Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: The Story of Juneteenth presents an over-simplified explanation of the historic anniversary. While the author’s intent is admirable, this board book follows the dominant, accepted narrative about emancipation and ignores the sacrifices and courage of Black Americans, largely depicting them as passive actors. This problematic […]
My Rainbow
Reviewed by Paige Pagan and Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Simple language and vibrant illustrations highlight the warm dynamics of a close-knit and accepting Black family in this picture book about a transgender child living with autism. This book for younger elementary school students centers on Trinity, a transgender girl in a […]
Kapaemahu
Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Kapaemahu is a centuries-old traditional Hawaiian story (mo’olelo) based on “The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu,” first published in 1907. The legend tells of four extraordinary Tahitians who traveled to the island of Oahu and taught local people the art of healing. The tall, gentle visitors […]
Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion
Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: If your ears can’t hear the strum, or hum, or thrum of a melody, can music still swirl and whirl? Talented Evelyn Glennie embraced music from a young age but gradually grew deaf. Her audiologist, and others around her, predicted that she would have to […]
How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee
Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: From the award-winning author of dozens of books, including Unspeakable — The Tulsa Race Massacre, Voice of Freedom — Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, and Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library, comes another inspiring episode in Black history. Weatherford and […]
Jasmín Pictures Home | Jasmín ilustra su hogar
Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: In Jasmín Pictures Home, three immigrant friends help a fourth find beauty, pride, and a sense of identity in her home country’s culture. When she moves to the United States from Honduras, the protagonist and artist Jasmín — feeling like she is “an island in […]