Social Justice Books

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

Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh

Reviewed by: Megan Schliesman Review Source: Reading While White Book Author: During the first part of the 20th century, immigrants from India were not allowed to become citizens of the United States (the law changed in 1946). Restrictions on immigration also meant many Indian men came alone to the California area, and a number of […]

One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance

Reviewed by: Padma Venkatraman Review Source: The Pirate Tree Book Author: I, for one, am immensely grateful that one last word will not be the last word by this talented author whose work has gained much well-deserved recent attention. There are few books that I treasure not just for the writing but also for the artwork, […]

Project Mulberry

Reviewed by: Cooperative Children’s Book Center Review Source: Cooperative Children’s Book Center Book Author: Julia and Patrick always work together on a project for the state fair. This year, they are having a hard time coming up with an idea that pleases them both. When Julia’s mother suggests they raise silkworms, as she did when […]

The People Shall Continue

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Ortiz begins The People Shall Continue with Creation. Not Genesis, but Creation, as viewed by several different Indian tribes. From the opening pages of his book, children learn that there is more than one way to view Creation. And they learn about diversity in […]

Walk with Me/Camino a casa

Reviewed by: Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: The cover of the Spanish version, Camino a casa, depicts a little girl who’s being held in the safety of whom we soon learn is a lion. The English version, Walk with Me, shows her offering a flower to the […]

SanTana’s Fairy Tales

Reviewed by: Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: Storyteller and visual artist Sarah Rafael García offers six “Fairy Tales for Trust and Justice,” all of them set in Santa Ana, a city in southern California that borders “the happiest place on Earth.” But that place is “never […]