Summary: This is a nonfiction book about Augusta Braxton Baker. Before she became a renowned storyteller, she was first a dedicated story listener, learning from her grandmother's tales like Br'er Rabbit and Arthur and Excalibur. As an adult, Baker began sharing stories with children at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem. She quickly realized there were very few books featuring respectful and uplifting portrayals of Black people. This sparked her mission to advocate for Black stories in literature, supporting authors, librarians, and educators. Along the way, she inspired future literary icons like Audre Lorde and James Baldwin. As Baker famously said, “Children of all ages want to hear stories. Select well, prepare well and then go forth and just tell.” 

Recommended Audience: K - 3rd Grades 

Review: As a librarian and book lover, I’ll admit I was inclined to like this book even before reading it—and I was not disappointed. Right away, I was captivated by the illustrations. The art is vibrant and uses a mix of techniques, including collage, paint, and pen, blending realism with exaggeration in a way that feels fresh and engaging. It stands out from other books visually. As for the story, I hadn’t known anything about Augusta Baker beforehand, so I personally learned a lot. The writing is sophisticated and respectful to its audience, making it accessible to younger readers while still suitable for older children. It could be a great tool for teaching about the representation of Black characters in literature, the rise of Black authors, and the importance of "own voices" storytelling. I also appreciated the thoughtful additions at the back of the book, like the timeline, citations, author’s note, and real photographs. These elements add depth and offer excellent opportunities for teaching nonfiction writing while providing a fuller understanding of both Augusta Baker and the author.

Summary: A young girl who plays music with her grandfather meets his long-time friend who is a fabulous street musician adding to light to his community by amplifying joy and voices of protest. “Mister Blue lives outside.” Our protagonist has many questions: “Is he safe?” “Is he scared?” Employing the oil paint and graphite illustrations Daria Peoples shows how a brave young voice with lots of questions and more heart can invite friendship, warmth and understanding home.

Recommended Audience: All ages. 

Review: I like how the author does not shy away from the difficult topic of homelessness, in fact through spare words and graphic novel-like panels she tackles PTSD, depression and the healing power of music and long-term friendship. Daria Peoples honors how young minds often ask questions we all want answers to and although she doesn’t provide a tidy answer the conclusion is satisfying.  In the author’s note she explains: “There are lookers and non-lookers - those who choose to see and those who choose not to see. I believe children choose to look, to see, to contemplate, and to act by asking hard questions we adults don’t always know how to answer.”

Extra: Possibly a great companion for the short story “What Do Fish Have to do with Anything?” by Avi.

Summary: Not My Idea is a honest and insightful exploration of whiteness from the perspective of an unnamed, inquisitive, and socially sensitive girl of around nine or ten years old. Anastasia Higginbotham expertly portrays her impressions and experiences of the volitile grownup world around her.

Recommended Audience:

Review: Not My Idea is filled with powerful, thought-provoking questions about race, justice, parenting, and activism that have the potential to be life-altering. 

Summary: This book is about Sylvia Mendez and her family’s fight for desegregation of school in California. Sylvia Mendez had moved to California and was excited to attend her neighborhood school. Sylvia and her brothers were turned away from the neighborhood school and told they had to go to a Mexican school instead. Sylvia was an American citizen and spoke perfect English. Sylvia could not understand why Mexican families were forced to attend a separate school. She and her family found the courage to bring a lawsuit. They were able to win and bring an end to segregated schooling in California in 1947, which was seven years before the Brown V. Board of Education ended segregation across all of America.

Recommended Audience: Ages 6-10 years

Review: This was an inspiring story about a Mexican family taking action for justice, and equality, and to end discrimination. Sylvia’s bravery as a young Mexican girl and her resilience to help make a change for all was portrayed through pictures and dialogue. It is a story that makes one realize that all voices are needed and can make changes for freedom and rights. It highlights Latinx history within the civil rights movement for young learners. Can be inspiration for a classroom discussion on speaking up and making change.

Summary: Daisy is so proud of her hardworking dad and community in California that has a strong Mexican culture and community. They go for a heartwarming motorcycle ride through their neighborhood and see all the things they are familiar with and love are starting to change. She finds comfort in her love from her Papi’ and family and knows that that feeling will never change. You can feel the proudness and love the father and daughter have for each other and for their Mexican heritage throughout the book.

Recommended Audience: Ages 4-8

Review: This book is well written and has amazing illustrations that ring the family and the community and culture to life. The extraordinary illustrations of the characters facial expressions and body language make you really feel what the characters are feeling, which is of all the character through the vibrant detailed pictures and facial expressions in vibrant extraordinary colors and details. The story is told in both English and Spanish. It highlights a strong father-daughter relationship and an appreciation of a Latinx neighborhood.

Summary: Nana Akua Goes to School is a story about a young girl named Zura, who is excited about Grandparent's Day at school but feels nervous about bringing her grandmother, Nana Akua. Nana Akua is from West Africa and she has traditional Ghanaian tribal markings on her face. These markings were proudly put on her grandmother as a young girl by her family to determine what tribe she belonged to and to represent beauty. Zura is worried that her classmates might be scared or make fun of her grandmother who she loves more than anyone in the world. Nana Akua is very understanding of her granddaughter’s worries and comes up with a plan to share the meaning of her markings. She brings a quilt with Adinkra symbols—each representing values like beauty, strength, and wisdom. She uses facepaint and lets the children paint temporary symbols on themselves. This turns Grandparent's Day into a celebration of cultural heritage and acceptance and makes Zura proud to share about her culture.

Recommended Audience: Ages: 4+

Review: Nana Akua Goes to School is a beautiful story of West African culture and magnificently highlights cultural differences and empathy. It shows how having the courage to share with others about where you came from and your cultural identity as a young child can make a difference. The illustrations are gorgeous and interesting grabbing the reader to look closely at the details and patterns and symbols. There is a glossary with explanations of Adinkra symbols and resource for readers tofurther explore Ghanaian culture at the end of the book. The book paints a beautiful picture of proudness to show who you are and where you come from. The diverse characters in the book are full of curiosity and excitement to learn and represent.

Summary: Maurice Ashley, the first Black Grandmaster in chess history, has become a three-time national championship coach and commentator. He shares his inspiring journey from Jamaica to New York and the global chess stage. In addition to recounting his story, he teaches readers essential chess skills, including how each piece moves and how to get started in the game, encouraging them to discover their own chess magic.

Recommended Audience: 1st - 5th Grades 

Review: This graphic novel is incredibly engaging. The author intertwines his personal journey with chess instruction. It creates a story while deepening your understanding of the game, making the lessons more relatable and memorable. In addition to talking about himself, he also profiles other chess champions he "thinks are awesome because they are passionate about the game and have changed it for the better." In a section he titles, "Everybody is Welcome," he writes about the youngest chess players, chess players who have overcome an obstacle (such as being homeless or having a visual impairment), and chess players from different countries. This book could be used as a class read aloud to inspire all students and also be a suggested reading for a student really interested in the game of chess.

Summary: Middle schooler Cecil Hall and his family have just moved from Florida to Massachusetts. Cecil is anxious about making friends because he doesn't know where he'll fit in. His older sister suggests befriending other Black students. Cecil isn't sure how he’d go about doing that. He wants to be known for his comics-making talent, but the few kids who are impressed by Cecil's art aren’t always nice to him. When one of his drawings is misused and causes big problems, Cecil must find the courage to stand up for himself and figure out who his true friends are.

Recommended Audience: 4th - 7th Grades

Review: This graphic novel explores powerful themes such as race, class, religion, identity, friendship, and self-expression. It is relatable to a wide audience. Students will easily connect with at least one, if not several, of the themes. Adults may gain a deeper understanding of the emotions and challenges children face, as well as reflect on their own experiences, both as children and as adults. What stands out most is how vividly the author portrays Cecil’s inner thoughts and emotions. His anxiety and internal struggles are portrayed in a way that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable. The story has a timeless quality, as if it could take place in any setting over the past 50 years. It’s hard to imagine someone not identifying with some part of this narrative. While graphic novels can sometimes be challenging to read as a whole class, this book lends itself to meaningful discussions. Since it's available on Sora, displaying it on a large screen could actively engage students. I highly recommend it for both individual reading and classroom conversations.

Written by Charlene W. McManis and Traci Sorell 

Summary: 10 year old Regina Petit and her family happily lived on the Grand Ronde Tribe's Reservation. Until one day the federal government came in and said you are "Indian No More" and informed them that they needed to move. Regina's family decides to relocate to Los Angeles. It is here that she struggles to find maintain he Native American Identity.

Recommended Audience: Middle grade

Review: After being removed from their home on the Grand Ronde Tribe's Reservation, Regina struggles to understand why there is so much racial discrimination. While trying to navigate her new surroundings Regina begins to understand that she does not need to change but to fight to keep her identity. 

Summary: Only months after Maybelline Chen's beloved older brother Danny dies by suicide, May's town is rocked by racist accusations levelled at the Asian families in their liberal, wealthy community. But when May speaks up for her family, she sets off a series of unintended consequences that will ultimately expose myths and misunderstandings about race and class and test her friendships and family relationships as she tries to stand for what is right, no matter the cost.

Recommended Audience: Grades 9+ 

Review: There is a lot to recommend about this book, in particular its focus on activism and the power of young people's voices to upend racist, white narratives and its joyful celebration of immigrant culture and experiences. The text uses both Mandarian Chinese characters and angelized Chinese and Taiwanese words to convey May's dual language home (the author is also Chinese- and Taiwanese-American), and the May's family dynamics are loving and realistic. The Silence That Binds Us is best when it stays focused on May discovering her voice and strength and her relationships with her friends and family. However the sheer volume of what this book is trying to address--mental health and suicide, grief, academic and family pressures, racism (intentional, indirect, and within different BIPOC communities), class differences, activism, American history, myths of the model minority and pressures of Black excellence--at times leads to pedantic oversimplfication of complex concepts. Overall recommended, however I think if used as a curricular text it would be best to pair with nonfiction texts that go into greater depth.

Areas of Intersectionality: Social Change Makers, Immigrant Experience

Suggested Supplemental Reading:

• Chow, Kat. "'Model Minority' Myth Again Used as a Racial Wedge between Asians and Blacks." NPR, 19 Apr. 2017, www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/19/524571669/model-minority-myth-again-used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks. Accessed 21 October 2024.

• Lee, Erika, and Christina Soontornvat. Made in Asian America : a History for Young People. Quill Tree Books, 2024.