Young Readers

Picture Books

The Bus Ride, by William Miller. (New York: Lee and Low books, 1988)
A black child protests an unjust law in this story loosely based on Rosa Parks' historic decision not to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. Kindergarten and up.

Candy Shop, by Jan Wahl , illustrated by Nicole Wong. (Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, c2004)
Daniel, a young African American boy, loves being a cowboy and wears his cowboy outfit even when he goes shopping with Aunt Thelma in their diverse urban neighborhood. When they get to Daniel's destination of choice, the Candy Shop, a big crowd has gathered to read the ugly words written on the sidewalk (not shown) in front of Miz Chu's store. Daniel feels that he should do something, so he gets a bucket and a brush and washes the words away. Kindergarten and up.

The Christmas Menorahs : How A Town Fought Hate, by Janice Cohn.( Morton Grove, Ill.: A. Whitman, 1995)
This beautifully illustrated book describes how people in Billings, Montana joined together to fight a series of hate crimes. 1st grade and up.

The Day Gogo Went To Vote: South Africa, April 1994 by Elinor Batezat Sisulu ; illustrated by Sharon Wilson. (Boston: Little, Brown, 1996)
Set in South Africa in April, 1994, this poignant story introduces readers to six-year-old Thembi and her gogo (great-grandmother). Although Thembi’s grandmother is old and frail, she is determined to take part in this historic vote, with Thembi’s company on the long journey. Kindergarten and up.

Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles; illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. (New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001)
In 1964, Joe is pleased that a new law will allow his best friend John Henry, who is colored, to share the town pool and other public places with him, but he is dismayed to find that prejudice still exists. 2nd grade and up.

Paths to Peace: People Who Changed The World by Jane Breskin Zalben. (New York : Dutton Children's Books, c2006)
This handsome volume highlights 16 individuals who have worked to improve conditions for others through their words and actions. Included are writers, philosophers, Civil Rights advocates, and politicians, many of whom are Nobel Peace Prize recipients. 4th grade and up.

Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story, by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee. (New York: Lee & Low Books; May 1997)
Five years old at the time, Hiroki Sugihara tells the poignant story of how his father saved the lives of 10,000 Jews while he was serving as a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania in 1940. Going against the explicit orders of his government, he sat night after night hand writing exit visas for people trying to escape from the Nazis. 2nd grade and up.

Remember: The Journey To School Integration, by Toni Morrison. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004). This powerful book tells the story of the struggle for school desegregation through photographs, with text by Toni Morrison. 1st grade and up.

Sofie and the City, by Karima Grant. Illustrated by Janet Montecalvo. (Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2006)
When Sofie calls her grandmother in Senegal on Sundays, she complains about the ugliness and strangeness of the city she now lives in, but her life changes when she makes a new friend. Kindergarten and up.

Through My Eyes, by Ruby Bridges (New York: Scholastic, 1999)
Ruby Bridges recounts her brave actions to integrate her elementary school. Photos, quotations, and Bridges' own words make this a moving and engaging book. Kindergarten and up.

Books for Beginning Readers

Cracking the Wall: The Struggles of the Little Rock Nine, by Eileen Lucas (Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 1997)
An easy-to-read book that describes the struggles of the Little Rock Nine to integrate Central High School. 1st–3rd grades.

I Am Rosa Parks, by Rosa Parks (Puffin Books, 1999)
A lively autobiography that describes segregation and the bus boycott. 1st–3rd grades.