Reviewed by Cristina Silvia Gleason Years before Brown vs. Board of Education’s monumental ruling ended segregation in American schools, a similar, but lesser known fight for educational equality was brewing in Westminster, California. Sylvia Mendez had been born in the United States to Mexican and Puerto Rican parents and spoke perfect English. She was new…
Reviewed by Daniel Grussing What can a small, proud culture offer the world’s largest cultural power in its time of unprecedented national trauma? Naiyomah’s tale is a poignant illustration of the universal human connection that can arise when a powerful story is shared. Recorded in an interview by Carmen Agra Deedy, Wilson Naiyomah’s true story…
Review by Katelyn Wright What does it mean that girls are beautiful, graceful, and stylish? In this picture-book, you’ll find a completely new and empowering use of these terms. The graceful girls play soccer, slide through the dirt in softball, and fight for jump balls in wheelchair basketball. And the girls with smart style dig…
Review by Anne Floyd Can a picturebook explore difficult topics and still be appropriate for its young readers? For the Right to Learn shows that it can be done. The book’s inviting color scheme and youthful illustrations draw the reader into Malala’s story, as when a smiling Malala accepts her Nobel Peace Prize surrounded by…
Review by Racha Kassir In 1944, a Mexican girl Sylvia Mendez, and her family moved to Westminster, California as her dad had leased a farm after years of fieldwork. Although they were U.S. citizens, the Mendez children weren’t allowed to register in a public school. Mr. Gonzalo Mendez challenged Orange County’s public-school segregation and with…
Children's Literature at UMN 