Social Justice Books

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

My Brother Is Away

Reviewed by Keesha Ceran Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Written by Sara Greenwood and illustrated by Luisa Uribe, My Brother is Away is about a young girl whose brother is incarcerated. The story is based on the author’s childhood experience that connects young readers with similar stories all too rarely represented in children’s […]

Jasmín Pictures Home | Jasmín ilustra su hogar

Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author:  In Jasmín Pictures Home, three immigrant friends help a fourth find beauty, pride, and a sense of identity in her home country’s culture. When she moves to the United States from Honduras, the protagonist and artist Jasmín — feeling like she is “an island in […]

Grandpa Stops a War: A Paul Robeson Story

Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author:  Grandpa Stops a War is a biographical picture book of the singer and political activist Paul Robeson — written by his granddaughter — about his involvement in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The book provides some background on Robeson’s rise to fame as a respected […]

Abdul’s Story

Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author:  Young Abdul loves storytelling, and his tales are inspired by the people who live in his neighborhood. But when it comes to writing those stories, Abdul feels his handwriting is messy and he has difficulty forming letters and spelling words. He questions the value of […]

My Strange Shrinking Parents

Reviewed by Kate Prendergast Review Source: Roaring Stories Bookshop Book Author: 2021 CBCA winner Zeno Sworder on his new book My Strange Shrinking Parents Zeno Sworder’s new picture book began in darkness, when the rest of the world was asleep. It was built, slowly, gradually, in between the padding of one pair of feet and […]

Fatima’s Great Outdoors

Reviewed by Paige Pagan Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Fatima is having a hard time adjusting to her new life in the United States and is looking forward to camping, what her Papa calls “a great American pastime,” (p. 2) as a means of escaping from the bullying and isolation she experiences in her […]