Social Justice Books

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

Nile Crossing

  Reviewed by Ronald J. Leprohon Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Here is a charming and delightful book, which takes us on a journey through a young boy’s day as he leaves his ancient Egyptian rural home for a teeming city and a school where he will learn to become a scribe. Written in […]

Calling the Doves / El canto de las palomas

Reviewed by Grace Cornell Gonzales Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: Calling the Doves is a prime example of two of the qualities that draw me to Juan Felipe Herrera’s work again and again: the richness of his poetic language and his fluent writing in both Spanish and English. […]

Violet the Snowgirl: A Story of Loss and Healing

Reviewed by: Pat Corekin Review source: Teaching for Change Book author: Two children, Jerzie and Josiah, spend a day building a snowgirl with their grandmother. As they construct their snowgirl, their imaginations create a number of adventure stories — Violet the Snowgirl is a pilot, an alien, a third grade teacher, a librarian, a veterinarian, […]

Each Kindness

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Warning: This picture book for young children does not have a happy ending. And therein is the power and beauty of the story. When a group of children ostracize a new child who is poor, they do not realize how hurtful they are being […]

Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation

Reviewed by Alice Review Source: Vamos a Leer: Teaching Latin America Through Literature Book Author: Saludos, todos, and welcome back to our weekly book reviews! Now that we have all had some time to rest during the holidays, we are ready to delve into the spring semester with an especially powerful January theme: civil rights. Throughout […]

Milo Imagines the World

Reviewed by Nell Beram Review Source: Shelf-Awareness Book Author: Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson’s Milo Imagines the World, like their justifiably celebrated Last Stop on Market Street, centers on a child’s regular ride on public transportation to a destination initially unknown to readers. But while Market Street‘s CJ asks his grandmother why they’re going where they’re […]