Resources
Children's Literature
In the recommendations below, we've prioritized #OwnVoices and independent presses. For more on what informs how we vet children's books, check out these articles: Much Bigger Than A Hamburger: Disrupting Problematic Picturebook Depictions of the Civil Rights Movement (Rodríguez & Vickery, 2020) and In Search of Mirrors: An Asian Critical Race Theory Content Analysis of Asian American Picture Books from 2007 to 2017 (Rodríguez & Kim, 2018). Also, check out orgs/blogs like We Need Diverse Books, Debbie Reese's American Indians in Children's Literature, Hijabi Librarians, Kid Lit Collective, Laura Jimenez' Book Toss, De Colores, Latinos in Kids' Lit, The Brown Bookshelf, Disability in Kids' Lit, YA Pride, and Reading While White.
Civil Rights Movement
Resources
A Place to Land: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation
by Barry Wittenstein
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Resources
Claudette Colvin Refuses to Move: Courageous Kid of the Civil Rights Movement
by Ebony Joy Wilkins
Illustrated by Mark Simmons
Resources
Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights
by Jim Haskins
Illustrated by Benny Andrews
Resources
Freedom on the Menu
by Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue
Resources
John Lewis In the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement
by Jim Haskins & Kathleen Benson
Illustrated by Benny Andrews
Resources
Let the Children March
by Monica Clark-Robinson
Illustrated by Frank Morrison
Resources
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968
by Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Resources
Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott
by Dee Romito
Illustrated by Laura Freeman
Resources
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition
by Brandy Colbert and Jeanne Theoharis
Resources
Ruby, Head High: Ruby Bridge's First Day of School
by Irene Cohen-Janca
Illustrated by Marc Daniau
Resources
She Stood for Freedom: The Untold Story of a Civil Rights Hero, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland
by Loki Mulholland and Angela Fairwell
Illustrated by Charlotta Janssen
Resources
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Resources
Someday is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins
by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Illustrated by Jade Johnson
Resources
Todos Iguales / All Equal: Un Corrido De Lemon Grove/A Ballad of Lemon Grove
by Christy Hale
Resources
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
by Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Resources
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices
by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson
Resources
What We Believe: A Black Lives Matter Principles Activity Book
by Laleña Garcia
Illustrated by Caryn Davidson
Resources
When They Call You A Terrorist: A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World
by Patrisse Cullors and asha bandele; adapted by Benee Knauer
Resources
When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders
by J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by Jim Burke, R. Gregory Christie, Tonya Engel, John Parra, and Meilo So
Resources
All the Way to the Top
by Annette Bay Pimental
Illustrated by Nabi H. Ali
Resources
Civil Rights Then and Now: A Timeline for the Fight for Equality In America
by Kristina Brooke Daniele
Illustrated by Lindsey Bailey
Resources
Gay & Lesbian History for Kids: The Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights, with 21 Activities
by Jerome Pohlen
Resources
Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution.
by Rob Sanders
Illustrated by Jamey Christoph
Resources
Vicki and A Summer of Change! ¡Vicki y un verano de cambio!
by Raquel M. Ortiz and Iris Morales
Illustrated by Sabrina Cintron, Eliana Falcón, and Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez
Resources
We Want to Go To School! The Fight for Disability Rights
by Maryann Cocca-Leffler and Janine Leffler
Illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Resources
When We Fight, We Win: Twenty-First-Century Social Movements and the Activists That Are Transforming Our World
by Greg Jobin-Leeds
Illustrated by AgitArte
Resources
Without Separation: Prejudice, Segregation, and the Case of Roberto Alvarez
by Larry Dane Brimner
Illustrated by Maya Gonzalez
Communities
Resources
Alejandria Fights Back! / ¡La Lucha de Alejandria!
by Leticia Hernández-Linares and The Rise-Home Stories Project with Carla España (Translator)
Illustrated by Robert Liu-Trujillo
Resources
Hey, Wall: A Story of Art and Community
by Susan Verde
Illustrated by John Parra
Resources
Jingle Dancer
by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu
Resources
Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel /Si Lakas at ang Makibaka Hotel
by Anthony D. Robles
Illustrated by Carl Angel
Resources
Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood
by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Resources
Milo Imagines the World
by Matt de la Peña
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Resources
The Spirit of Chicano Park / El espíritu del parque Chicano
by Beatrice Zamora
Illustrated by Maira Meza
Resources
When You Look Out the Window: How Phyllis Lyon and del Martin Built A Community
by Gayle E. Pitman
Illustrated by Christopher Lyles
Community Helpers
Resources
The Cot in the Living Room
by Hilda Eunice Burgos
Illustrated by Gaby D'Alessandro
Resources
Destiny's Gift
by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Illustrated by Adjoa J. Burrowes
Resources
How Mamas Love Their Babies
by Juniper Fitzgerald
Illustrated by Elise Peterson
Resources
I Am Alfonso Jones
by Tony Medina
Illustrated by Stacey Robinson & John Jennings
Resources
Last Stop on Market Street
by Matt de la Peña
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Resources
Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina & the Spirit of New Orleans
by Phil Bidner
Illustrated by John Parra
Resources
Quinito's Neighborhood / El Vecindario de Quinito
by Ina Cumpiano
Illustrated by José Ramírez
Resources
Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship
by Jessica Kensky & Patrick Downes
Illustrated by Scott Magoon
Resources
¡Si, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A.
by Diana Cohn
Illustrated by Francisco Delgado
Resources
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
by Andrea Beatty
Illustrated by David Roberts
Resources
We Are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrom
Illustrated by Michaela Goade
Resources
The Women Who Caught The Babies: A Story of African American Midwives
by Eloise Greenfield
Illustrated by Daniel Minter
Families
Resources
Alma and How She Got Her Name
by Juana Martinez-Neal
Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Resources
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
by Kevin Noble Maillard
Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Resources
Going Down Home With Daddy
by Kelly Starling Lyons
Illustrated by Daniel Minter
Resources
Good Night, Captain Mama/Buenas Noches, Capitán Mama
by Graciela Tiscareño-Sato
Illustrated by Linda Lens
Resources
Just Like a Mama
by Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
Resources
Last Stop on Market Street
by Matt de la Peña
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Resources
Mama's Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation
by Edwidge Danticat
Illustrated by Leslie Staub
Resources
Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match / Marisol McDonald no combina
by Monica Brown
Illustrated by Sara Palacios
Resources
The Remember Balloons
by Jessie Oliveros
Illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte
Resources
Stella Brings the Family
by Miriam B. Schiffer
Illustrated by Holly Clifton
Resources
Still A Family: A Story About Homelessness
by Brenda Reeves Sturgis
Illustrated by Jo-Shin Lee
Resources
We'll Paint the Octopus Red
by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
Illustrated by Pam DeVito
Resources
When Aidan Became a Brother
by Kyle Lukoff
Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
Resources
Where Three Oceans Meet
by Rajani LaRocca
Illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan
Resources
Your Name Is a Song
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Illustrated by Luisa Uribe
Founding Fathers
Resources
Anna Strong: A Spy During the American Revolution
by Sarah Glenn Marsh
Illustrated by Sarah Green
Resources
Anna Strong and the Revolutionary War Culper Spy Ring: A Spy on History Book
by Enigma Alberti
Illustrated by Laura Terry
Resources
Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution
by Gretchen Woelfle
Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Resources
Capital Days: Michael Shiner's Journal and the Growth of Our Nation's Capital
by Tonya Bolden
Resources
Dear Benjamin Banneker
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Resources
Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton: With an Afterword by Phillipa Soo, the Original Eliza from Hamilton: An American
by Margaret McNamara
Illustrated by Esmé Shapiro
Resources
Faking It: The Story of Deborah Sampson, Revolutionary War Soldier
by Joseph K. Smith
Illustrated by Sarah Winifred Searle
Resources
Hiawatha and the Peacemakers
by Robbie Robertson
Illustrated by David Shannon
Resources
History Smashers: The American Revolution
by Kate Messner
Illustrated by Justin Greenwood
Resources
Leave It To Abigail! The Revolutionary Life of Abigail Adams
by Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley
Resources
Mumbet's Declaration of Independence
by Gretchen Woelfle
Illustrated by Alix Delinois
Resources
My Name is Phillis Wheatley: A Story of Slavery and Freedom
by Afua Cooper
Resources
Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons: An Enslaved Woman Fights for Freedom
by Gwendolyn Hooks
Illustrated by Simone Agoussoye
Resources
Patience Wright: American Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy
by Pegi Deitz Shea
Illustrated by Bethanne Andersen
Resources
Redcoats and Petticoats
by Katherine Kirkpatrick
Illustrated by Ronald Himler
Resources
Revolutionary Prudence Wright: Leading the Minute Women in the Fight for Independence
by Beth Anderson
Illustrated by Susan Reagan
Resources
Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge
by Ray Anthony Shepard
Illustrated by Keith Mallett
Resources
A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent
by Anne Rockwell
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Resources
Toussaint L'Ouverture : The Fight for Haiti's Freedom
by Walter Dean Myers
Resources
Write On, Mercy!: The Secret Life of Mercy Otis Warren
by Gretchen Woelfle
Illustrated by Alexandra Wallner
Holidays
Resources
Bashirah and the Amazing Bean Pie: A Celebration of African American Muslim Culture
by Ameenah Muhammad-Diggins
Resources
The Best Sukkot Pumpkin Ever
by Laya Steinberg
Illustrated by Colleen Madden
Resources
Buen Shabat, Shabbat Shalom
by Sarah Aroeste
Illustrated by Ayesha L. Rubio
Resources
Christmas Around the World
by Mary Lankford
Illustrated by Karen Dugan & Irene Norman
Resources
The Gift of Ramadan
by Rabiah York Lumbard
Illustrated by Laura K. Horton
Resources
A Moon for Moe and Mo
by Jane Breskin Zalben
Illustrated by MEHRDOKHT AMINI
Resources
Once Upon An Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy
by Edited by S. K. Ali and Aisha Saeed
Illustrated by Sara Alfageeh
Resources
Our Favorite Day of the Year
by A. E. Ali
Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell
Resources
Papa's Free Day Party
by Marilyn Nelson
Illustrated by Wayne Anthony Still
Resources
Seven Special Somethings: A Norwuz Story
by Adib Khorram
Illustrated by Zainab Faidhi
Resources
The Story of Kwanzaa
by Donna L. Washington
Illustrated by Stephen Taylor
Immigration
Resources
Calling the Doves/El Canto de las Palomas
by Juan Felipe Herrera
Illustrated by Elly Simmons
Resources
For All/ Para Todos
by Alejandra Domenzain
Illustrated by Katherine Loh
Resources
Hear My Voice/Escucha Mi Voz: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States
by Compiled by William Binford for Project Amplify
Illustrated by Cecilia Ruiz, Yuyi Morales, Juan Palomino, Paco Santoya, Adriana Campos, Solomán Duarte Granados, Flavia Zorrillo Drago, Boyo Flores, Edith Valle, Gloria Félix, Mirelle Ortega, Maria Lumbreras, Addy Rivera Sonda, Beatríz Gutierrez Hernandez, Daniela Martín del Campo, Dominique Arco, & Raúl Gonzalez III
Resources
My Diary From Here to There/Mi Diario de Aquí Hasta Allá
by Amada Irma Perez
Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez
Resources
Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong
by Julie Leung
Illustrated by Chris Sasaki
Resources
Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Story
by Margriet Ruurs
Illustrated by Nizar Ali Badr
Rules
Resources
Fair Is Fair, Isn't It?
by Lindsey L. Wilson
Illustrated by Shiela Alejandro
Resources
The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade
by Justin Roberts
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Slavery
Resources
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water
by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson
Illustrated by Nikkolas Smith
Resources
Before She Was Harriet
by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrated by James E. Ransome
Resources
Biddy Mason Speaks Up
by Arisa White & Laura Atkins
Illustrated by Laura Freeman
Resources
Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom
by Tim Tingle
Illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridges
Resources
Forty Acres and Maybe A Mule
by Harriet Gillem Robinet
Illustrated by Wendall Minor
Resources
Freedom in Congo Square
by Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Resources
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life
by Ashley Bryan
Resources
From Slave Ship to Freedom Road
by Julius Lester
Illustrated by Rod Brown
Resources
Many Thousand Gone
by Virginia Hamilton
Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
Resources
Midnight Teacher: Lilly Ann Granderson and Her Secret School
by Janet Halfmann
Illustrated by London Ladd
Resources
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
by Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Resources
My Name Is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth
by Ann Turner
Illustrated by James E. Ransome
Resources
William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad
by Don Tate
Resources
Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass
by Lesa Cline-Ransom
Illustrated by James E. Ransome
Suffragists
Resources
Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote
by Kirsten Gillibrand
Illustrated by Maira Kalman
Resources
Evicted! The Struggle for the Right to Vote
by Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrated by Charly Palmer
Resources
Fight of the Century: Alice Paul Battles Woodrow Wilson for the Vote
by Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by Sarah Green
Resources
Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote
by Veronica Chambers & the Staff of the New York Times
Resources
History Smashers: Women’s Right to Vote
by Kate Messner
Illustrated by Dylan Meconis
Resources
How Women Won the Vote: Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and Their Big Idea
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Illustrated by Ziyue Chen
Resources
A Lady Has the Floor: Belva Lockwood Speaks Out for Women's Rights
by Kate Hannigan
Illustrated by Alison Jay
Resources
The Suffragist Playbook: Your Guide to Changing the World
by Lucinda Robb and Rebecca Boggs Roberts
Resources
We Want Equal Rights! The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Influence on the Women's Rights Movement
by Sally Roesch Wagner
Westward Expansion
Resources
Follow Me Down to Nicodemus Town
by A. LaFaye
Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell
Resources
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse
by Joseph Marshall, III
Illustrated by James Yellowhawk
Resources
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People
by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz, adapted by Jean Mendoza & Debbie Reese
Resources
Lewis & Clark Through Indian Eyes: Nine Indian Writers on the Legacy of the Expedition
by Edited by Alvin M. Josephy
Resources
A People’s History of American Empire: A Graphic Adaptation
by Howard Zinn & Paul Buhle
Illustrated by Mike Konopacki
Resources
Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock
by Aslan Tudor with Kelly Tudor