Social Justice Books

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

All the Colors We Are: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color (Bilingual Spanish)

Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Book Author: We’re delighted to see this 20th anniversary edition of Katie Kissinger’s classic book, All the Colors We Are. Kissinger—author of the memorable Rethinking Schools article “Holding Nyla”—has written a book that deals with skin color in a straightforward, scientifically accurate, child-friendly manner. Young children are curious about why people have […]

Milo’s Museum

Teaching Ideas | Teaching Stories Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: Milo’s Museum by Zetta Elliott is a beautifully illustrated, empowering story of a young girl (Milo) who is excited to go on a school field trip to a museum. Her grandfather explains, “Museums hold all the things that people feel are […]

My Heart Is On the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl

Review by Debbie Reese, Beverly Slapin, and more. Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: My Heart Is on the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl is a new book published by Scholastic as part of its “Dear America” series of historical fiction diaries. Immensely popular, the series is prominent both in bookstores […]

The Great Migration: Journey to the North

Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Book Author: This is a picture book that introduces the historic story of the Great Migration to young readers. Eloise Greenfield, one of the most important children’s book writers of the last 40 years, wrote about her family migration from Parmele, N.C., to Washington, D.C., in Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir for upper […]

Sylvia & Aki

Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Book Author: This historical novel for middle school readers is based on the true stories of Sylvia Mendez and Aki Munemitsu Nakauchi, who were 3rd graders during World War II. When Aki’s family is forced to leave their home in Westminster, Calif., for a Japanese American internment camp in Arizona, the Mendez […]

Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Book Author: Cuban American novelist Margarita Engle’s award-winning book of young adult historical fiction takes the form of poetry about the conquest and resistance. The main character is a young man whose mother is Taíno and father is Spanish. Pirates hold him captive and use him as a translator. After a […]