Written by Michael Genhart, PhD and illustrated by Anne Passchier, Rainbow: A First Book of Pride (2019) is a colorful celebration of rainbow families that introduces very young readers to the symbolism behind the Pride flag. The first page proclaims: “Every color means something.” The corresponding image shows a racially […]
The story is definetely engaging enough to warrant multiple readings and the personalization of image and text will make the book a family treasurer! My family enjoys our copy, and my son was thrilled to share it with his grandparents. This will make a lovely gift for many children! I […]
Written by Toshia Stelivan and illustrated by Dan Rebegea, Horse of a Different Color is clearly a labor of love. The picture book begins with the silhouette of a horse and a heartfelt message to the author’s daughters, Madison and Morgan, as well as a message of gratitude to other […]
Ilyasah Shabazz & Renée Watson’s Betty Before X reads like the labor of love it clearly is. Both intimate and deliberately political, Shabazz and Watson humanize a larger than life American icon. Readers are introduced to Betty as an eleven year old girl with a complex past. She has experienced […]
I recently received a book bundle from Macmillan that subtly highlights diversity while joyfully teaching messages of inclusion. Ways to Welcome (2020), written by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Joey Chou, and All Welcome Here (2020), written by James Preller and illustrated by Mary GrandPre, both explore the awkwardness of […]
I just finished Kate Moore’s young reader’s edition of The Radium Girls. Wow! I was emotionally engaged from beginning to end. Moore tells the story of hundreds of young women who found financial freedom and empowerment by painting watch dials for a generous wage in the 1910s and 20s. Sadly, […]
Mamie on the Mound: A Woman in Baseball’s Negro Leagues, written by Leah Henderson and illustrated by George Doutsiopoulos, is a wonderful biography of a fascinating character, but that’s not all. Henderson subtly explores the race and gender context that both enables and constrains Mamie’s professional baseball career. Mamie was […]
Making Their Voices Heard: The Inspiring Friendship of Etta Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe does a wonderful job bringing two women and their friendship to life while exploring the ways race and gender privilege and oppression influence their access to opportunities. Written by Vivian Kirkfield and illustrated by Alleanna Harris, this […]
All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything is the book that has been missing from my collection. That makes it an important addition to nonfiction children’s picture books, but it doesn’t guarantee it will be any good. Luckily, it is very […]
Karin Littlewood’s Immi’s Gift and Farhana Zia’s Lali’s Feather are two Peachtree publications featuring creative characters who embrace nature imaginatively. In an author’s note, Littlewood explains that she had written Immi’s story and drawn her many times before giving her a name. Immi is an Inuit name short for Immiayuk, […]
