Black, White, Just Right! written by Marguerite W. Davol, Illustrated by Irene Trivas A Review by Madisyn Myers “All day long, Violet’s stomach lurched. What if Violet couldn’t give her valentine? What if Mira didn’t want her valentine? What if … they never adventured?” When two people come together to create a family, they incorporate their similarities and differences within the household. These similarities and differences make the household more exciting and inclusive, giving a deep sense of who they are. Black, White, Just Right, written by Marguerite Davol and illustrated by Ir ..read more

The Great Banned-Books Bake Saley written by Aya Khalil, Illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan A Review by Tara Matruolo "Some books are so powerful that they intimidate people” — Aya Khalil The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil is a powerful picture book confronting social justice issues head-on. Readers are reconnected to Kanzi, featured in Khalil’s The Arabic Quilt,  a young protagonist who takes  pride in her Egyptian heritage. The book’s central themes revolve around inclusivity and the crucial need for representation in literature, especially for children from the global m ..read more

Love, Violet written by Charlotte Sullivan Wild, Illustrated by Charlene Chua A Review by Catherine Taunton “All day long, Violet’s stomach lurched. What if Violet couldn’t give her valentine? What if Mira didn’t want her valentine? What if … they never adventured?” In Love, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild, we see Violet create, contemplate, and inevitably give her (then crushed) valentine to her crush, Mira. This book digs into the feelings of adoration that Violet carries for Mira. We see Violet’s anxiety about approaching Mira, how she deals with confrontations with her classma ..read more

Those Shoes written by Maribeth Boelts, Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones A Review by Eden Grey “At school, Antonio is smiling big in his brand-new shoes. I feel happy when I look at his face and mad when I look at my Mr. Alfrey shoes.”  Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts is a sweet and touching story that addresses issues of social justice, empathy, generosity, and selflessness through the life journey of a young boy named Jeremy and his pursuit of a new pair of shoes. After his sneakers fall apart at school one day, Jeremy is mortified and disappointed by the replacement pair he receives f ..read more

A NOTE FROM ZAPOURA When I first read Today Is Different, by Doua Moua, I thought, "Yes, we need this book!" While there are a lot of books that talk about justice and activism, there are few that talk about allyship and cross-cultural solidarity so explicitly through a story that also centers the heart. Both the family and friend relationships in this book are dear, and it's clear that these relationships build a foundation for the activism that is the culmination of the narrative. Change happens most powerfully when we are in relationship with each other. This helps us to grow our empathy, p ..read more

Areli Is a Dreamer written by Areli Morales, Illustrated by Luisa Uribe A Review by Alex Morales Areli is a Dreamer by Areli Morales tells the compelling story of Areli’s experience immigrating to the United States from Mexico as a young child. I am a DACA recipient, and this book uncovered emotions within me that I had not confronted since I immigrated to the United States when I was two years old. As I followed Areli’s story, I found deep resonances with my experience in a country that has high expectations for immigrants, regardless of their age. Through muted color schemes, Colombian ..read more

A NOTE FROM ZAPOURA If you're into children's literature and/or involved in social justice movements, you've surely encountered the beautiful illustrations of Nikkolas Smith. From his viral 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in a hoodie illustration to The 1619 Project: Born in the Water, Smith has been using art to inspire discussions and action around race and justice for years. And his illustrations, for me, open up a heart space. The freedom and the movement of his marks on the page, the expressiveness, the love, and the pain -- trust me that reading this book will really move you. ABOUT ST ..read more

Viva's Voice written by Raquel Donoso, Illustrated by Carlos Velez Aguilera A Review by Issac Abernethy “... many voices together can make a big noise Papi…” -- Raquel Donoso, Viva's Voice Viva’s Voice, written by Raquel Donoso and illustrated by Carlos Velez Aguilera, is the story of Viva and her Papi standing up for change and is inspired by the author’s  childhood experiences as the daughter of Latinx immigrant parents living in Los Angeles. Viva’s Papi works as a municipal bus driver and often lets Viva ride with him on his route. All is well with Viva while riding the bus, taking in ..read more

REVIEWER NAME: Amy Buckelew-Foster REVIEW NOTE: Amy was a student review writer working with me at Portland State University in partnership with Teaching for Change's Social Justice Books (SJB) Project. BOOK INFORMATION: Just Like Grandma by Kim Rogers, Illustrated by Julie Flett RATING: Recommended Just Like Grandma by Kim Rogers, Illustrated by Julie Flett “Together they flutter like the most beautiful butterflies Grandpa has ever seen, until the sun dips below the tree line and he calls them in for fried chicken.” -- Kim Rogers, Just Like Grandma Just Like Grandma is a beautiful story of a ..read more

INTRODUCTION This reading guide is designed to accompany Mitali Perkins and Sara Palacios’ picture book Between Us and Abuela. Reading Is Resistance sees reading as an opportunity to seed deeper conversations and possibilities for action around racial justice in our communities. Lesson content was written by Zoe Hernandez-Macdonald and was designed to start and deepen anti-bias/anti-racist conversations in families and other learning communities. Editors were Vanessa Eppley and Soledad Valencia. BOOK THEMES IMMIGRATION, GROWING UP MEXICAN-AMERICAN, MEXICAN-AMERICAN IDENTITY, FAMILY BONDS, GRAN ..read more