Beleaguered? Children’s Books for “All of Us”

Image from ALL OF US @ Carin Berger

Every morning we have to wake up in an America that rejects curiosity, empathy, kindness, and welcoming on a federal level.

Beleaguered?

Purchase and share any of these books for children and adults and reignite your hope (and, yes, your anger) with frequent readings.

We need you in this fight.

Dismantling walls happens brick by brick.

Brick by Brick
By Giuliano Ferri
Illustrated by Giuliano Ferri
Published by minedition
ISBN-13: 9789888341184
Age Range: 3 – Adult
Discover in a Local Bookstore

A little mouse innocently plucks a flower from an old wall when a brick comes loose, and he can see through it for the first time. He and the other animals gradually and resolutely remove more and more bricks, until at last they can see another group of animals. Together they use the bricks that once divided them to construct a bridge to join their islands. This clever and touching wordless board book shows that walls can become bridges when everyone works together. It’s a hopeful message that all children should see now.

For love wins…

All of Us
By Carin Berger
Illustrated by Carin Berger
Published by HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-13: 9780062694133
Age Range: 4 – Adult
Discover in a Local Bookstore

Acclaimed and award-winning picture book creator Carin Berger shares a moving story of community, empathy, and the power of love.

With a universal message and stunning paper collage art, this striking book is just right for fans of Matt de la Peña’s Love and Emily Winfield Martin’s The Wonderful Things You Will Be.

Award-winning illustrator Carin Berger’s beautiful and timely picture book celebrates the power of community, family, and most of all, love. Her beautiful collage art and lyrical text offer a message of hope in the face of adversity.

Give these books as a set to the activist and thinker in your life.

Grandfather Gandhi
By Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus
Illustrated by Evan Turk
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9781442423657
Age Range: 4 – Adult
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Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson tells the story of how his grandfather taught him to turn darkness into light in this uniquely personal and vibrantly illustrated tale that carries a message of peace.

How could he—a Gandhi—be so easy to anger?

One thick, hot day, Arun Gandhi travels with his family to Grandfather Gandhi’s village.

Silence fills the air—but peace feels far away for young Arun. When an older boy pushes him on the soccer field, his anger fills him in a way that surely a true Gandhi could never imagine. Can Arun ever live up to the Mahatma? Will he ever make his grandfather proud?

In this remarkable personal story, Arun Gandhi, with Bethany Hegedus, weaves a stunning portrait of the extraordinary man who taught him to live his life as light. Evan Turk brings the text to breathtaking life with his unique three-dimensional collage paintings.

Be the Change:
A Grandfather Gandhi Story
By Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus
Illustrated by Evan Turk
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9781481442657
Age Range: 4 – Adult
Discover in a Local Bookstore

In this breathtaking companion to the award-winning Grandfather Gandhi, Arun Gandhi, with Bethany Hegedus, tells a poignant, personal story of the damage of wastefulness, gorgeously illustrated by Evan Turk.

At Grandfather Gandhi’s service village, each day is filled, from sunrise to sunset, with work that is done for the good of all. The villagers vow to live simply and non-violently. Arun Gandhi tries very hard to follow these vows, but he struggles with one of the most important rules: not to waste.

How can throwing away a worn-down pencil hurt anyone? How can wastefulness lead to violence? With the help of his grandfather, Arun learns how every wasteful act, no matter how small, affects others. And in time he comes to understand the truth of his grandfather’s words: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.