Social Justice Books

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

When Rosa Parks Went Fishing

Reviewed by Brianne Pitts Review Source: Independent Book Author: A picture book rendition of young Rosa Parks’ early life hopes to explore the joy, challenges, and agency of her childhood in rural Alabama. Though promising, like many well-meaning educators teaching the story of Rosa Parks, this text leaves readers with a sterile story that reinforces […]

Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book

Reviewed by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: With his sugar-skull face and Día-de-los-Muertos outfit consisting of a bowler hat, wristwatch, and braces to hold his teeth in, Señor Calavera is polite yet insistent. It’s time, he says, for Grandma Beetle to come along with him. […]

Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker

Reviewed by Judy Richardson Review Source: Independent Book Author: Children’s Book on Ella Baker: A Critical Review by a SNCC Veteran As a former Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) staff worker who knew Ms. Baker, I looked forward to reading the 2020 picture book, Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Bake by Patricia Hruby […]

Missing Daddy

Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Staff Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: According to author Mariame Kaba, 2.7 million children under the age of 18 have an incarcerated parent. In an author’s note, Kaba says that she wrote Missing Daddy because of her frustration finding materials that can help children deal with the “loss, grief, and trauma” […]

Freedom Reads: Mumbet’s Declaration of Independence

Welcome to Freedom Reads: Anti-Bias Book Talk from Teaching for Change. In this video series, we introduce children’s books using an anti-bias, anti-racist lens as a strategy to talk about issues around race and the world with children. (View other episodes on the series home page and our YouTube playlist.) The book featured in the video below is […]

We March

Reviewed by Allyson Criner Brown Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is popularly remembered as the backdrop for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s now-famous speech. We March tells the story of the March on Washington from the perspective of the marchers — in particular, one […]