Social Justice Books

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

Bowwow Powwow

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Due out on May 1, of 2018, is an absolutely terrific book, Bowwow Powwow, written by Brenda J. Child (Red Lake Ojibwe). The story she tells was translated into Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain (Lac La Croix First Nation), and Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Ojibwe) did the extraordinary […]

A Bike Like Sergio’s

Reviewed by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores Book Author: “Every kid has a bike but me,” says our sorrowful young narrator, who longingly watches his friends having the fun he is denied. Ruben especially dreams of having a bike just like that of his oblivious friend, Sergio, who rides his new one while Ruben breathlessly runs […]

A Different Pond

Reviewed by Sam Bloom Review Source: Reading While White Book Author: A boy and his dad go fishing early one morning, but this trip isn’t just about father-son bonding time: “‘[W]hy do we still have to fish for food?’ I ask. ‘Everything in America costs a lot of money,’ [Dad] explains.” This particular morning they fish in relative quiet; the […]

Islandborn / Lola

Reviewed by Teaching for Change Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: The new children’s book Islandborn by Junot Díaz tells the story of a young girl, Lola, who learns from family and friends about the island where she was born. The island is not named in the book, but readers can deduce that the story is based […]

Before She Was Harriet

Reviewed by CCBC Review Source: Cooperative Children’s Book Center Book Author: The skillful narrative’s imaginative and effective structure, in which Tubman’s life unspools from old woman back to childhood, allows the child audience to build on prior knowledge and emphasizes Harriet’s agency throughout her life. The many facets of Tubman’s life and the many roles she […]

Love

Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: In this heartfelt celebration of love, Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and bestselling illustrator Loren Long depict the many ways we experience this universal bond, which carries us from the day we are born throughout the years of our childhood and beyond. With a lyrical […]