Social Justice Books

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

My Papi Has a Motorcycle

Reviewed by The Horn Book Review Source: The Horn Book Book Author: Quintero’s picture-book text acts as an evocative love letter to her apá and to the interconnected web of Mexican immigrant working-class people who built her hometown of Corona, California. When Papi gets home from work, young Daisy jumps into his arms for a […]

Sing to the Moon

Reviewed by Kirkus Reviews Review Source: Kirkus Reviews Book Author: OUT OF PRINT A young boy and his jjajja share memories and wishes in this tender tale set in Uganda. Have you ever wished to “ride a supernova straight to Mars” or travel to the spice markets of Zanzibar or ride a crane to a large […]

Yo Soy Muslim: A Father’s Letter to His Daughter

Reviewed by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores Book Author: In this letter to his young daughter, Afro-Mexica Muslim father, poet and spoken-word artist Gonzales gently and lovingly introduces her to the many facets of her world. Speaking directly to Muslim children and indirectly to all children everywhere, he addresses the beauty of Islam and […]

Margarito’s Forest / El Bosque de don Margarito

Teaching Ideas Reviewed by Lila Quintero Weaver Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION: Margarito’s Forest, a bilingual book in English and Spanish with excerpts in K’iche’, is based on the life of Don Margarito Esteban Álvarez Velázquez as told by his daughter, Doña Maria Guadalupe. It is a story of Maya culture and […]

Dalia’s Wondrous Hair

Review Author Sujei Lugo Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: DESCRIPTION FROM THE BOOK: A Cuban girl transforms her long and unruly hair into a garden. MY TWO CENTS: In this bilingual picture book, with a Spanish translation by Gabriela Baeza Ventura, Laura Lacámara brings us a whimsical Caribbean tale of a young Cuban girl and […]

My Shoes and I: Crossing Three Borders

Reviewed by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores Book Author: My Shoes and I: Crossing Three Frontiers / Mis Zapatos y Yo: Cruzando Tres Fronteras was originally published in English by Boyds Mills Press in 2010. With English text modified and simplified, and Spanish added for this edition, the story is based on Colato Laínez’ own […]