We Shall Not Be Denied: A Timeline of Voting Rights and Suppression in America by Cayla Bellanger DeGroat and Cicely Lewis (Lerner Publications, 48 pages, grades 4-8). Beginning with a present-day example of laws being passed to limit voting by mail, the authors trace the history of groups of Americans whose right to vote has been suppressed. A timeline at the bottom of each page keeps track of important years in voting rights history, while the text and illustrations give more details about those events. Although there have been backwards steps, the trajectory has slowly inched forward to give women, Indigenous people, Asian Americans, and Black citizens voting rights, and voting has become more accessible through absentee ballots and the repeal of poll taxes and other discriminatory practices. There is still work to do, and the final pages suggest actions readers can take, as well as offering reflection questions, a glossary, and index, and a reading list.

Readers will learn that voting, which should be a right, has too often been a privilege reserved for certain groups based on race, gender, and class. Although it contains a fairly brief, straightforward narrative, the book offers a lot of food for thought and discussion and would make an excellent resource to begin an investigation into the history of voting rights and the state of those rights today.

With Election Day just weeks away, teachers and librarians will undoubtedly be looking for resources to share with students. Here’s an Election Day and voting rights book list to help you out.