By Paige Pagan The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) has released data on books by and about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color published for children and teens. While we are seeing steady increases in the number of children’s and young adult books written by authors of color, the number of books about BIPOC protagonists […]
The Disempowering Impact of the Little People, BIG DREAMS Series
By Paige Pagan and the Social Justice Books Team Enter the children’s section in any bookstore or library and you are bound to see a display of titles from the Little People, BIG DREAMS picture book series. Written for very young readers, they include titles on a range of activists, religious leaders, artists, and entertainers. […]
Book Bans Are Targeting the History of Oppression
Our colleague Marilisa Jiménez García wrote an article for The Atlantic about the banning of books that tackle themes of racism and imperialism, including Holocaust literature and survivor testimonies. Also, a Texas law requires teachers to present opposing views about the Holocaust in their classrooms.
A Muscle Memory for Kindness: Reflecting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Your Classroom Library
In this engaging six minute film, we see a group of fourth, fifth, and sixth grade children learn about issues of identity and apply that to their selection of books. This is an introductory activity for children who are embarking on a classroom library equity assessment. The film features classroom teacher Chanelle Tye with students […]
Howard Zinn Book Collection
The year 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010). In addition to the well-known best seller A People’s History of the United States, Zinn wrote more than 20 books covering topics such as the Civil Rights Movement, labor, the anti-war movement, critiques of prison and policing, and […]
Teach Reconstruction: K-12 Books
The Zinn Education Project, coordinated by Teaching for Change and Rethinking Schools, has released a report on Reconstruction which reveals that this pivotal time in history gets scant attention in the state standards. Therefore, teachers and parents need resources to teach outside the textbook about Reconstruction. At Social Justice Books, we have compiled a list […]