Written and illustrated by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Hunỳnh Kim Liên Reviewed by Lucie Wharton-Moeur Early Elementary Picturebook The first day of school is an event every child around the world experiences. In this story, a young boy who lives along The Mekong Delta begins his journey to school on the first day. This is […]
Tag: BIPOC
I Am Every Good Thing
Written by Derrick Barnes Illustrated by Gordon C. James Reviewed by Mary Bishop Picture Book / Concept Book This book radiates Black boy brilliance! The illustrations are painted in a gestural nature with bright colors that exude action and life. The narrator is a young boy who is conveying his multifaceted self – a spirited, […]
When We Were Alone
Written by David A. Robertson Illustrated by Julie Flett Reviewed by Lindsey Smith Why does the child’s grandmother wear such colorful clothes? Why is her hair so long? Why does she spend so much time with her brother? Why does she sometimes speak Cree? In this simple yet haunting dialogue between a child and grandmother, […]
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Written and Illustrated by Grace Lin Reviewed by Julia Marlin Minli and her parents live in a village in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain where everything is dry and faded brown. All day, Minli and her parents work in the fields, trying to “coax rice out of the stubborn land.” Minli’s only escape from the […]
Fatty Legs
Written by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton Illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes “This book is a rare book” proclaims the first line of the foreword in this book. And it is. Fatty Legs is the true story of an Inuit girl, Olemaun (or Margaret) who leaves her home in the Arctic Circle to attend a […]
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Reviewed by Isabelle Grant. “When Dad went to a bank to borrow money to open a bookstore for black people, the banker said no. He said Dad could have a loan to sell fish and chips or […]
The Undefeated
The Undefeated By Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. The Undefeated is an illustrated poem that serves as “a love letter to black life in the United States.” The book begins by honoring the resiliency of Black Americans in the face of “unspeakable” tragedies since enslavement, then proclaiming the fierce bravery of activists who changed […]
Rad Women Worldwide
Written by Kate Schatz and Illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl Rad Women Worldwide is a sequel to Rad American Women A-Z which features 26 different rad American women, one for each letter of the alphabet. In Rad Women Worldwide, the scope has been broadened. As author Kate Schatz writes in the book’s introduction, “think about […]
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up To Be Malcolm X
Do you remember learning about Malcolm X in school? I know that I had never heard his name until I was in college. Malcolm X is often described as the sword to Martin Luther King Jr.’s shield, but his legacy stands alone as an incredible organizer for the Nation of Islam, fierce advocate for the […]
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
The Undefeated written by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Reviewed by Isabelle Grant. “This is for the underdogs and the uncertain, the Unspoken but no longer untitled” The Undefeated is an illustrated poem honoring the incredible strength of the African American community. With sharp, smooth prose alongside masterful, oil painted illustrations, The Undefeated […]