Social Justice Books

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

The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale

Reviewed by Tara Matruolo Review Source: Reading Is Resistance Book Author:  “Some books are so powerful that they intimidate people” — Aya Khalil The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil is a powerful picture book confronting social justice issues head-on. Readers are reconnected to Kanzi, featured in Khalil’s The Arabic Quilt,  a young protagonist […]

We Are Gems: Healing from Anti-Asian Microaggressions through Self-love & Solidarity

Reviewed by Zapoura Newton-Calvert Review Source: Reading Is Resistance Book Author:  I saw We Are Gems on social media and was interested in the focus on solidarity and healing. This book was self-published by the author and illustrators through their writing collective, Just Words, Just Deeds. There is an upsurge in self-publishing the books that […]

We Still Belong

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Author: What I particularly like about Christine Day’s books is that she includes things that I know kids know about. For example, young people are way into video games and gamer culture. More about that later. Early on in her book, we learn that Wesley […]

Social Justice Books Team Attends Inaugural #ReadBlackBooks Conference

Teaching for Change associate director, Keesha Ceran, and Social Justice Books interns, Becca Townley and Lucy Sieczka, participated in the Hurston/Wright Foundation’s Inaugural #ReadBlackBooks Conference from June 26 – June 30. The #ReadBlackBooks initiative is an effort to push back against the national rise in the banning of books by Black authors in pre-K-12 schools […]

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition

Review Source: Zinn Education Project Book Author: Finally, a book about the real Rosa Parks — the Rosa Parks who was a lifelong activist, tireless organizer, and who did so much more than refuse to give up her seat on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama. In story after story, Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert breathe […]

Carter Reads the Newspaper

Review Source: Zinn Education Project Book Author: One of the most important advocates for teaching the full story of African Americans in U.S. history was Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Woodson founded Negro History Week in 1926 (which grew into Black History Month), the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), and […]