Published by Candlewick

Summary:  Tama and George have been at Minidoka, a prison camp for Japanese Americans, for a year.  Tama works in the library, and George visits every day to check out a stack of books.  The camp is dusty and hot in the summer, brutally cold in the winter, with monotonous days and no privacy for anyone.  Tama tries not to think about her previous life, when she would have graduated from college, instead immersing herself in the world of books at the library.  When she sighs over a book, George asks her what’s wrong.  Tama tries to put into words all that she’s feeling, and George assures her that she’s human to feel that way.  Tama realizes that George isn’t coming to the library just to check out a stack of books.  The two of them get married and have their first child in camp, and Tama sums up her experiences in her journal: “The miracle is in us.  As long as we believe in change, in beauty, in hope.”  Includes an author’s note about her grandparents, George and Tama (with a photo), and with additional information about the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II.  40 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  This moving story does not hesitate from looking at the bleak conditions of Minidoka nor the racism that brought George, Tama, and so many others to live there, but also focuses on the hope and beauty of their story.  

Cons:  Early elementary kids may not relate to the romance of this story.

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Blue may be the color of the sky and the ocean, but for much of human history, it was a difficult color to produce.  Ancient Egyptians crushed the blue stone lapis lazuli to make paint and eye makeup that only the very wealthy could afford.  Later, people discovered shellfish that produced a blue dye, but each organism only produced a drop or two.  Finally, the indigo plant, a native of Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, became more widely known and cultivated.  The value of the plant’s blue dye led to abuses as people were tricked into growing it instead of food and enslaved to help mass produce it.  In 1905, Adolf von Baeyer was awarded a Nobel prize for, among other things, creating a blue chemical dye.  Now everyone can own something that’s blue, but the rarity of blue and the suffering created in its production remind us of expressions like “the blues”, “feeling blue”, and “out of the blue”.  Includes two pages of additional information and a list of selected sources.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  Here’s a fascinating history of something I had no idea had a fascinating history: the color blue.  Kids will have a greater appreciation for blue jeans and other commonplace items after reading about the struggles and high value associated with blue.  The gorgeous illustrations feature many different colors but appropriately highlight blue.

Cons:  Some of the claims about the expressions noted above were pretty speculative, and when I looked into them, they don’t appear to have the connections to the color the author writes about.

Published by mineditionUS

Summary:  Loujain dreams of flying to a beautiful field of sunflowers with her baba.  But in her community, only boys and men are allowed to fly.  All Loujain can do is put on a set of wings and run around the garden, pretending.  Baba tells her that she will fly “someday”.  Finally, Loujain confronts him and tells him that it’s not fair that boys can fly and she can’t.  She wants to learn to fly now.  Her wise mama tells him, “If you don’t support her, who will?  You have to believe things will change.  Otherwise they never will.”  Soon Loujain and Baba are getting up before sunrise for flying lessons.  One day he wakes her up extra early, telling her that they have a long flight to make.  It’s the field of sunflowers!  The next day, Loujain is in the news for defying the flying law.  Her parents are proud of her, and a young girl in the market sees her and immediately asks her baba to teach her to fly.  Includes a note about the real Loujain: Loujain AlHathloul, the author’s sister, who has been jailed for protesting the law prohibiting Saudi women from learning to drive.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  This inspiring book would make an excellent discussion starter with older elementary students.  The information about Loujain AlHathloul gives a real-world example about protesting unjust laws.

Cons: The message of the book sometimes seemed to take priority over the story.

Published by Quill Tree Books

Summary:  “When you meet someone for the first time, they might ask, ‘Who are your people?’ and ‘Where are you from?’”  A father sets out to give his two children some answers to those questions, explaining that their people were strong and smart; fighters and activists.  The illustrations show the faces of well-known Black activists, as well as Black people working in cotton and sugarcane fields and participating in protests at lunch counters and marches.  The last few pages celebrate a supportive community that allows the kids to dream about the ways they will change the world.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  My school celebrates Black History Month with guest readers in every classroom, and I’ve been looking for books for the younger kids.  This one is perfect, not shying away from the troubling aspects of Black history, but also emphasizing the strength and resilience of the community.

Cons:  Some back matter with additional information about the people and incidents in the illustrations would have made this a more useful resource for both younger and older kids.

Published by Tommy Nelson

Summary:  When Opal Lee’s great grandson asks her for a story, she looks around their Juneteenth celebration and tells the kids the history of the holiday. People in Texas didn’t learn about the end of slavery until almost a year and a half after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  Juneteenth marks the day they found out, and the celebration that happened when they did.  “What was Juneteenth like when you were a kid?” the children then want to know. Opal Lee tells them of her segregated childhood, and how her family’s new house was burned down in 1939. But, she assures them, she has continued and will continue to work for freedom as long as she needs them.  As the children run off to play, she reminds them, “Freedom is for everyone.  Juneteenth is YOU and ME.”  Includes a recipe for Juneteenth Red Punch, a Juneteenth timeline, additional information about Opal Lee and Juneteenth, and a list of sources.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  With Juneteenth being a new national holiday, librarians and teachers will be looking for excellent educational resources like this one.  Opal Lee’s easygoing storytelling imparts a lot of information, aided by the bright, colorful illustrations that portray a diverse crowd of kids at the Juneteenth celebration.

Cons:  The author’s note mentions Opal Lee’s walk across the United States from 2016 to 2020 to collect signatures for a petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday.  She was 94 when President Biden signed legislation to make this happen.  I wish there had been more information about that walk, which sounds like a fascinating piece of history.