Fans of We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices will love meeting fourteen young activists who have stepped up to make change in their community and the United States.
.Lindsay H. Metcalf grew up on a Kansas farm and is the author of
Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices. An experienced
journalist, Lindsay has covered a variety of change-makers as a
reporter, editor, and columnist for the Kansas City Star and other
news outlets. www.lindsayhmetcalf.com
.Keila V. Dawson was born and raised in New Orleans. She has been a
community organizer and an early childhood special education
teacher. She has lived in the Phillipines, Japan, and Egypt. She is
the author of The King Cake Baby. www.keiladawson.com
.Jeanette Bradley has been an urban planner, an apprentice pastry
chef, and the artist-in-residence for a traveling art museum on a
train. She is the author and illustrator of Love, Mama. Jeanette
lives in Rhode Island with her wife and kids.
www.jeanettebradley.com
♦ Tributes in prose and poetry to children and teens of today who
have spoken out to support a cause or protest injustice.
Budding activists in search of child role models beyond the
high-profile likes of Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg may well
draw inspiration from this less-intimidating—but no less brave and
worthy—lineup. For each, a poem by one of 14 poets and a laudatory
paragraph flank an engaging, soft-focus portrait by Bradley that
digitally emulates chalk and pastels on a textured brown
background. “Each activist,” write the editors, “inspired a poet
who relates to an aspect of the activist’s identity.” New Yorker
Charles Waters, for instance, gives a shoutout to 6-year-old
Samirah “DJ Annie Red” Horton, “proudly / representing the People’s
Republic of Brooklyn” with her anti-bullying rap; Zach Wahls,
founder of Scouts for Equality, poses with his two moms next to a
triolet from Lesléa Newman. Other contributors, including Carole
Boston Weatherford, Janet Wong, and Joseph Bruchac, honor young
people making good trouble in areas of contention as varied as
climate change, gender identity, immigration law, safe drinking
water, and gun violence. The contributors are as diverse of
identity as their young subjects, and as a sidelight the poems are
cast in a variety of identified forms from free verse to reverso,
cinquain, and tanka.
Never too soon to start stirring things up: “We may be small / but
/ we / can / ROAR!”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
This inspiring title profiles 14 young people who are a positive
force for change. The young activists vary in age and actions, but
they all took remarkable steps to improve their communities and
country. Levi Draheim joined forces with other young people to sue
the United States over climate change. Mari Copeny, known as
“Little Miss Flint,” raised money and awareness to combat the
Flint, MI, water crisis. Zach Wahls campaigned for LGBTQ equality
within the Boy Scouts of America. A brief biography detailing the
spotlighted individual is paired with a poem, each written by a
different poet. Back matter includes brief explanations of the
poetry forms used throughout the book, such as free verse and
spoken word. The back matter also features brief biographies of the
poets (including Nikki Grimes, Hena Khan, and Charles Waters),
whose commitment to diverse and inclusive children’s literature is
evident from their remarkable body of work. The illustrations are
lovely. Portraits of the children on brown paper wonderfully
enhance the text. All readers will be empowered. VERDICT An
excellent selection for poetry and social justice collections; a
helpful resource to teach students about poetry and its many
forms.
—School Library Journal
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