Early Childhood | Elementary | Middle School | High School

Teaching for Change carefully selects the best multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators. Learn about our criteria for selecting titles. Feedback on these lists and suggestions for additional titles are welcome. Most of the books on these lists are linked for more information or purchase to Powells, an independent, union labor bookstore. Titles with reviews on this site are noted with an asterisk(*).

---

Early Childhood

The Birthday Books / Las Mananitas*

By Susie Jaramillo

 

Clic, Clac, Muu: Vacas Escritoras = Click, Clack, Moo

By Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin (Illustrator), Alberto Jimenez Rioja

El dashiki

By Gaylia Taylor

Diez Deditos de Las Manos y Diez Deditos de Los Pies

By Mem Fox, Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)

Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English

By Alma Flor Ada, Simon Silva (Illustrator)

Global Babies / Bebes del Mundo

By The Global Fund for Children

Grandma and Me at the Flea / Los Meros Meros Remateros

By Juan Herrera

La Tienda de Mama y Papa

By Amelia Lau Carling, Amelia Lau Carling (Illustrator)

Mis Amigos / My Friends

By Taro Gomi

Mi Comida / My Food

By Rebecca Emberley

Moony / Luna Luna, Lunita, lunera*

By Jorge Aruela

My Numbers/ MIS Numeros

By Rebecca Emberley

My Shapes / MIS Formas

By Rebecca Emberley

My Way / A Mi Manera

By Lynn Reiser, Lynn Reiser (Illustrator)

Nadarin

By Leo Lionni, Teresa Mlawer (Translator)

Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish

By Cynthia Weill

Oye, Hormiguita / Hey, Little Ant

By Phillip Hoose, Hannah Hoose, Debbie Tilley (Illustrator)

Quinito's Neighborhood: El Vecindario de Quinito

By Ina Cumpiano

All The Colors We Are: The Story Of How We Get Our Skin Color*

By Katie Kissinger

Alma and How She Got Her Name*

By Juana Martinez-Neal, Juana Martinez-Neal (Illustrator)

Amigos del Otro Lado / Friends From The Other Side

By Gloria E. Anzaldua

Call Me Tree / Llamame Arbol*

By Maya Christina Gonzalez

Cesar: Si, se puede! / Yes, We Can!*

By Carmen T. Bernier-Grand 

Cosechando Esperanza: La Historia de Cesar Chavez

By Kathleen Krull, Yuyi Morales (Illustrator), Alma Flor Ada (Translator)

Danza! Amalia Hernández and Mexico's Folkloric Ballet

By Duncan Tonatiuh

El Beisbol Nos Salvo

By Ken Mochizuki, Dom Lee (Illustrator)

El dia en que descubres quien eres

By Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael Lopez

La escuela de Elizabeti

By Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen

Featherless

By Juan Herrera

Finding the Music / En Pos de La Musica

By Jennifer Torres, Renato Alarcao (Illustrator)

Furqan's First Flat Top*

By Robert Liu-Trujillo

A Gift from Papa Diego: Un Regalo de Papa Diego

By Benjamin Alire Saenz, Geronimo Garcia (Illustrator)

Guillermo Jorge Manuel Jose / Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

By Mem Fox, Julie Vivas (Illustrator)

Guji Guji

By Chih-Yuan Chen

It Doesn't Have to Be This Way: No Tiene Que Ser Asi

By Luis Rodriguez, Daniel Galvez (Illustrator)

Jimmy's Carwash: La Aventura de Jaime En El Autolavado

By Victor Narro, Yana Murashko (Illustrator), Madelin Arroyo (Translator)

Joelito's Big Decision / La Gran Decision de Joelito*

By Ann Berlak, Daniel Camacho (Illustrator), Jose Antonio Galloso

Juana and Lucas*

By Juana Medina

La Calle Es Libre = The Street is Free

By Kurusa, Monika Doppert (Illustrator)

La Frontera: El viaje con papa / My Journey with Papa*

By Deborah Mills, Alfredo Alva, Claudia Navarro (Illustrator)

Los Cinco de Vivienda Justa y la casa embrujada

By the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center

The Little Doctor / El Doctorcito

By Juan J. Guerra

Lola: Edicion En Espanol de Islandborn*

By Junot Diaz, Leo Espinosa (Illustrator)

Los Cazadores Invisibles / The Invisible Hunters

By Octavio Chow (Editor), Morris Vidaure (Editor), Joe Sam (Illustrator)

La Luna Mango

By Diane de Anda

Little Night / Nochecita*

By Yuyi Morales

Magic Dogs of the Volcanoes

By Manlio Argueta

Marti's Song for Freedom: Marti y Sus Versos Por La Libertad*

By Emma Otheguy

Mi papi tiene una moto

By Isabel Quintero, Zeke Peña (Illustrator)

A Movie In My Pillow / Una Pelicula en Mi Almohada*

By Jorge Argueta, Elizabeth Gomez (Illustrator)

Nosotros S? Podemos Hacerlo!

By Laura Dwight, Laura Dwight (Photographer)

One of a Kind, Like Me / Unico Como Yo*

By Laurin Mayeno, Robert Liu-Trujillo (Artist)

Pele, King of Soccer / Pele, El Rey del Futbol

By Monica Brown, Rudy Gutierrez (Illustrator)

Pink y Say

By Patricia Polacco

Playing Loteria /El Juego de La Loteria

By Rene Colato Lainez, Rene Colato Lainez, Jill Arena (Illustrator)

Por Todo Nuestro Alrededor = All Around Us*

By Xelena Gonzalez, Adriana M. Garcia (Illustrator)

El Pueblo Seguira

By Simon Ortiz

Prietita and the Ghost Woman

By Gloria Anzaldua

Salsa

By Jorge Argueta, Duncan Tonatiuh

Si, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A.

By Diana Cohn, Paul Mirocha, Francisco Delgado (Illustrator)

Side by Side / Lado A Lado*

By Monica Brown

Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural / Sofi y El Mgico Mural Musical

By Raquel M. Ortiz, Maria Dominguez (Illustrator), Gabriela Baeza Ventura (Translator)

That's Not Fair! / No Es Justo!

By Carmen Tafolla, Sharyll Teneyuca, Terry Ybanez (Illustrator)

Tito Puente: Mambo King / Rey del Mambo*

By Monica Brown

Tres Con Tango

By Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole (Illustrator)

The Upside Down Boy / El Nino de Cabeza

By Juan Herrera, Elizabeth Gomez (Illustrator)

Xochitl And The Flowers / Xochitl, la Nina de las Flores

By Jorge Argueta, Carl Angel (Illustrator)

Yo, Naomi León

By Pam Muñoz Ryan

Burnt Sugar: Contemporary Cuban Poetry in English and Spanish

By Lori Marie Carlson (Editor), Oscar Hijuelos (Editor)

Con Carino, Amalia / With Love, Amalia

By Alma Flor Ada, Gabriel M. Zubizarreta

de Como Tia Lola Vino (de Visita) A Quedarse

By Julia Alvarez

de Como Tia Lola Termino Empezando Otra Vez

By Julia Alvarez

de Como Tia Lola Salvo El Verano

By Julia Alvarez

de Como Tia Lola Aprendio a Ensenar

By Julia Alvarez

Devolver al Remitente (Return to Sender Spanish Edition)

By Julia Alvarez

A Max Le Gustan Las Munecas

By Zetta Elliott, Ana M. Gonzalez (Translator)

Esperanza Rising

By Pam Muñoz Ryan

The Surrender Tree / El Arbol de La Rendicion

By Margarita Engle

Voces Sin Fronteras: Our Stories, Our Truth

By the Latino Youth Leadership Council of LAYC

Antes de Ser Libres

By Julia Alvarez, Liliana Valenzuela (Translator)

El Color de la Justicia: La Nueva Segregacian Racial En Estados Unidos

By Michelle Alexander

En El Tiempo de Las Mariposas

By Julia Alvarez

La Distancia Entre Nosotros / The Distance Between Us

By Reyna Grande

La Otra Historia de los Estados Unidos

By Howard Zinn, Toni Strubel (Translator)

El soñador (The Dreamer)

By Pam Muñoz Ryan

A Traves de Cien Montanas

By Reyna Grande

A Year without Sundays: Images from the Literacy Campaign in Cuba

By Catherine Murphy, Carlos Torres Cairo

---

If you value this book list, please help us promote it and create more book lists.

Donate Today