Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book

English 4 years and up Segregation Black Culture & Identity History Safety Historical Figures Keila V. Dawson & Alleanna Harris Summary: First of all, this book is beautifully made. I love the matte book jacket, and the surprise underneath it! Opening the Road not only tells of the events that precipitated the development of the…

Root Magic

Written & Illustrated by:  Eden Royce For ages: MG Language: English & some Gullah Topics Covered: History Own Voices Magic Police Harassment   Summary: If a book is about magic and/or witches, I’m definitely reading it. Root Magic is a beautiful blend of ancestral connection, growing self-confidence, and addresses racism and police harassment in addition to other…

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021: Northbound

Written & Illustrated by:  Michael S. Bandy, Eric Stein & James E. Ransome For ages: 6-9 years Language: English Topics Covered: History Segregation Activism Jim Crow Own Voices Memory   Summary: This book is a wonderful story taken right from author Michael S. Bandy’s memories of a train ride during a segregated childhood. Michael and his grandmother…

Great Lives in Graphics Series

Series Produced by: GMC Publications For Ages: 8-12 years Language: English Topics Covered: History, Historical Figures, Graphic Novels, Racism, Politics, Segregation. Summary: This series is so cool! It combines history and an almost graphic novel layout to teach readers about different well-known figures throughout history. Currently, the set has books that teach about MLK Jr.,…

The Teachers March! How Selma’s Teachers Changed History

Written By: Sandra Neil Wallace & Rich Wallace Illustrated by: Charly Palmer For Ages: 6 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: History, Black Culture & Identity, Racism, Segregation, Activism, Historical Figures. Summary: This week for #sweetsandsocialjustice I wanted to pair a well-known event with a well-known dessert, pound cake! This book was secondary project…

Words of Change: Anti-Racism: Powerful Voices, Inspiring Ideas

Written By: Kenrya Rankin For Ages: 8 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: History, Historical Figures, Racism, Quotes, Compilation. Summary: For #sweetsandsocialjustice this week, I’m focusing on something that I think is beginning to fall by the wayside. Not for everyone (certainly not for us) but for a lot of people that made a…

Girl Activist: Winning Strategies from Women Who’ve Made A Difference

Written By: Louisa Kamps, Susanna Daniel, Michelle Wildgen Illustrated by: Georgia Rucker For Ages: MG & YA Language: English Topics Covered: Activism, Environmental Activism, History, Historical Figures, STEM, Nature, Black Lives Matter, Segregation, Racism, Suffrage, Feminism. Summary: For #sweetsandsocialjustice this week I wanted to pair something tasty with an activist that was brand new to…

The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage

Written by: Selina Alko Illustrated by: Sean Qualls & Selina Alko For ages: 4-9 years Language: English Topics Covered: Activism, Legislation, Segregation, Family, Interracial Marriage, Modern Black Freedom Struggle, Own Voices, Non-Fiction, Historical Figures, Family, Love.  Summary:  We are so excited to have another round of #sweetsandsocialjustice in conjunction with #thefictionfeast (even though this is a non-fiction story) and made…

Counting the Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician

Written by: Lesa Cline-Ransome Illustrated by: Raúl Colón For ages: 4-8 years Language: English Topics Covered: STEM, Women in Science, Historical Figure, Space, Segregation, Racism, POC-Centric Narratives, Black Culture & Identity, Historic Events.  Summary: Katherine was an incredibly intellectually gifted child, starting 2nd grade at age 6, and 5th grade the year after.  Her parents strongly valued education and moved the…