Books in this category address a wide range of historical and current forms of bigotry, prejudice that is both intentional and systemic and prejudice that is unintentional, but just as hurtful. In some books prejudice is the primary focus of the story; in others it is part of the fabric of the book but not its central theme.
This is whichCatvalue: 6
All Books in the Prejudice & Discrimination Category
Not-So-Weird Emma Sally Warner (Author), Jamie Harper (Illustrator) Emma started third grade at a new school and she’s still getting used to it. When one of her only new friends, Cynthia, calls Emma weird because she likes nature and “boy stuff,” she worries about her appearance and interests. In addition, she and retaliates by calling Cynthia names as well. Before long, the whole class is calling each other names and Emma realizes how much name-calling can hurt. With the help of their teacher, Ms. Sanchez, Emma and her classmates learn a better way to interact and get along. [Grade Level: 3 - 6]
Nothing Wrong with a Three-Legged Dog Written by Graham McNamee Keath and his best friend Lynda are in the fourth grade. Some kids call Lynda Zebra," because her mother's black and her father's white. And Keath is "Whitey." "He's vanilla in a chocolate school" where Toothpick, a bully, has it in for him. Lynda and Keath both love dogs. Dogs don't care about what color is the right one. Dogs don't hate anybody. Their favorite dog is Leftovers, Lynda's three-legged beagle. When he got hurt, his first owners gave up on him, but Lynda and Keath turn him into a winner, a pooch that shows Keath that sometimes it's good to stand out, to be special, and that even when you look different, there are ways to fit in. [Grade Level: 4 - 6]
Number the Stars Written by Lois Lowry Two young girls grow up in Copenhagen in 1943 with the constant presence of Nazi soldiers. [Grade Level: 3 - 6]
Ola Shakes It Up Joanne Hyppolite (Author), Warren Chang (Illustrator) Nine-year-old Ola and her family have moved to an all-white suburban neighborhood, and she and her brother and sister must adjust to being the only black students in their school. Though her old home was in a rough Boston neighborhood, it was familiar and Ola loved it. After several weeks in her new community, Ola accepts that her family is not going to move back to the city, so she devises a plan to transform her new neighborhood into a place she can call home. [Grade Level: 3 - 6]
The Old African Julius Lester (Author), Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator) Based on an Ybo slave legend and infused with magical realism, this is the story of an elderly slave, Jaja, who can draw the pain of others into his mind and hones this skill when captured in Africa, dragged into a slave ship, and carted to Georgia. Jaja uses the power of his mind to ease the suffering of his fellow slaves and eventually lead them back to Africa. The graphic text and illustrations depict the horror and brutality of slavery. [Grade Level: 4 - 8]
Oliver Button Is a Sissy Written and Illustrated by Tomie DePaola A little boy must come to terms with being teased and ostracized because he'd rather read books, paint pictures, and tap-dance than participate in sports. [Grade Level: K - 3]
The Paper Bag Princess Robert Munsch (Author), Michael Martchenko (Illustrator) A princess rescues the prince she is supposed to marry by outsmarting a dragon, but when the prince is not at all grateful and is more concerned with her appearance, she decides not to marry him. [Grade Level: Pre-K - 3]
Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story Dom Lee (Illustrator), Ken Mochizuki (Author) The story of a Japanese diplomat living in Lithuania who issued thousands of visas to Jewish refugees - against the orders of his government. [Grade Level: 2 - 4]
