We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices

July 1, 2018

Gr 3-7-Within these pages is the collected wisdom from dozens of writers and artists who share poems, advice, artwork, passion, concern, love, and experience with the next generation. In the introduction, the editors describe this book as a treasury for children to read, and reread, when they need a boost, or comfort, or love. Every turn of the page is a new and different experience; the tone of the book moves seamlessly from joyful to somber to curious, and inspired, offering children of many different ages a place to land and learn, and find their own lives reflected back at them. Jacqueline Woodson writes a letter to her children about the importance of being kind; Carole Boston Weatherford explores the universality of the golden rule; Tony Medina describes a young girl's despair as her father is taken by immigration officials. The entries are as varied as they are important, working as independent way stations on a map to broader understanding. Beautiful, haunting, and electrifying artwork from familiar names and relative newcomers in children's literature fill the pages, including illustrations from artists such as Innosanto Nagara, Ekua Holmes, and Eric Velasquez that dance among the essays, poems, and letters. VERDICT This is a book to be quietly contemplated, and shared with an adult, as there is much to be discovered from multiple readings. Addressing complex topics with sensitivity and candor, this a necessary purchase for all libraries serving children.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
An anthology of poetry, essays, short stories and art designed to lift children up, especially children from traditionally marginalized communities, during difficult times.This collection encourages America's children to remember their history, learn from it, and choose to be kind in the face of hatred, racism, and oppression. "Throughout history, kids like you / were right there. / With picket signs and petitions....They changed this world for the better. / And you will too," Kelly Starling Lyons tells readers in her poem "Drumbeat for Change." Featuring contributions from such writers as Jacqueline Woodson, Ellen Oh, and Hena Khan, and an equally august lineup of illustrators, including Rafael López, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, and Javaka Steptoe, every work packs an emotional punch. In his poem "A Thousand Winters," Kwame Alexander wonders "if words, sentences, and books aren't enough, anymore" as he reflects on the state of the world and hard conversations with his daughter. A stunning collage by Ekua Holmes accompanies Alexander's poem; in it, a vivid, violet sky surrounds a sleepy black girl sitting atop her father's shoulders. Every work in this beautiful collection feels personal and is meant to inspire and comfort.A love song from children's literature's brightest stars to America's Indigenous children and children of color, encouraging them to be brave and kind. (contributor biographies, index) (Anthology. 8-18)

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Starred review from August 6, 2018
Wade and Cheryl Willis Hudson, founders of Just Us Books, offer this empowering anthology to counter today’s often-unsettling political climate for children of varying ethnicities, faiths, identities, and abilities. The husband-and-wife team present 30 illustrated essays, poems, stories, and letters from more than 50 diverse children’s book creators. Contributions aim to calm, sustain, and inspire children. In “A Talkin’-To,” Jason Reynolds reassures readers that “everything bad and frightening and loud/ will always hide when you hold your head up,/ will always hide when you hold your heart out.” Hena Khan’s essay urges Muslim children
to educate others about their heritage, and several authors draw on personal lessons from the civil rights movement. Photographs of children and illustrations in a variety of styles, from collage to realistic pastels, warm the pages with colorful imagery. A lengthy end section about the contributors concludes this hope-engendering treasury that truly is, as its foreword states, “a resource for rescue from any pitfalls of the day.” Ages 8–12.

July 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 When it seems like all around us there is bad news, tension, injustice, and racism, children now have an additional source of inspiration in their search for peace, strength, equality, and hope in this vibrant and heartfelt anthology. More than 50 authors and illustrators, including such acclaimed luminaries as Jacqueline Woodson, Margarita Engle, Jason Reynolds, Ekua Holmes, and Javaka Steptoe, share their experiences of injustice and their words of advice and encouragement in the forms of poetry, songs, and stories. Some are written in the form of letters to their own children and loved ones; others as heartbreaking stories of their own personal experiences; still others are reminders and advice that should not be forgotten, or powerful poetic words. What they all have in common is a stirring message to readers that they are not alone. The beautiful, poetic text of each story is paired perfectly with the unique, beautifully varied illustrations accompanying them, and together they serve to remind children to never give up, hold their heads up high, and always hold onto hope.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)