Kid Activists

August 15, 2019
Introductions to iconic world changers of the present and recent past who stood up for racial justice and human rights. Most of the 16 main figures are or should be familiar to young readers, but along with the likes of Frederick Douglass, Dolores Huerta, and Rosa Parks, Stevenson lays out early experiences and influences for some less-high-profile names: There's gay politician Harvey Milk, for instance, transgender activist Janet Mock, and formerly enslaved child advocate Iqbal Masih, assassinated at the age of 12. In between the main profiles, the author slips briefer ones of associates, such as Mama Sisulu for Nelson Mandela and, for Milk, nods to the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis, both early gay and lesbian organizations. Only a few are or were true "kid activists," but the reminder that they all started out as children may make them and their causes seem accessible, and the preponderance of smiling faces in Steinfeld's frequent, neatly drawn cartoon vignettes keeps the hardships and violence that many of them experienced safely distant. From Martin Luther "Little Mike" King's "When I grow up I'm going to get me some big words" to 10-year-old Anishinaabe activist Autumn Peltier's standing before the United Nations with the demand to "warrior up" in defense of clean water for all, their stories offer inspiration as well as memorable moments. A broadly diverse roster of role models. (bibliography, index) (Collective biography. 10-12)

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September 1, 2019
Grades 3-6 Following other successful titles in the Kid Legends series (Kid Athletes, 2015; Kid Artists, 2016), this equally charming and informative volume looks at 16 activists, focusing on their childhoods and early influences. Divided into four areas, the collective biography identifies individuals who paved the way for equality, who took a stand against racial injustice, whose unusual childhoods shaped their powerful voices, and who made their mark while still children. With entries on civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.; suffragist Susan B. Anthony; Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician to be elected in the U.S.; Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani boy who fought to end bonded child labor; biracial and transgender author Janet Mock; Autumn Peltier, a First Nations teen in Canada advocating for clean water rights; and more, the range of diversity and scope of activism is impressive. Because the emphasis is on the subjects' formative years, many entries reveal lively facts overlooked in more formal biographies. Once again, caricatures help keep the tone light but respectful. A delightful introduction to social justice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)