Social Justice Books

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

Egyptian Lullaby

Reviewed by Heba F. El-Shazli Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: What is a lullaby? A lullaby is defined as a quiet, gentle song full of soothing refrains to lull a child to sleep and even sometimes the reader, too! However, Egyptian Lullaby by Zeena M. Pliska is a different kind of lullaby — it is […]

My Hands Tell a Story

Reviewed by Sophia Hines Review Source: Reading Is Resistance Book Author:  My hands tell a story if you listen. In My Hands Tell a Story by Kelly Starling Lyons, a grandmother and granddaughter stand in the kitchen making cinnamon bread together with the sun shining through the window. While making bread, the grandmother tells granddaughter […]

A Day With No Words

Reviewed by Jacklyn Ogden Review Source: Reading Is Resistance Book Author:  A Day With No Words by Tiffany Hammond is inspired by the author’s own life as an autistic mother of two autistic boys and follows a Black autistic boy’s daily life written from his own perspective. The first-person language strengthens the voice of the […]

Empty and Me: A Tale of Friendship and Loss

Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Empty and Me is a bilingual (Arabic/English) children’s book that personifies grief in an interesting way. Azam Mahdavi’s sensitive text, paired with the evocative illustrations by Maryam Tahmasebi, combine to create a powerful and healing experience for young readers. Empty and Me is a valuable […]

Labor History Without Unions in Young Adult Fiction

By Deborah Overstreet In 2001, I wrote an article titled, Organize! A Look at Labor History in Young Adult Fiction, which was published in the National Council of Teachers of English’s young adult literature journal, The ALAN Review. In that analysis I examined how unions and labor were represented in historical fiction for young readers, […]

I’m Finding My Talk

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: A reader wrote to ask me about I’m Finding My Talk. I did not know about the book prior to being asked about it. I was able to get a copy and was deeply touched by it. The author’s father was in […]