ABC of Equality: Volume 1

Reviews / Votes

"Gleeful characters combined with flowers and striking colors bring personality to each page with each letter of the alphabet representing a societal idea. The letter "A," for example, stands for "ability," and is juxtaposed with a depiction of a child in a wheelchair, one young girl with a guitar, and another with a wrench and paintbrush. The illustrations and words expand upon the uniqueness that comes with these various abilities. Each concept is meant to spark a conversation between parents and their young children, but with simple terminology and even easier definitions." * Blavity * STARRED REVIEW: "For many, the ideas of privilege and allyship are concepts that are not explicitly taught in childhood. Many people must consciously unlearn the system of beliefs imposed by parents, authority figures, and the overall dominant culture. Ewing's colorful, sunny board book takes such nebulous ideas and packages them into an easily digestible vocabulary bank for young readers. While definitions have been simplified to two sentences, Ewing doesn't avoid or ignore the far-reaching impact of these words. For example, the difference between "Gender" and "Sex" is clearly and objectively explained. She writes, "Gender is a category that describes the inside feeling of being a boy, girl, both, neither, and everything in between." Ewing defines the term sex as, "When a baby arrives, the doctor will say it's a boy or girl depending on their understanding of the baby's body. This is their sex." Each letter of the alphabet and its corresponding word is accompanied by a related image. Morgan's illustrations feature cartoon children and adults of various skin tones and physical abilities and exude joyful acceptance. Ewing offers the tools of understanding and reciprocity in order to eradicate injustice. Highly recommended for school and public libraries and can serve as an entry point into social justice literature." * School Library Journal * "Say hello to AN ABC OF EQUALITY, a book that does a fantastic job of introducing complicated concepts around social justice to kiddos. The age range says preschool-kindergarten but honestly, this book is absolutely appropriate for any age. It's bright, it's beautiful, it's easy to understand and inclusive. Introduced concepts include LGBTQIA, Privilege, Xenophobia and many more."
* Picturebook Playdate * "Instead of reading this in one sitting, we read it over the course of a few days focusing on 4-5 words at a time. This book served as a great conversation starter to talk about some tougher topics like privilege, xenophobia and racism." -- Charnaie Gordon, Diversity & Inclusion Expert * Here Wee Read * "this small-size board book is sure to start big conversations, particularly among readers at the upper end of the age range." * Publishers Weekly * "A is for Ability, B is for Belief, C is for Class. All people have the right to be treated fairly, no matter who they are, what they look like, or where they come from. An ABC of Equality introduces complicated concepts surrounding social justice to the youngest of children. From A to Z, simple explanations accompanied by engaging artwork teach children about the world we live in and how to navigate our way through it. Each right-hand page includes a brightly decorated letter with the word it stands for and an encouraging slogan. On the left, a colorful illustration and bite-size text sum up the concept. Cheerful people from a range of backgrounds, ethnicities, and abilities lead the way through the alphabet. Especially recommended for family, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections, "An ABC of Equality" is a very special board book that will help young children how to celebrate their differences, ask more questions, share kindness, and learn to understand the world." * Midwest Book Review *