Shirley Chisholm Dared, written by Alicia D. Williams and illustrated by April Harrison, tells the story of the first Black woman elected to Congress. Throughout her life she dared to ask questions and challenge the status quo. This picture book biography portrays Shirley as an outspoken individual who was curious, stood her ground, pushed the boundaries of what was considered “proper” and blazed trails of her own as a teacher, a school director, a New York State Assemblywoman, and a Congresswoman, an inspiration for future generations to follow in her footsteps and dare to follow their own dreams. Harrison’s colorful illustrations, created with acrylics and mixed media collage, depict Shirley as an exuberant, life-loving child, adolescent, and adult with her own sense of fashion style and for whom rules were often meant to be broken. The dignified portrait of Shirley on the cover beckons readers to live as she lived – “unbought and unbossed.”

How to Find What You’re Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani is a historical novel set in the years after the Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court ruling and references important historical events of the time, including the Vietnam War, Walter Cronkite’s nightly news broadcasts, the Summer of Love, and music by Elvis Presley and the Beatles. At school, Ariel struggles with dysgraphia and is bullied because she is Jewish. Her sister, Leah, runs away with Raj, a recently immigrated Indian man, but her family rejects the marriage because Raj is not Jewish. Ariel questions behaviors she deems contradictory and expresses her thoughts through poetry. Throughout the novel, Ariel bravely asks the adults in her world difficult questions that compel them to interrogate their actions and beliefs, demonstrating that activism is not just publicly marching in the streets, but also confronting the everyday acts of racism and antisemitism that we often witness within our own families and communities.

Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge by Ray Anthony Shepard, illustrated by Keith Mallett, is the unique, poetic biography of Ona Judge, a biracial slave separated from her mother as a child to toil in the Philadelphia household of George and Martha Washington. Its visual and textual narratives open and close the book with Ona’s daring self-emancipation. A third-person narrator describes her work in small vignettes that each end with the rhetorical question, “Why you run Ona Judge?” This repeated inquiry presumes she had no reason to run away given her “privileged” life and work. Yet the accompanying fabric collage paintings debunk any such notion with the reality of her world over the years. These rich, poignant images enable readers to identify with Ona, lending clarity to the reality of slavery–even in the home of the powerful, white first president of the United States. This is particularly evident in the final, double-page spread (and cover) illustration that powerfully portrays Ona in a posture of inner strength, determination, and hope as she travels by boat toward freedom.

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, brings to life tragic events that transpired over a century ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The prosperous Black community in the Greenwood district thrived in what has often been referred to as the “Black Wall Street.” When a 17-year-old white woman accused a Black man of “assaulting” her, the consequential confrontations resulted in innumerable deaths and the utter destruction of this amazing community. Weatherford and Cooper chronicle this critically important historic event in a sensitive, caring manner for young children. Powerful endpapers, created in Cooper’s muted palette and oil-erasure technique, depict the smoking ruins of the destruction. This historic nonfiction text documents an often untold significant historic event and reminds us all of the importance of shedding light on our past.

Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame by Supriya Kelkar is a compelling historical fiction novel sharing 13-year-old Meera’s journey in 1857 India. Meera’s parents married her to a neighbor boy in alignment with their religious beliefs. As Meera prepares to live with her new husband and family, Indian rebels burn the British ammunition depot in Delhi, and Meera’s husband is killed in the riots. Meera is asked to perform Sati, a religious practice in which she follows her deceased husband in death by throwing herself into her husband’s funeral pyre. But Meera runs away to save her life, knowing she will shame her family forever. She finds the courage to locate the British ammunition and help the rebels free India from British tyranny. This novel explores the gender discrimination and inequities that women face when making life decisions.

Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac is a timely verse novel set during the coronavirus pandemic on the Wabanaki reservation about a girl named Malian, her grandparents, and a dog that becomes her best friend. Bruchac illustrates how American history has silenced the stories of indigenous people, including forced sterilization, boarding schools, family separation, and colonization. Malian is vocal and confident in her Indigenous identity, thinks deeply, and makes hard choices. She challenges her teacher to recognize her own racist beliefs, providing a clear and hopeful message that all people can change when they acknowledge their own biased beliefs and commit to rejecting bigotry and embracing diversity.