Jeanette Bradley

Tributes in prose and poetry to children and teens of today who have spoken out to support a cause or protest injustice.

Budding activists in search of child role models beyond the high-profile likes of Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg may well draw inspiration from this less-intimidating—but no less brave and worthy—lineup. For each, a poem by one of 14 poets and a laudatory paragraph flank an engaging, soft-focus portrait by Bradley that digitally emulates chalk and pastels on a textured brown background. “Each activist,” write the editors, “inspired a poet who relates to an aspect of the activist’s identity.” New Yorker Charles Waters, for instance, gives a shoutout to 6-year-old Samirah “DJ Annie Red” Horton, “proudly / representing the People’s Republic of Brooklyn” with her anti-bullying rap; Zach Wahls, founder of Scouts for Equality, poses with his two moms next to a triolet from Lesléa Newman. Other contributors, including Carole Boston Weatherford, Janet Wong, and Joseph Bruchac, honor young people making good trouble in areas of contention as varied as climate change, gender identity, immigration law, safe drinking water, and gun violence. The contributors are as diverse of identity as their young subjects, and as a sidelight, the poems are cast in a variety of identified forms from free verse to reverso, cinquain, and tanka.

Never too soon to start stirring things up: “We may be small / but / we / can / ROAR!” (contributor bios, notes on poetic forms) (Informational picture book/poetry. 6-12)

- Kirkus Review… (meer)

"No voice is too small
to solve a problem that's big.
Change ripples forward."

Each young American is profiled with a poem, a portrait, and a brief biography of how they made a difference. The illustrations are digital but resemble colored pencil on brown packing paper (see also: Julián Is A Mermaid by Jessica Love).

-Samirah Horton aka DJ Annie Red
-Ziad Ahmed
-Judy Adams
-Levi Draheim
-Jazz Jennings
-Cierra Fields
-Noah Barnes
-Jasilyn Charger: Water Protector
-Mari Copeny: Little Miss Flint
-Zach Wahls
-Nza-Ari Khepra
-Viridiana Sanchez Santos
-Adora Svitak
-Marley Dias (#1000BlackGirlBooks)

Back matter includes a page on poetry forms (ballad, reverso, triolet, etc.) and three pages about the poets, with a photo and brief biography of each.

See also: All the Way to the Top, We Are Water Protectors… (meer)