical Literacy

We share here articles and ideas that parents and teachers can use to help children develop critical literacy skills that will help them as citizens and consumers for years to come. Critique the Scholastic Catalog #StepUpScholastic is a campaign for teachers, parents, and students to tell Scholastic to publish and distribute children’s books that reflect and affirm the […]