Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Book Author: This is a beautifully written and illustrated story of resilience and community, seen through the eyes of a young girl in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of devastating Hurricane María. The silence and return of the song of the native coquí threaded throughout shows a sacred connection to nature and […]
Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement
Reviewed by Keesha Ceran Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: This summer, after reading the words below, I became undone. With steadfast faith and tender care, Emmett did recover, but the polio left a scar — an invisible reminder — a stutter of speech, From time to time, Emmett’s tongue and mind […]
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 […]
Black Is a Rainbow Color
Reviewed Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: A tightly woven celebration of Black — identity, history, culture, struggle, activism — this child-narrated “Black is” poem is both accessible and complex. The extensive back matter includes a song list, background for many of the poem’s line references, a timeline of Black ethnonyms, and the full text of […]
Fry Bread
Reviewed by Ashleigh (13), Alexis (19), Charlie (17), Langston (13), and Michael (18) Review Source: Indigo’s Bookshelf: Voices of Native Youth Book Author: There is no doubt about it–Native children’s literature and YA literature, fiction and nonfiction, is having a moment. Every time we turn around, there’s another wonderful book at the library or the publication details are announced […]
Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life
Reviewed by Allie Jane Bruce Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: At the outset of Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life, twelve-year-old Charlotte makes it clear that she finds her mom’s obsession with Laura Ingalls irritating. Anytime Mom or Rose (Charlotte’s younger sister) reference the Little House books or Laura Ingalls, Charlotte’s reaction is somewhere in […]