Social Justice Books

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

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 […]

One Wish: Fatima Al-Fihri and the World’s Oldest University

Reviewed by Paige Pagan Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: One Wish is a powerful narrative about a Muslim woman whose faith, passion, and determination led to something greater than herself. Fatima was born in a time and place where boys went to school and girls were tutored at home. Fatima wished that she could […]

Freedom Bird: A Tale of Hope and Courage

Reviewed by Paige Pagan Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Following in the tradition of oral storytelling, Freedom Bird is a blend of history and folklore. Reminiscent of Roots, but targeted for children and inspired by The People Could Fly, Nolen tells the multigenerational story of the Wheeler family on Simon Plenty’s fictional plantation. The narrative […]

The Notebook Keeper: A Story of Kindness from the Border

Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Our home is different. Not like it used to be. When the protagonist, Noemí, and her mother are suddenly uprooted and forced to flee their homes in central Mexico, they seek refuge in the United States. At the border checkpoint, they meet Belinda, a […]

The Year We Learned to Fly

Reviewed by: Maria Ramos-Chertok Review Source: Latinxs in Kid Lit Book Author: On a dreary, stuck-inside kind of day, a brother and sister heed their grandmother’s advice: “Use those beautiful and brilliant minds of yours. Lift your arms, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and believe in a thing. Somebody somewhere at some point was […]