Social Justice Books

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

Nigel and the Moon

Reviewed by Paige Pagan Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Nigel and the Moon is whimsically illustrated and intended to encourage children to dream big and voice their aspirations out loud and proud. However, there is also a displacement of anxiety over economic class present in the narrative that can be harmful to children’s […]

What If . . .

Reviewed by Bridget Fuller Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: “What if?” is the question a young artist ponders as she considers what she would do without her art supplies. If she can’t use pencil and paper, she’ll use the world around her to create her art. And if the land and light disappear, she’ll […]

We Are Water Protectors

Reviewed by Lara Saguisag Review Source: Climate Lit Book Author: “Water is alive. / Water remembers our ancestors / Who came before us, she said.” This Caldecott award winner highlights water not just an important natural resource but as a sacred, living element that sustains and binds all together plants, animals, and humans. When the construction […]

Hannah and the Ramadan Gift

Reviewed by Ariana Sani Hussain Review Source: Hijabi Librarians Book Author: At eight years old, Hannah’s family says she is too young to fast from dawn to sunset through the month of Ramadan, but Dada Jaan has an idea of how Hannah can help. He says that Ramadan is a reminder to Muslims to help those […]

Boys Dance!

Reviewed by Lila Chafe Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Written by John Robert Allman and illustrated by Luciano Lozano, Boys Dance! follows a class of young boys as they are immersed into the world of ballet. The playful and simple illustrations are matched by rhyming verses narrating the routine of ballet class. Multiracial classmates […]

Me and Ms. Too

Reviewed by Bridget Fuller Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Me and Ms. Too is a story about a young girl learning to embrace her changing family. When Molly’s dad marries her favorite librarian, he expects them to get along. But Molly resents all the changes that are happening until she has an eye-opening day […]