Social Justice Books

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

Salsa: Un Poema Para Cocinar / A Cooking Poem

Reviewed by Allie Jane Bruce Review Source: Reading While White Book Author: The first-person narrator (who does the cooking) has a child’s voice, and teaches readers about the history and culture embodied in red salsa. “[M]olcajetes were / our ancestors’ / blenders”, the narrator tells us, and later references Nahua, Aztec, and Mayan ancestors (who Tonatiuh […]

Rock & Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Decades ago—and now, too—I revel in the music of The Band. I was amongst those who went to see the film The Last Waltz. Of course, I bought CDs, too. At the time, I knew Robbie Robertson was Native, but didn’t know much […]

Pig Park

Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: DeColores Book Author: Martínez’s Pig Park is a contemporary novel that depicts with affection and a light touch a bustling, though little-known, neighborhood in Chicago and an unholy alliance between business interests and politicians. Ever since the American Lard Company closed in 15-year-old Masi Burciaga’s Pig Park neighborhood of Chicago, […]

Panther Baby: A Life Of Rebellion & Reinvetion

Reviewed by Edith Campbell Review Source: Cotton Quilts Book Author: Honestly, I didn’t want to read Panther Baby: A Life Of Rebellion & Reinvetion when Doret first suggested it. But since I trust her judgment of books, I read the book and I’m so glad I did! I’ve wanted to put Panther Baby into the hands […]

Out of Darkness

Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: DeColores Book Author: On March 18, 1937, a natural gas leak led to a deadly explosion and collapse of the all-white school in New London, a town in East Texas. Ashley Hope Pérez, who grew up nearby, mined her grandmother’s recollections, archives, and historical narratives to build a complex and […]

Noko and the Kool Kats

Reviewed by Barbara A. Lehman Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Moodie’s original, modern fable echoes classic folktale motifs, such as smaller animals helping bigger ones, solving a problem with brains and by working together, the very ones that should be helping are too lazy, and village life is just as good as city life. This […]