Social Justice Books

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

The Trailblazing Life of Viola Desmond: A Civil Rights Icon

Reviewed Aisha Kiani Review Source: I Dream Library Book Author: The story of Viola Desmond’s act of resistance against segregation in a Nova Scotia theater is one we’ve been teaching and including in lesson plans and book lists since we began our work with teachers in 2019. The book we’ve used is a kidlit picture […]

Just Like Grandma

Reviewed by Amy Buckelew-Foster Review Source: Reading Is Resistance Book Author:  Together they flutter like the most beautiful butterflies Grandpa has ever seen, until the sun dips below the tree line and he calls them in for fried chicken. Just Like Grandma is a beautiful story of a multigenerational Native American family in a contemporary […]

Mamas Just Like You!

Reviewed by Makai Kellogg Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: This beautiful book is an anthem for mamas and their children. Part of the Shout Mouse Mini Mirrors series for toddlers, it is appropriate for children from infancy to full fledged readers. This playful and joyful book provides readers with a repetitive pattern that […]

Sebastian’s Apartment Family

Reviewed by Makai Kellogg Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Sebastian’s Apartment Family was written by three mothers in a Shout Mouse Press workshop. They open the book with a dedication: “We wrote this book for the villages that help to raise our children.”  This colorful and engaging book centers collective caregiving. As a […]

Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness Into Light

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Before you read Tim Tingle’s Saltypie to your child or students in your classroom or library, spend some time studying what Tingle says at the end of the book, on the pages titled “How Much Can We Tell Them?” There, you’ll learn a little […]

Thanku: Poems of Gratitude

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: I haven’t studied book covers for edited books of poems before. This observation, therefore, might not hold water. Here’s the cover for Thanku: Poems of Gratitude. As you see, Thanku: Poems of Gratitude is illustrated by Marlena Myles (Myles is Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscokee Creek) and […]