An ABC of Equality

September 16, 2019
This visually appealing introduction to social justice and equality defines basic terms such as difference and kindness along with abstract concepts such as class and privilege. All are arranged in spreads that include a longer description of the word on the verso alongside a decorated letter and the word on the recto followed by a catchy, sometimes cliché, phrase (“Girl power!” for feminism; “We are a world of many” for multicultural). An inclusive group of round-faced, jolly children further demonstrate the ideas throughout—those on the LGBTQIA spread wave rainbow flags, and those gracing the belief spread appear to be praying in a variety of ways. Some oversimplifications—such as, on the question page, “a question is the opposite of a belief”—are confusing, as is the illustration of children cheerfully smiling around the definition of xenophobia. Nevertheless, this small-size board book is sure to start big conversations, particularly among readers at the upper end of the age range. Ages up to 5.