Human Rights

Books for children and teens that show peoples' differences and the importance of respecting human rights.

Updated April 8, 2024
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The oldest student : how Mary Walker learned to read
Hubbard, Rita L.
Paper Book
Imagine learning to read at the age of 116! Discover the true story of Mary Walker, the nation's oldest student who did just that, in this picture book from a Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator and a rising star author. In 1848, Mary Walker was born into slavery. At age 15, she...
If you're a kid like Gavin
Grimm, Gavin
Paper Book
A celebratory and empowering story from young trans activist Gavin Grimm, two-time Stonewall Award-winning and Newbery Honor-winning author Kyle Lukoff, and illustrator J Yang follows the true story of how a young boy stood up for himself--and made history along the way.  A Publishers...
When we were alone
Robertson, David
Paper Book
Winner of the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award! A young girl notices things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak Cree and spend so much time with her family? As the...

Canadian author.

Also available in Braille and eBook formats.

Stand up! Speak up! : a story inspired by the Climate Change Revolution
Joyner, Andrew (Illustrator)
Paper Book
Awarded as a 2021 Malka Penn Award Honor Book, here is a timely picture book about a young girl's mission to inspire others to help the planet. The meaningful message of climate change activism is perfect for Earth Day and every day! Celebrate young climate change activists in...
On Our Street: Our First Talk about Poverty
Roberts, Jillian
Paper Book
A gentle introduction to the issue of poverty, On Our Streetexplores the realities of people living with inadequate resources. Using age-appropriate language, this book addresses mental illness, homelessness and refugee status as they are connected to this issue. Insightful quotes from...
Canadian author.
We are water protectors
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
From author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Michaela Goade comes a New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Medal winning picture book that honors Indigenous-led movements across the world. Powerfully written and gorgeously illustrated, We Are Water Protectors,...
When we were alone
Robertson, David
Paper Book
Winner of the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award! A young girl notices things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak Cree and spend so much time with her family? As the...

En aidant sa grand-mere a entretenir son jardin, une fillette remarque chez celle-ci des caracteristiques qui piquent sa curiosite. Pourquoi sa grand-mere porte-t-elle ses longs cheveux en tresses et des vetements de couleurs vives ? Pourquoi parle-t-elle une autre langue et passe-t-elle tant de temps avec sa famille ? Ces questions amenent l’ainee a parler des annees qu’elle a passees enfant dans un pensionnat autochtone, endroit ou tout lui avait ete enleve.

Auteur canadien.

Aussi disponible en format numerique.

Your name is a song
Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah
Paper Book
Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their...
We are water protectors
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
From author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Michaela Goade comes a New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Medal winning picture book that honors Indigenous-led movements across the world. Powerfully written and gorgeously illustrated, We Are Water Protectors,...
Also available in eBook format.
The doll
Tran-Davies, Nhung N.
Paper Book
A young girl and her family arrive in an airport in a new country. They are refugees, migrants who have travelled across the world to find safety. Strangers greet them, and one of them gives the little girl a doll. Decades later, that little girl is grown up and she has the chance to welcome a group...
Pride : celebrating diversity & community
Stevenson, Robin
Paper Book
For LGBTQ people and their supporters, Pride events are an opportunity to honor the past, protest injustice, and celebrate a diverse and vibrant community. The high point of Pride, the Pride Parade, is spectacular and colorful. But there is a whole lot more to Pride than rainbow flags and amazing...
Canadian author.
The rainbow parade
Neilson, Emily
Paper Book
A sweet and celebratory story of a family's first time at Pride One day in June, Mommy, Mama, and Emily take the train into the city to watch the Rainbow Parade. The three of them love how all the people in the street are so loud, proud, and colorful, but when Mama suggests they...

Also available in eBook format.

The International Day of the Girl : celebrating girls around the world
Humphreys, Jessica Dee
Paper Book
This introduction to the International Day of the Girl and its worldwide significance encourages children to recognize their own potential to make change, providing both a perfect lesson in social justice and a celebration of girl power. The United Nations designated October 11th as the...
The antiracist kid : a book about identity, justice, and activism
Jewell, Tiffany
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Book Is Anti-Racist, Tiffany Jewell, with art by Eisner-nominated illustrator Nicole Miles, The Antiracist Kid is the essential illustrated guide to antiracism for empowering the young readers in your life! What is racism...
The disability experience : working toward belonging
Leavitt, Hannalora
Ebook
People with disabilities (PWDs) have the same aspirations for their lives as you do for yours. The difference is that PWDs don't have the same access to education, employment, housing, transportation and healthcare in order to achieve their goals. In The Disability Experience you'll meet...

Canadian author.

Also available in eBook format.

How to become an accidental activist
MacLeod, Elizabeth
Paper Book
Key Selling Points From the climate crisis to Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, activism is an important issue today and regularly features at the top of the news agenda. This book has many curriculum applications, including human rights, environmental science, personal...
Child of the dream : a memoir of 1963
Robinson, Sharon
Paper Book
An incredible memoir from Sharon Robinson about one of the most important years of the civil rights movement. In January 1963, Sharon Robinson turns 13 the night before George Wallace declares on national television "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" in his inauguration...
Martin Luther King Jr.
Sánchez Vegara, Ma Isabel
Paper Book

Little Martin grew up in a family of preachers: his dad was a preacher, his uncle was a preacher, his grandfather was a preacher…so maybe he’d become a great preacher too. One day, a friend invited him to play at his house. Martin was shocked when his mother wouldn’t let him in because he was black. That day he realized there was something terribly unfair going on. Martin believed that no one should remain silent and accept something if it's wrong. And he promised himself that—when he grew up—he’d fight injustice with the most powerful weapon of all: words.

Troublemaker
Cho, John
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestselller! An Indiebound bestseller! 12-year-old Jordan feels like he can't live up to the example his older sister set, or his parent's expectations. When he returns home from school one day hoping to hide his suspension, Los Angeles...
Amal unbound
Saeed, Aisha
Paper Book
"Saeed's timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude. Life is quiet and...
When stars are scattered
Jamieson, Victoria
Paper Book
A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab,...
Also available in eBook format.
Amal unbound
Saeed, Aisha
Paper Book
"Saeed's timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude. Life is quiet and...

Amal, 12 ans, reve de devenir institutrice. Mais dans son village du Pakistan, tout le monde s'y oppose, surtout les hommes. Le combat d'une jeune fille pour son emancipation et la reconnaissance de ses desirs.

Aussi disponible en format numerique.

Anne Frank's diary : the graphic adaptation
Folman, Ari
Paper Book
A timeless story rediscovered by each new generation, The Diary of a Young Girl stands without peer. This graphic edition remains faithful to the original, while the stunning illustrations interpret and add layers of visual meaning and immediacy to this classic work of Holocaust...
Also available in eBook format.
As long as the lemon trees grow
Katouh, Zoulfa
Ebook
A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Salt to the Sea. Salama...
Also available in eBook format.
Surviving the city
Spillett, Tasha
Paper Book
Miikwan and Dez are best friends. Miikwan is Anishinaabe; Dez is Inninew. Together, the teens navigate the challenges of growing up in an urban landscape--they're so close, they even completed their Berry Fast together. However, when Dez's grandmother becomes too sick, Dez is told she can't stay...

Canadian author.

Also available in eBook format.

Punching the air
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu
Paper Book
New York Times and USA Today bestseller * Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor * Walter Award Winner * Goodreads Finalist for Best Teen Book of the Year * Time Magazine Best Book of the Year * Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * Shelf Awareness Best Book of...
Also available in eBook format.
Punching the air
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu
Paper Book
New York Times and USA Today bestseller * Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor * Walter Award Winner * Goodreads Finalist for Best Teen Book of the Year * Time Magazine Best Book of the Year * Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * Shelf Awareness Best Book of...

L'existence d'Amal, lyceen afro-americain passionne d'art, est bouleversee le jour ou une simple bagarre entre garcons le conduit en prison pour un crime qu'il n'a pas commis, l'affaire de la joggeuse de Central Park.

Aussi disponible en format numerique.

A few red drops : the Chicago Race Riots of 1919
Hartfield, Claire
Paper Book
This mesmerizing narrative nonfiction draws on contemporary accounts as it traces the roots of an explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture. Coretta Scott King Award winner * Carter G. Woodson Book Award from the National...
Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.
We are power : how nonviolent activism changes the world
Hasak-Lowy, Todd
Paper Book
A stirring look at nonviolent activism, from American suffragists to Civil Rights to the Climate Change Movement. Todd Hasak-Lowy's We Are Power brings to light the incredible individuals who have used nonviolent activism to change the world. The book...
When they call you a terrorist : a Black Lives Matter memoir
Khan-Cullors, Patrisse
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. New York Times Editor's Pick. Library Journal Best Books of 2019. TIME Magazine's "Best Memoirs of 2018 So Far." O, Oprah's Magazine's "10 Titles to Pick Up Now." Politics &...

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