There are three categories of book reviews: recommended (green), recommended with caveat (yellow), and not recommended (red). These ratings are summarized below and are based on the Guide to Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books.
Recommended
We recommend these multicultural and social justice books. Representation, the story line, and the quality of writing are all taken into consideration. We are also concerned with who is writing the stories, what the characters are doing, how issues of power and activism are introduced, and representations of people in community rather than in isolation.
Recommended with caveat
The yellow reviews explain reservations and/or concerns about the book in order to start a conversation. In some cases, the titles are included because there is a scarcity of books on the respective topic. Often, suggestions are made about ways to share the book with readers while also addressing the concerns.
Not recommended
When a book is not recommended often the narrative is problematic and reinforces myths or misinformation. The author and illustrator may use stereotypes or leave out/misrepresent important facts. The reviews describe problematic content and can be used to alert readers to similar issues in other books and popular media.
The reviews, from a variety of children’s literature websites, are introduced on this site and linked to their respective sources to read in full.
Due to the limitations with the database on this site, the ratings are indicated by stars rather than the green/yellow/red on some of the listings.
- 5 stars corresponds to green light, “Recommended”
- 3 stars corresponds to yellow light, “Recommended with caveat”
- 1 star corresponds to red light, “Not recommended”