We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices: Words and Images of Hope

Wade and Cheryl Willis Hudson, founders of Just Us Books, offer this empowering anthology to counter today’s often-unsettling political climate for children of varying ethnicities, faiths, identities, and abilities. The husband-and-wife team present 30 illustrated essays, poems, stories, and letters from more than 50 diverse children’s book creators. Contributions aim to calm, sustain, and inspire children. In “A Talkin’-To,” Jason Reynolds reassures readers that “everything bad and frightening and loud/ will always hide when you hold your head up,/ will always hide when you hold your heart out.” Hena Khan’s essay urges Muslim children to educate others about their heritage, and several authors draw on personal lessons from the civil rights movement. Photographs of children and illustrations in a variety of styles, from collage to realistic pastels, warm the pages with colorful imagery. A lengthy end section about the contributors concludes this hope-engendering treasury that truly is, as its foreword states, “a resource for rescue from any pitfalls of the day.” Ages 8–12. [em](Sept.) [/em]