Books can encourage kids of all ages to enact change in their communities. Because it’s never too early to make a difference, we’ll be sharing a list of social activism books for each grade level. Check out our social activism book roundup for second grade below and for more social activism titles, check out our full printable Social Activism Diverse Reading List!
Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki, illus. by Dom Lee
This classic, award-winning picture book tells the story of Shorty and his family, placed in a concentration camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor along with thousands of Japanese Americans.
Find the Teacher’s Guide here.
Seeds of Change
by Jen Cullerton Johnson, illus. by Sonia Sadler
This picture book biography profiles scientist Wangari Maathi, the first African woman–and first environmentalist–to win a Nobel Peace Prize, for her work planting trees in her native Kenya.
Find the Teacher’s Guide here.
Louis Sockalexis: Native American Baseball Pioneer
by Bill Wise, illus. by Bill Farnsworth
Louis Sockalexis, a Penobscot Indian, was the first Native American to play professional baseball. This biography focuses on his formative years and culminates in a historic game at New York’s Polo Grounds in 1897.
Find the Teacher’s Guide here.
In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage
by Alan Schroeder, illus. by JaeMe Bereal
Discover the story of Augusta Savage, a pioneering female sculptor and a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance.
Find the Teacher’s Guide here.
A Place Where Sunflowers Grow
by Amy Lee-Tai, illus. by Felicia Hoshino
During World War II, a young Japanese-American girl finds things to be joyful about in the Topaz internment camp.
Find the Teacher’s Guide here.
Parrots Over Puerto Rico
by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore, illus. by Susan L. Roth
This Sibert Award-winning picture book reveals intertwined histories of the Puerto Rican parrot and the island of Puerto Rico, culminating with current efforts to save the parrots from extinction.
Find the Teacher’s Guide here.
Armando and the Blue Tarp School
by Edith Hope Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson, illus. by Hernán Sosa
An artistic young Mexican boy living in a colonia takes the first steps toward realizing his dream of getting an education. The story reflects the work of David Lynch, a teacher from New York who first began working in a colonia in Mexico in the early 1980s.
Find the Teacher’s Guide here.
More in this series:
Additional Resources:
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Social Activism Book Collection for Grades PreK-2
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Social Activism Book Collection for Grades 3-5
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Social Activism Book Collection for Grades 6-8
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Social Activism Collection
Additional resources about Social Activism work with students:
