JUSTICE IS...

Adults love to talk about justice, but what does the word actually mean?

In this picture book, author Bharara, former United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, defines justicethrough an early-childhood lens. According to Bharara, justice requires hard work, collaboration with diverse groups of people, curiosity, and courage. Each double-page spread features a different individual or moment from the history of justice in the U.S. People spotlighted in Cornelison’s admiring, soft-edged illustrations include contemporary leaders like Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor; historical heroes like Ida B. Wells and Sojourner Truth; and social justice collectives like the Movement for Black Lives. The book’s text is clear and fluid, and the simple, direct language makes this a good resource for young readers. The examples of injustice, which include the World War II–era internment of Japanese Americans, the Trail of Tears, and the Holocaust, are episodes in world history that are essential to remember, but their placement is confusing: Their abrupt juxtaposition with successful social justice movements and leaders makes them feel like non sequiturs. Adults reading this with children should be prepared to give them context. Additionally, the terse captions, set in white on gray, are very difficult to read. Brief notes in the backmatter provide a few sentences of context for most of the leaders and/or episodes depicted. These design issues are unfortunate flaws in an otherwise important, impassioned book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A beautiful, relevant picture book with some design problems.