Equality's Call

November 25, 2019
This outspoken tribute to suffrage alternates between a contemporary school where voting rights is the topic at hand, and vignettes that portray the signing of the U.S. Constitution and then forward through the many struggles to make “consent of the governed” a reality for all. Every few pages, Diesen offers the drumbeat-like refrain that insists on the inexorable justice of “Equality’s call” (“A right isn’t right/ Till it’s granted to all”), while Mora’s chalky mixed-media images, which draw on the motifs of Latin American and WPA muralism, show an ever-growing procession of determined people—abolitionists and suffragettes, famous activists and ordinary citizens—who faced and fought obstacles to voting. Every vote today is a nod to this hard-won history, Diesen reminds readers: “Each time we vote,/ We acknowledge that past.” A list of amendments and voting rights activists ends this volume. Ages 3–8.

December 1, 2019
A poetic narrative charts the history of voting rights in the United States from the founders to the present, emphasizing that "A right isn't right / Till it's granted to all." A black woman at a blackboard instructs a class (and readers) in an inclusive "we" as the voices of democracy swell to affirm the expansion of voting rights. Diesen (in a dramatic departure from her Pout-Pout Fish series) and Mora effectively employ the drama of the turning page as, on each spread when the refrain is resounded, the number of people marching grows from two black women and a black man to a host of the historically disenfranchised. The final refrain is a crescendo, complemented by a double-page spread depicting a crowded, diverse line of marchers. As they march from left to right into the page turn, readers are reminded that "The journey's not over / The work hasn't ended / Democracy's dream / Must be constantly tended." The pages act as a timeline, and several illustrations depict historical figures, including Sojourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, and John Lewis. (A backmatter key helps identify the many activists represented.) As an introduction, the volume focuses on the progress and not the obstacles, but caregivers can supplement the history, using the extensive backmatter addressed to them: information on related constitutional amendments and relevant legislation and a two-page list of voting rights activists. A solid work of visual storytelling. (Informational picture book. 5-9)

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February 1, 2020

K-Gr 2-This introduction to the history of voting rights in the United States includes a catchy and powerful refrain: "A right isn't right/Till it's granted to all." Charming mixed-media illustrations convey the slow but steady forward momentum of progress. Double-page spreads depict increasingly large crowds of people fighting for equal rights over the years. Back matter provides further understanding of amendments, legislation, and the many leaders who played essential roles in the long struggle to grant full and safe participation in our elections to people of color, women, individuals with disabilities, and other marginalized groups. While the rhyming text makes the story suitable and very appealing for young readers, words like abolition, suffrage, franchise, and enslavement may require adult explanations. VERDICT A useful presentation of an important topic that will be a valuable curriculum resource and also encourage parent-child conversation.-Gloria Koster, formerly at West School, New Canaan, CT

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2020
Grades 1-3 This timely book will be popular among social studies and civics teachers eager to instill in youngsters the importance of voting. Told in a jaunty rhyme, the text opens with a teacher preparing to take her students on a journey through American history, with specific regard to the matter of enfranchisement. There's no sugarcoating the hypocrisy with which it all started: This great founding ideal / Was extended to some / And for others not real. Readers learn how women and people of color have had to fight for the right to vote?a right originally reserved for white men with property. The illustrations are key to understanding this struggle as, page by page, the disenfranchised grow in number as they march, demanding their rights with the refrain, But we heard growing clearer / Equality's call / A right isn't right / Till it's granted to all. Back matter includes an overview of relevant constitutional amendments and notable voting rights activists. Pair with Margaret McNamara's forthcoming Vote for Our Future! (2020).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)