Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Book Author: Pain, love, and hope fill the pages of Mariame Kaba’s most recent picture book about a child with an incarcerated loved one. Like young readers who might be system-impacted themselves, or perhaps children considering a humanized perspective of incarceration for the first time, Reyna thinks, “I have so many questions. […]
My Brother Is Away
Reviewed by Keesha Ceran Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Written by Sara Greenwood and illustrated by Luisa Uribe, My Brother is Away is about a young girl whose brother is incarcerated. The story is based on the author’s childhood experience that connects young readers with similar stories all too rarely represented in children’s […]
This Is My America
Reviewed by Keesha Ceran Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Kim Johnson’s This is My America is a beautiful book following the story of the Beaumont family and the protagonist, Tracy Beaumont. Tracy has made it her mission to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row, who as this book begins, […]
Knock, Knock: Turning Pain into Power
Reviewed by Linda Christensen Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: The Rethinking Schools article below, by Linda Christensen, is about teaching Daniel Beaty’s poetry that was the basis for his picture book, Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me. Too often today, schools are about standards and common curriculum: Scarlet Letter and Huck Finn first quarter, move on to Great Gatsby … […]
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 […]
