Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  “I was the only brown person in class.” The narrator feels the stares of her white classmates when they learn about slavery and civil rights.  Her mother tells her of ancestors who were enslaved or who only got to go to school for a few years, reminding her to be grateful for her own education.  She loves to learn but doesn’t like feeling like her race is what the other kids see about her.  The girl grows up to become a doctor with a daughter of her own.  When her daughter tells her of similar experiences at school, she encourages her to feel proud of herself and her ancestors, and to focus on what she sees when she looks in the mirror.  Includes notes from the author and the artist.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This book opens up interesting questions about how Black history is taught in schools and how to do it in a way that empowers children of color.

Cons:  The author’s note was in a font size that strained my middle-aged eyes.

Published by Calkins Creek

Summary:  May 26, 1861: George Scott, living in a cave in the woods after escaping slavery two years earlier, sees other Black people entering Fortress Monroe and not being returned.  He learns that the commander of the fort, Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler, has declared the Black people “contrabands of war”, which means he doesn’t have to return them to the Confederates.  When Scott tells Butler he can find the Confederate hideout, Butler sends him on a mission back into the woods where he’s been hiding.  Scott finds the Confederates gathered at a church, and the Union army attacks, thwarting the threat to the fortress.  As a reward, Butler writes a letter to President Lincoln making the case for Scott and the other contrabands.  His words play a part in what eventually becomes the Emancipation Proclamation.  Includes four pages of additional information about George Scott, Benjamin Franklin Butler, Fortress Monroe, and the contrabands, as well as a bibliography.  40 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  This well-written and engaging narrative tells a little-known Civil War story, illustrated with sepia-toned paintings that evoke the photographs from that era.  Seems like more should be written about Benjamin Franklin Butler, who went on to become governor of Massachusetts and was a leader in civil rights on many fronts.

Cons:  Apparently, “contrabands” was the term used for those who found refuge at the fortress, but it seems like a somewhat dehumanizing expression. 

Published by Simon and Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

Summary:  “From land to land, brave travelers arrive with hopes, dreams, skills, and determination.”  The lyrical text and illustrations of this book celebrate the immigrants who have come to the United States, and the Statue of Liberty that welcomes them.  The gifts that people bring in terms of skills, languages, and cultures are recognized, as are the harder truths that people have not always been made to feel welcome.  “The long, bitter story of the US” is also acknowledged, including “stealing land from Native people, bringing enslaved captives all the way from Africa, and then seizing a huge part of Mexico.”  The final image, though, is of Lady Liberty’s torch, and the book concludes on this hopeful note.  Includes notes from the author and illustrator about their personal experiences of immigration.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would make an excellent introduction to immigration, with poet Margarita Engle’s text and Raúl Colón’s colored pencil illustrations depicting so many different nationalities coming to the US.  While some hard truths are acknowledged, the tone is basically hopeful and celebratory.

Cons:  A list of additional resources would have made this even more useful for older kids.

Published by Amicus Ink

Summary:  In this follow-up to A Tiny Brown Monkey on the Big Blue Earth, a little round panda munches bamboo on a hill covered with mist.  A path leads from the hill to a river where people board a boat and travel down the river to a big city.  Lights blink from tall buildings that shine into the sky of the big blue earth.  Endpapers show the panda sitting in the Sichuan Province of China at the center of a map with the Yangtzee River, Indian Ocean, country of China, and continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa all labeled. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  We’ve seen books before that start at a certain geographic point and slowly move out into space.  This one starts with a cute panda and moves to different locations in China with beautiful illustrations that warrant close examination.  This would be a great introduction to maps for younger kids.

Cons:  Except for the endpapers there was no back matter.

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  A couple tells their child the many different meanings of saying Black Lives Matter.  It can be whispered, screamed, sung, or sobbed to celebrate the lives of Black people, to remember what was done to them in the past, and to protest wrongs still being done to them.  The rhyming text highlights words with different fonts and shapes.  The illustrations show the baby growing up until the last page, “We see you, Black-child-magic, your radiant Black shine/We hear your Black Lives Matter, and we know we’ll be all right,” shows him in a cap and gown holding a diploma triumphantly in the air.  32 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  The many different facets of the Black Lives Matter movement are addressed here with beautiful watercolor pencil and collage illustrations filled with colors and shapes.  The rhyming text flows smoothly and is well-integrated into the illustrations. 

Cons:  I’d love to see this considered for the Coretta Scott King Award, but the author is Australian, so I don’t think that it qualifies.

Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Before 9/11, the Callery pear tree stood, mostly unnoticed, in the shadow of the Twin Towers.  “One September day, the perfect blue sky exploded,” and the tree was buried in the rubble.  Workers noticed a green sprout growing out of it, and the tree was taken to a nursery where it gradually came back to life and flourished for the next ten years.  Eventually, it was transplanted back to the 9/11 Memorial, where people now stop and marvel at the tree, now known as the Survivor Tree, the last living thing pulled from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.  Includes additional information about the tree, an author’s note, an artist’s note, and a photo.  48 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  This beautiful book tells the story of the Survivor Tree in sparse, poetic language, with watercolor illustrations by Caldecott honoree Aaron Becker.  The same tale is told from the tree’s perspective in another 2021 book, This Very Tree.  I’d be hard-pressed to choose one over the other; both offer stories and illustrations that will engage younger readers with enough back matter to make them excellent resources for older kids.

Cons:  I wish this book had been released prior to August 31 so I could have reviewed it in time for the twentieth anniversary of 9/11.