I rely on Social Justice Books to make sure that I am utilizing texts in my classroom that broaden the minds and hearts of my students. — Samantha Gutierrez-Rice, pre-service elementary teacher
Teaching for Change’s Social Justice Books has moved to a new, user-friendly platform, with new features for the thousands of teachers, librarians, and family members — like Samantha Gutierrez-Rice — who rely on Social Justice Books to find titles for pre-K to 12. While books continue to be banned and challenged at record rates, most people in the United States oppose censorship and instead seek quality literature for their children and students.
The new site’s improved features include:
Browse books more easily.
Explore 100+ curated booklists.
Discover staff picks and not recommended categories.
Visit dedicated pages for each of our 4,000+ books, with publisher descriptions and book reviews.
Filter booklists by topics and switch between grid and list views.
Narrow booklists by reading level, format, and review status.
Search book reviews by rating, review source, booklist, reading level, and format.
The critical reviews address common stereotypes such as placing Native Americans only in the past tense; an emphasis on individual heroes over collective action; and a predominance of wild animals rather than people in picture books about African countries.
Our reviews are a trusted source for teachers, parents, and partner organizations. Lexie Neeley of Little Free Library’s Read in Color Program shared:
In addition to educators and parents, representatives of national organizations regularly use Social Justice Books. William H. Rodick, P‑12 Practice Lead at EdTrust wrote:
One of the goals of Social Justice Books is to hold the publishing industry accountable. In this era of book bans, many children’s book publishers quietly edit out references to racism, LGBTQ identity, sexism, housing discrimination, etc. They hope the omissions go unnoticed — marketing titles as “multicultural” with diverse characters — while omitting issues of power and equity. That self-censorship by publishers is exposed (and hopefully held in check) by the critical reviews at Social Justice Books.
The new platform for Social Justice Books allows for greater filtering by reading level, format, and subject level for thousands of titles. More than 100 booklists address themes connected to the classroom curriculum and the interests of young people — everything from the Constitution and housing to dance, bicycles, and nature.
Teaching for Change’s deputy director Keesha Ceran noted:
Our contribution to the national campaign to defend the freedom to read is making sure that it is easy for educators and families to find high quality literature. We shine a light on titles that creatively introduce young children to power, equity, and the full range of diversity.
In an Age of Censorship: Social Justice Books Site Expands
An article from Social Justice Books, a Teaching for Change project.
Teaching for Change’s Social Justice Books has moved to a new, user-friendly platform, with new features for the thousands of teachers, librarians, and family members — like Samantha Gutierrez-Rice — who rely on Social Justice Books to find titles for pre-K to 12. While books continue to be banned and challenged at record rates, most people in the United States oppose censorship and instead seek quality literature for their children and students.
The new site’s improved features include:
Browse books more easily.
Explore 100+ curated booklists.
Discover staff picks and not recommended categories.
Visit dedicated pages for each of our 4,000+ books, with publisher descriptions and book reviews.
Filter booklists by topics and switch between grid and list views.
Narrow booklists by reading level, format, and review status.
Search book reviews by rating, review source, booklist, reading level, and format.
Teaching for Change has consolidated hundreds of critical reviews of children’s and young adult books on the Social Justice Books site, from dozens of trusted organizations. This saves people time searching multiple sites for reviews and ensures that the reviews have been vetted for reliability. Those trusted sites include: Africa Access, American Indians in Children’s Literature, Brown Girl Bookshelf, Colorín Colorado, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, Cotton Quilts, Densho, Disability in KidLit, DeColores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children, Hijabi Librarians, Islamic School Librarian, Latinxs in KidLit, Reading Is Resistance, The Kidlit Hoarder, and many more.
The critical reviews address common stereotypes such as placing Native Americans only in the past tense; an emphasis on individual heroes over collective action; and a predominance of wild animals rather than people in picture books about African countries.
Our reviews are a trusted source for teachers, parents, and partner organizations. Lexie Neeley of Little Free Library’s Read in Color Program shared:
In addition to educators and parents, representatives of national organizations regularly use Social Justice Books. William H. Rodick, P‑12 Practice Lead at EdTrust wrote:
One of the goals of Social Justice Books is to hold the publishing industry accountable. In this era of book bans, many children’s book publishers quietly edit out references to racism, LGBTQ identity, sexism, housing discrimination, etc. They hope the omissions go unnoticed — marketing titles as “multicultural” with diverse characters — while omitting issues of power and equity. That self-censorship by publishers is exposed (and hopefully held in check) by the critical reviews at Social Justice Books.
The new platform for Social Justice Books allows for greater filtering by reading level, format, and subject level for thousands of titles. More than 100 booklists address themes connected to the classroom curriculum and the interests of young people — everything from the Constitution and housing to dance, bicycles, and nature.
Teaching for Change’s deputy director Keesha Ceran noted:
Our contribution to the national campaign to defend the freedom to read is making sure that it is easy for educators and families to find high quality literature. We shine a light on titles that creatively introduce young children to power, equity, and the full range of diversity.
This article is part of Social Justice Books, a Teaching for Change project dedicated to curating and reviewing multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators. Browse the full collection at Social Justice Books.
Posted: August 8, 2026