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, […]
Christina Francine’s Mr. Inker Finds a Home is a young boy named Rafiq who receives a talking pen named Mr. Inker for his birthday. This Level 3 reader is, at its core, a story about friends old and new. Rafiq has recently moved to the US from Pakistan and misses […]
Written by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, The Undefeated, is a visual and textual ode to the strength and determination of Black Americans. Word and image stand in perfect balance, working together to create a beautiful picture book that celebrates Black cultural and political leaders, reflects on Black […]
Origami Orchestra (2018) is a beautiful children’s picture book sure to encourage sweet dreams. The gorgeous bedtime story is thoughtfully written by Ammie Elliott. The story, told in the first-person, follows a young child into their artful dream, which is sumptuously depicted by Travis McCoy who uses a variety of […]
