The following books and their civic themes have been collected from Philadelphia educators with decades of experience in the classroom. If you’d like to add to the list, let us know!
The Big Orange Splot by D. Pinkwater (Becoming a Change Agent)
Daft Bat by Jeanne Willis (Different Points of View)
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty (Our Future Leaders)
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt (Making Positive Change)
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson (Becoming a Change Agent)
Bella’s Rules by Elissa Guest (Why We Have Rules)
The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad (Being Proud of Who You Are)
The Pink Hat by Andrew Joyner (Peaceful Protest)
I Could Do That by Linda Arms White (Women’s Right to Vote)
I Dissent: RBG Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy (Being a Change Agent)
More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby (Leaders Setting Goals)
Greta and the Giants by Zoe Tucker (Thinking about the Environment)
Midnight Teacher by Janet Halfmann (The Power of Education)
We Are the Change Children’s Book (Inspiring Leadership & Change)
Shaking Things Up by Susan Hood (Young Women Change Agents)
Carl the Complainer by Michelle Knudsen (A Call to Action)
Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by Dyanne Ryan (Young Citizens in Action)
I Could Do That by Linda Arms White (Women’s Right to Vote)
What Do You Do With An Idea? by Kobi Yamada (Finding Your Voice)
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine (The Value of Our Freedom)
Pies from Nowhere by Dee Romito (Becoming a Change Agent)
Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights by Rob Sanders (Peaceful Protest)
Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale (Managing My Behavior)
David Goes to School by David Shannon (Why We Have Rules)
Click Clack Moo by Doreen Cronin (Advocating for Change)
Amelia Bedelia’s First Vote by Herman Parish (Importance of Your Vote)
City Green by Dyanne DiSalvo-Ryan (Building Community)
This Is the Rope by Jacqueline Woodson (Valuing Family History)
Sincerely Emerson by Emerson Weber (Gratitude)
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (Learning to Compromise)
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson (Small Acts of Kindness Can Change the World)
Turning Pages by Sonia Sotomayor (Inspiring Future Leaders)
Those Shoes by Noah Z. Jones (Realizing What’s Important)
Justice Is by Preet Bharara (Guiding Young Truth Seekers)
The Garden on Green Street by Meish Goldish (Peaceful Protest)
Woodrow for President by Peter & Cheryl Barnes (Learning the Election Process)
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander (The Spirit of Black Americans)
I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascott (Kindness Matters)
The Power of Her Pen by Lisa Cline-Ransome (Importance of journalism)
Unstoppable by Adam Rex (Freedom to Petition the Government)
Sophia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty (A Young Citizen in Action)
Preaching to the Chickens by Jabari Asim (The story of young John Lewis)
Lailah’s Lunchbox by Reem Faruqi (A Ramadan story of Acceptance)
I Dissent by Debbie Levy (Story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
Enough by Emily Easton (Peaceful Protest)
Freedom on the Menu by Carole Weatherford (Peaceful Protest)
Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles (Black History)
Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio (The Electoral Process & Youth Voice)
Grace Goes to Washington by Kelly DiPucchio (How Government Works)
Real Heroes Don’t Wear Capes by Laura Driscoll (Every-day Heroes)
The Walk by Winsome Bingham (Voting)
My Mom is a Foreigner, But Not to Me by Julianne Moore (Acceptance and Pride)
I Am Enough by Grace Byers (Loving Yourself)
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard (Indigenous Peoples)
When the Beat was Born by Laban Carrack Hill (The Creation of Hip Hop)
The Trial of Cardigan Jones by Tim Egan (Justice)
A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban (Justice)
Sometimes People March by Tessa Allen (Peaceful Protest)
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin (The Election Process)
A Place Inside of Me by Zetta Elliott (Black America)
Granddaddy’s Gift by Margaree King Mitchell (Voting Rights)
The Wall by Eve Bunting (Remembering Those Who Sacrificed for Our Country)
House Mouse, Senate Mouse by Peter & Cheryl Barnes (How to Pass a Bill)
Pura’s Cuentos by Annette Bay Pimentel (Being a Change Agent)
The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad (Being Proud of Who You Are)
Opening the Road by Keila V. Dawson (Being a Change Agent)
Passage to Freedom by Ken Mochizuki (Being a Change Agent)
The Ballot Box Battle by Emily McCully (Standing Up for Women’s Rights to Vote)
Computer Decoder by Dorothy Vaughn (Achieving Fairness in the Work Place)
Lailah’s Lunchbox by Reem Faruqi (Sharing Traditions/Seeking Acceptance)
Amelia Bedelia’s First Vote (Voting)
Vote by Eileen Christelow (Voting)
This list, like our hope for our young students, is always growing. We would love to hear your suggestions for additional books and themes (email annespector(at)comcast.net), and we encourage you to check the list as it grows.