Using Picture Books to Promote Empathy, Belonging, and Social Justice in Pre-K and Kindergarten

This timely book offers preschool and kindergarten teachers practical, research-based strategies for how to use culturally relevant picture books to discuss social justice and equity with young children. It includes activities and dozens of recommended children’s books that will help students understand their own social, cultural, and linguistic identities.

This book challenges outdated literacy norms and calls on educators to center picture books about children’s different identities, talents, and lived experiences. The authors show how picture books rooted in social justice and equity become powerful tools for fostering critical thinking, empathy, a sense of belonging, and meaningful dialogue. Through shared reading and thoughtful discussion, teachers can help young learners explore big ideas, such as fairness, culture, and identity. Now is the time to place powerful stories in the hands of young learners. Let this book be your guide to cultivating classrooms where equity is not just an ideal, but a daily reality.

Book Features:

• Provides in-depth descriptions of effective classroom strategies for using picture books with social justice content and images.
• Alleviates teachers’ potential discomfort around social justice and equity by using children’s literature to identify and discuss unfair practices in the world.
• Highlights the capacity for young children to engage in critical conversations when developing their notions of themselves and the world they live in.
• Includes annotated lists of recommended children’s picture books, websites, podcasts, and videos.

Isauro M. Escamilla is an assistant professor of elementary education at San Francisco State University. Iliana Alanís is professor of early childhood and elementary education at the University of Texas-San Antonio. Daniel Meier is professor of elementary education at San Francisco State University.

“What a wonderful read! This book is a rare find—full of fantastic and meaningful activities to try, children's books to read, and clear articulations of why the work matters.”
—Cara Furman, associate professor of early childhood education at Hunter College and author of Teaching from an Ethical Center: Practical Wisdom for Daily Instruction

“This is a powerful and practical guide for educators seeking to nurture young children’s understanding of equity, compassion, and community through the power of story. At a time when children, communities, and narratives are being systematically erased, this book offers both urgency and hope—empowering educators to use picture books as pathways for visibility, justice, and the creation of a more loving and inclusive world.”
—Crystasany R. Turner, assistant professor, early childhood education, Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

“As early childhood educators, we create opportunities for children to understand and change the world around them. In reading and discussing beloved children’s books, the authors trust children’s competence to explore social injustice and to dream of a better world. This book is a must for early childhood education teacher professional development and education programs.”
—Cristina Gillanders, associate professor, early childhood education, University of Colorado Denver