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by Duncan Tonatiuh


Seven years before Brown v. Board of Education, the Mendez family fought to end segregation in California schools. Discover their incredible story in Separate Is Never Equal, a picture book from award-winning creator Duncan Tonatiuh.

 

Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Winner * A Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book

 

* A Robert F. Sibert Honor BookSTARRED REVIEW *“Masterfully combines text and folk-inspired art to add an important piece to the mosaic of U.S. civil rights history.” ―Kirkus Reviews

 

When her family moved to the town of Westminster, California, young Sylvia Mendez was excited about enrolling in her neighborhood school. But she and her brothers were turned away and told they had to attend the Mexican school instead. Sylvia could not understand why—she was an American citizen who spoke perfect English. Why were the children of Mexican families forced to attend a separate school?

 

Unable to get a satisfactory answer from the school board, the Mendez family decided to take matters into its own hands and organized a lawsuit. In the end, the Mendez family’s efforts helped bring an end to segregated schooling in California in 1947, seven years before the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education ended segregation in schools across America.

 

Author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh writes in his notes, “My hope is that this book will help children and young people learn about this important yet little known event in American history. I also hope that they will see themselves reflected in Sylvia’s story and realize that their voices are valuable.”

 

Using his signature illustration style and incorporating his interviews with Sylvia Mendez, as well as information from court files and news accounts, Tonatiuh tells the inspiring story of the Mendez family’s fight for justice and equality, a fight that is as relevant today as it was 75 years ago.

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation

SKU: 9781419710544
$19.99Price
  • Duncan Tonatiuh is the winner of the prestigious Pura Belpre Award. Born and raised in Mexico, he attended school in the United States. He divides his time between San Miguel Allende, Mexico, and New York City. 

  • ISBN-13: 9781419710544
    Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
    Publication date: 05/06/2014
    Pages: 40
    Product dimensions: 9.30(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
    Age Range: 6 - 9 Years


    Picture Book - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | United States - 20th Century
    Picture Book - Juvenile Nonfiction | Hispanic & Latino
    Picture Book - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Prejudice & Racism
    Picture Book - Juvenile Nonfiction | School & Education
    Picture Book - Juvenile Nonfiction | Law & Crime
    Picture Book - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
    Picture Book - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Social Activists
    Picture Book - Juvenile Nonfiction | Activism & Social Justice
    Picture Book - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
    -School integration    -United States
    -Hispanic Americans    -Race relations
    -Education    -Civil rights
    -Civil rights movements    -History
    -20th century    -Mendez, Sylvia
    -Childhood and youth    -JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / United States
    -JUVENILE NONFICTION / People & Places / Unite    -JUVENILE NONFICTION / Social Issues / Prejudice
    - Ethnic Orientation | Hispanic & Latino
    - Ethnic Orientation | Latino
    - Ethnic Orientation | Chicano
    - Chronological Period | 1940's
    - Geographic Orientation | California
    - Chronological Period | 20th Century
    - Topical | Self-Esteem

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