Picture book. By Ruth Vander Zee. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. 2004. 32 pages.
A thought-provoking story of one boy's loss of naivete in the face of racism and harsh historical realities.
Continue reading
Book — Fiction. By Kekla Magoon. 2010. 304 pages.
Coming-of-age story that shows the close connections between the civil rights and Black power movements through an intimate and relatable lens.
Continue reading
Book — Non-fiction. By Wayne Au and Melissa Bollow Tempel. 2012. Rethinking Schools. 360 pages.
Collection of articles from Rethinking Schools magazine takes high-stakes standardized tests to task.
Continue reading
Teaching Guide. Edited by Linda Christensen, Mark Hansen, and Bob Peterson. Rethinking Schools. 2012. 360 pages.
The best collection of writing from Rethinking Schools magazine about how to teach for social justice at the elementary level. Published by Rethinking Schools.
Continue reading
Book — Fiction. By Jesse Joshua Watson. 2010. 32 pages.
A boy lives through the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and finds hope amid the hardships of the aftermath.
Continue reading
Book — Non-fiction. By Charles C. Mann. 2009. 128 pages.
An illustrated book for young readers based on 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.
Continue reading
Book — Non-fiction. By Laurie Lawlor. 2001. 176 pages.
A biography that sheds light on Helen Keller as rebel and activist.
Continue reading
Book — Fiction. By Anna Myers. 2004. 152 pages.
A young man must wrestle with his past and find the strength to pull free from the poisonous grip of racism.
Continue reading
Book — Fiction. By Louise Erdrich. 2012. 208 pages.
The fourth book in the series following the Ojibwe girl Omakayas and her family as their lands are invaded by white settlers.
Continue reading
Book — Historical fiction. By Lynn Rubright. 2008. 89 pages.
Historical fiction inspired by incidents in the early life of sharecropper Owen Whitfield, the organizer of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union.
Continue reading
Book — Fiction. By Beverley Naidoo, illustrated by Eric Velasquez. 1988. 96 pages.
A brother and sister take their sick sibling to the city of Johannesburg to get their mother at work, and come to understand the struggle for freedom and dignity taking place in South Africa.
Continue reading
Picture book. By Gretchen Woelfle, with illustrations by Alix Delinois. 2014. 32 pages.
Picture book about true story of Elizabeth Freeman, a woman who challenged the legality of her enslavement.
Continue reading
Picture book. By Duncan Tonatiuh. 2014. 40 pages.
Upper elementary school picture-book about the Mendez v. Westminster case to desegregate California schools.
Continue reading
Teaching Activity. By Katharine Johnson. Rethinking Schools. 10 pages.
An elementary school teacher introduces the history of redlining through a role play designed for 1st and 2nd graders.
Continue reading
Teaching Activity. By Willow McCormick. Rethinking Schools. 7 pages.
An elementary school teacher connects the Civil Rights Movement to students’ family history by asking their grandparents to share their memories of the Movement.
Continue reading
Picture book. By Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. 2015. 45 pages.
Illustrated biography of Fannie Lou Hamer, activist for voting and economic rights from Mississippi.
Continue reading
Picture book. By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. 2015. 32 pages.
Tells the story of Lewis Michaux Sr.'s Harlem bookstore that was a center of African American history, scholarship, debate, and activism, for grades 2-5.
Continue reading
Book — Historical fiction. By Zetta Elliott. 2015. 88 pages.
Time travelling historical fiction for upper elementary school students on the New York City Draft Riots.
Continue reading
Picture book. Written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. 2013. 32 pages.
An age-appropriate story that brings to light the hardship and struggles faced by thousands of families crossing the border.
Continue reading
Book — Fiction. By Ann E. Burg. 2016. 352 pages.
Story of a family fleeing slavery written in verse for grades 4-8.
Continue reading
Picture book. By Jorge Argueta. Illustrated by Alfonso Ruano. 2016. 36 pages.
Poems written in Spanish and English address the struggles of child refugees fleeing Central America for the United States. Grade 2+.
Continue reading
Picture book. By Zetta Elliott. Illustrated by Purple Wong. 2016. 36 pages.
A story that introduces young readers to the historic mis-representation (and absence) of people of color in museums and how to take action.
Continue reading
Book — Non-fiction. By Gretchen Woelfle. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. 2016. 238 pages.
Profiles of African American, free and enslaved, during the American Revolution for upper elementary to middle school.
Continue reading
Book — Non-fiction. By Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. 2016. 40 pages.
Introduces children to the brutality of slavery and the role of culture in resistance.
Continue reading
Book — Non-fiction. By Tonya Bolden. 2014. 138 pages.
One of the few non-fiction texts on Reconstruction aimed at young readers, Cause is a strong alternative to the textbook treatment of the era.
Continue reading
