(2) K-3 Photographs by Shelley Rotner. There are many reasons why people seek sanctuary. Some families are uprooted because of war or economic hardship. This book addresses these situations and also alerts readers to the growing number of families who need sanctuary because of environmental or climate changes. The text sets up the premise that many people have "to escape -- fleeing fires, floods, drought, or war -- because it's not safe for them to stay anymore." Stunning photographs of individual children, intergenerational relatives, and friends immediately catch the eye with bright colors, varied moods, and engaged expressions, presenting a truly global and inclusive representation of childhood and family. The photos are punctuated by quotes from the children (set in speech bubbles) about why they left their homes and about their experiences acclimating to their new lives. The book touches on the experience of leaving home amidst an emergency, arduous travel with many temporary stops before finding a safer home, and cultural and language barriers, as well as new friendships, an appreciation for the traditions of home, and the discovery of new interests such as art, athletics, or music. Appended with resources for parents, caregivers, educators, and children, this accessible volume is an affirmation of survival and a resource for helping others

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 In this story set in an (unspecified) African village, a brother and sister find a creative solution to circumstances preventing them from attending school. Baba has to leave home to work in the mines, so he cannot accompany Shaka and his younger sister, Nandi, on the long, hot walk to school. It is too dangerous for the kids to walk alone, so they have no choice but to stay home and miss school. One afternoon, while playing outside, they discover a toy school bus. Their mother's explanation of the vehicle's purpose stimulates Shaka's imagination. His first two ideas (buying a bus or building one) are (unsurprisingly) unsuccessful; he is close to giving up when it occurs to both kids: "We'll walk together like a moving bus--except there is no bus! It's just us." A week later, the plan having spread to neighboring villages, Shaka and Nandi lead fifteen children to school, excitedly walking and singing. Inspired by true stories, Friedland and Mandela (granddaughter of Nelson) have written an uplifting tale about the determination of global children to get an education. Obol deftly brings this story to life through colorful and expressive cartoonish illustrations that speak to themes of perseverance and pride.

Reviewer: Pauletta Brown Bracy | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Kate Gardiner. Taking its title from Eleanor Roosevelt's 1958 remarks delivered at the United Nations about the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights she had helped champion ("Where, after all, do universal rights begin? In small places, close to home"), this book informs young children of their own rights and responsibilities as humans. Hopkinson's text (also inspired by that Declaration) uses active first-person language: "I am free to choose what I think and believe. And it's up to me to listen and respect how others think and believe too." Each assertion is direct and powerful, with sections starting with "Me" and then expanding to "My School and Community" and on to "My Country and World." Gardiner's gouache and pencil illustrations, assembled digitally, have a soft color palette with pops of yellow and tomato red and demonstrate human rights playing out across a variety of communities. Front and back matter pay tribute to Roosevelt's work, including resources for learning more about her and the United Nations. This elegantly and accessibly presented book empowers the youngest humans and their accompanying grownups to recognize their rights and safeguard them by extending them equally to others.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Alex Bostic. This highly readable and engaging book tells the story of three six-year-old girls who were the first Black children to integrate a public school in New Orleans following the mandate of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. Nelson (Bad News for Outlaws, rev. 11/09; No Crystal Stair, rev. 3/12, and many others) builds an informative and affecting narrative from extensive interviews with the McDonogh Three: Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost (Williams), and Gail Etienne. The text clearly details their experiences as young girls and, importantly, displays their innocence with details about giggling, hair ribbons, and playing hopscotch despite the violent racism targeted at them. Similarly, Bostic's evocative illustrations add tenderness to a narrative of real terror. The soft-edged, at times sepia-toned images have the feel of a family photo album. One of the more touching illustrations depicts the girls' shoes with those of their teacher, Miss Meyers, representing the warmth between this educator and the young students she helped protect. An important addition to civil rights movement literature with which readers can connect on a human level. Back matter (more information about school desegregation and the McDonogh Three, a glossary, a selected bibliography, and photos) provides a wealth of historical context.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) YA In 2015, lawyer Julia Olson filed Juliana v. United States on behalf of twenty-one young plaintiffs from across the country, all of whom were affected in some way by climate change (e.g., health effects, threats to their homes). The suit alleged that the government was violating their constitutional rights by promoting the fossil fuel system that was wreaking havoc on their lives, and that the government had known about these dangers for decades. The still-pending case wound its way through the legal system with dramatic twists and turns; most recently (as of this writing), a judge ruled that the plaintiffs could amend their complaint and go to trial. Rusch does a marvelous job of weaving together multiple strands into a compelling and timely narrative: an inspiring and empowering story of youth activism, a primer on the role of the judicial branch in our democracy, and a cautionary tale about the mounting dangers of climate change. It's no small task to distinguish the twenty-one young people, but Rusch liberally quotes them throughout the book, and an annotated list of characters at the beginning is paired with an update at the end (there are also sixteen pages of black-and-white photographs gathered in the middle). Additional scientific information, websites, a timeline, source notes, a glossary, and an index are also appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. Creating a first-person narration (partly adapted from the labor activist's letters and speeches, as explained in an introductory note on the copyright page), Winter introduces readers to Mother Jones: "My name is Mother Jones, and I'm MAD. And you'd be MAD, too, if you'd seen what I've seen." Winter focuses mainly on the activist's work against child labor at the turn of the twentieth century, outlining the long hours, physical dangers, and low pay the children endured (while outside "the birds sang and the blue sky shone"). After visiting factories, notifying newspapers, and leading protests, Mother Jones decides to lead the child workers on a march from Philadelphia to Oyster Bay, New York (President Theodore Roosevelt's "fancy-schmancy Long Island summer home"). Throughout the text, frequent capital letters and bold fonts emphasize Mother Jones's strong message. Carpenter's watercolor and digital illustrations, created from a palette of blacks, grays, and tans, emphasize the dismal conditions and only begin to lighten as workers unite into unions. As the march progresses, she begins to include more color, culminating in a bright tableau when the children reach Coney Island and experience the pleasures there. That only three children make it all the way to Oyster Bay does not signal failure; the Children's Crusade paved the way for reforming child labor laws. The theme--that progress is worth fighting for and may not show immediate success--is there for the taking. Front and back endpapers showcase some of Mother Jones's precepts, such as "No matter what your fight, don't be ladylike"; the book concludes with an author's note providing more information on Jones, and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ale + Ale. In the first surreal photo-collage spread, a white girl playing with stilettoes says, "I like shoes"; opposite, a girl with brown skin shines an unseen adult's shoe: "I don't like shoes." This pattern continues with soccer balls, rugs, and more. No countries are identified, but this Italian import is a powerful discussion-starter on international economic inequality and child labor. Contextual notes are appended.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. In this poem first published in 1983, Brooks addresses "children in the world all around me and beyond me," all of whom "have a right to sing" and enjoy life. Both the words by the Pulitzer Prize–winning poet and Gilchrist's vibrant watercolors provide visions of the world's diverse array of children and families. An excellent read-aloud, useful for many programs on peace and multiculturalism.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA A harrowing novel about the Ugandan Civil War based on interviews with Ricky Richard Anywar, who, at fourteen, was forced to fight by the Lord's Resistance Army and now assists former child soldiers. Chapters alternate between Anywar's life from 1987–92 and a fictional wounded boy soldier, Samuel, in 2006, who finally learns to accept help in rebuilding his life. Includes an afterword by Anywar.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 CitizenKid series. Illustrated by Felicita Sala. This historical picture book introduces activist "Mother" Jones, who in 1903 led an over-one-hundred-mile march to President Theodore Roosevelt's summer home to protest child labor. Focusing on fictional eight-year-old Aidan, a cotton mill worker, the long days of walking, camping out, and rallying are portrayed as an adventurous undertaking that shed light on children's rights. Old-timey paintings capture grandmotherly Jones's feistiness. Author's note appended. Websites.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 This small book about big ideas features excellent photos of boys and girls from many countries with just a line of text on each page. Adult interpretation could help children think intelligently about the ways in which boys can grow up to create a world in which all will have equality. Created by Plan International, a charity that seeks "to improve the lives of children."

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) 4-6 True Stories, Real People series. Each short, inspiring biography is divided into four or five chapters written in an objective, unpretentious manner. Quotation sources are fastidiously footnoted and listed in the back matter. Navigation is easy thanks to clean layouts and a simple color scheme (orange photo captions, navy call-out boxes). Great for school assignments and engaging enough for pleasure reading. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following True Stories, Real People titles: Alia Muhammad Baker, Aron Ralston, Malala Yousafzai, Abby Sunderland, and Bethany Hamilton.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) YA Out in Front series. This book starts with the story of Nujood, a Yemeni girl forced to marry at nine, then surveys the broader issue of child marriage and its ramifications, including abuse, health issues, lack of education, and the loss of freedom and civil rights. Despite some misinformation (e.g., "availability of birth control pills beginning in the 1920s"), the detailed narrative and strong accompanying images are powerful. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Encounter series. Illustrated by Janna Bock. Although there are several biographies of the young Pakistani girls'-rights activist for third and fourth graders, this volume's large-picture-book format works well for such primary-grade readers. Sticking to the facts and with direct quotes noted in the back matter, the narrative is accompanied by digital illustrations that vary in quality, from moving images to cartoony pictures of doe-eyed girls. "More About Malala's Story" appended. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA Out in Front series. At fifteen, Grace Akallo was abducted from her Catholic girls' school and spent seven months as a child soldier in a Ugandan militia. Sawyer tells her story of capture, survival, and healing, while a historical overview of child soldiers being used in conflicts helps frame Grace's tale. The clear, structured narrative and moving photographs impel readers' empathy. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(2) K-3 This picture book introduces two Pakistani children who fought for peace and justice and suffered violence: one side is Malala Yousafzai's story; flip it for Iqbal Masih's. Iqbal was killed in 1995; Malala was shot by the Taliban (but survived) in 2012 "for speaking out for the right of girls to attend school." A great place to begin a young activist's education.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(4) K-3 Translated by Helen Mixter. Illustrated by Aurélia Fronty. Each spread in this picture book begins with the line "I have the right . . ." Serres emphasizes that all children have the same freedoms, including the right to food, clean water, shelter, and a peaceful existence. Vivid colors in Fronty's naïve-style paintings enliven the sometimes ponderous text. A helpful author's note discusses the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) YA Working for Our Future series. With quotes from real young people, each of these books takes a personal look at the efforts being made to fix major world problems: access to education, poverty, disease, environmental threats, and equality and health for mothers and girls. Busy page layouts muddle the information, but first-person accounts and vivid photos will engage reluctant readers. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Working for Our Future titles: Education for All, Ending Poverty and Hunger, An Equal Chance for Girls and Women, Fighting Disease, Healthy Mothers, and Sustaining the Environment.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(4) YA Essential Issues series. These books examine societal issues, reviewing their histories and relating steps taken to combat problems, including laws enacted to protect citizens. Warfare involves issues of national security and chronicles the use of deadly poisonous agents employed against countries and individuals, whether in war or peacetime. The readable texts are enhanced with numerous photographs and sidebars that, while informative, crowd the pages. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Issues titles: Children's Rights, Biological & Chemical Warfare, Gangs, and Drug Trafficking.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 This admirable book, published to coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, features children's responses, many poetic, to the declaration's thirty principles. The accompanying color and black-and-white photos of people from many lands could stand alone, but between their small captions and some font and graphics acrobatics, the layouts are off-putting. Websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram