Description
Illustrations and easy-to-read, rhyming text encourage the reader to speak up about everything from their own name being mispronounced to someone bringing a weapon to school. Includes author's note about real people who have found their voices, when to speak up, and how to express oneself without speaking.
Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collections
Publication
Clarion Books (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 40 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Sing-song rhymes about speaking up when the situation calls for it are paired with bright illustrations depicting a diverse range of children in this picture-book examination of civic responsibility. The reader is instructed (amongst other things) to speak out against unjust rules, to take the part
Speak Up is a sweet little book, with a catchy rhyming text that would make for a good read-aloud, and cute, cartoon-style illustrations featuring children of all kinds. What really elevates it above the plethora of generic "do right" books I have seen, and makes it truly suitable for civics education, is that rather than promoting a one-size-fits-all solution, it encourages the child to think about the situation they are confronting, and to consider what action is most appropriate for those specific circumstances. The chart contained in the afterword lists situations where speaking out is appropriate (someone is in danger, there is an emergency), and times where it isn't (bad behavior is accidental or unintentional). The latter is a very important ethical distinction, one that I often see being deliberately ignored by many self-identified social justice advocates, who argue that intention is irrelevant. It is therefore very good to see it being raised here, in a book for young children. Recommended to picture-book readers seeking titles that can be used to teach good ethical reasoning, and to help build good citizens.
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of those being bullied, to acknowledge when they have made a mistake, to share a secret if someone is in danger, and to take the lead and set a good example. The book closes with an afterword giving more information about young people who did speak up, and a handy chart for determining when it is appropriate to do so...Speak Up is a sweet little book, with a catchy rhyming text that would make for a good read-aloud, and cute, cartoon-style illustrations featuring children of all kinds. What really elevates it above the plethora of generic "do right" books I have seen, and makes it truly suitable for civics education, is that rather than promoting a one-size-fits-all solution, it encourages the child to think about the situation they are confronting, and to consider what action is most appropriate for those specific circumstances. The chart contained in the afterword lists situations where speaking out is appropriate (someone is in danger, there is an emergency), and times where it isn't (bad behavior is accidental or unintentional). The latter is a very important ethical distinction, one that I often see being deliberately ignored by many self-identified social justice advocates, who argue that intention is irrelevant. It is therefore very good to see it being raised here, in a book for young children. Recommended to picture-book readers seeking titles that can be used to teach good ethical reasoning, and to help build good citizens.
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Awards
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Primary — 2022)
Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Book (Primary — 2021)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Picture Books — 2020)
Texas 2x2 Reading List (2021)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
40 p.; 10 inches
ISBN
035814096X / 9780358140962