2021 Notable Social Studies Trade Books
Book recommendations from social studies educators for librarians, booksellers, educators, parents, and guardians of the best children’s books with social studies content in 2020
All the Way to the Top. How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything
By: Annette Bay Pimentel
Illustrated by:
Nabi H. Ali
Nabi H. Ali
ISBN: 9781492688976
Nonfiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
All Thirteen. The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team
By: Christina Soontornvat
ISBN: 9781536209457
Nonfiction, Action / Adventure, 3-5 Grade
The Arabic Quilt. An Immigrant Story
By: Aya Khalil
Illustrated by:
Anait Semirdzhyan
Anait Semirdzhyan
ISBN: 9780884487548
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
Art Is Life. The Life of Artist Keith Haring
By: Tami Lewis Brown
Illustrated by:
Keith Negley
Keith Negley
ISBN: 9780374304249
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, K-12 Grade
Astronauts. Women on the Final Frontier
By: Jim Ottaviani
Illustrated by:
Maris Wicks
Maris Wicks
ISBN: 9781626728776
Nonfiction, History, 6-8 Grade
Atomic Women. The Untold Stories of the Scientists Who Helped Create the Nuclear Bomb
By: Roseanne Montillo
ISBN: 9780316489591
Nonfiction, History, 9-12 Grade
Be Amazing
By: Desmond is Amazing (Desmond Napoles)
Illustrated by:
Dylan Glynn
Dylan Glynn
ISBN: 9780374312589
Nonfiction, Diversity, K-12 Grade
Bear and Fred. A World War II Story
By: Iris Argaman
Illustrated by:
Avi Ofer
Avi Ofer
ISBN: 9781542018210
Fiction, Historical Fiction, 3-8 Grade
Beautiful Shades of Brown. The Art of Laurie Wheeler Waring
By: Nancy Churnin
Illustrated by:
Felicia Marshall
Felicia Marshall
ISBN: 9781939547651
Nonfiction, Diversity, 3-5 Grade
Big Ideas For Young Thinkers
By: Jamia Wilson
Illustrated by:
Andrea Pippins
Andrea Pippins
ISBN: 9780711258358
Fiction, Contemporary, 6-8 Grade
Birrarung Wilam. A Story from Aboriginal Australia
By: Andrew Kelly and Aunty Joy Murphy
Illustrated by:
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
ISBN: 9781536209426
Fiction, Historical Fiction, K-5 Grade
Black is a Rainbow Color
By: Angela Joy
Illustrated by:
Ekua Holmes
Ekua Holmes
ISBN: 9781626726314
Fiction, 4-6, Social Activism / Equality / Feminism
BOX. Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by:
Michele Wood
Michele Wood
ISBN: 9780763691561
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 6-8 Grade
Breaking Through. How Female Athletes Shattered Stereotypes in the Roaring Twenties
By: Sue Macy
ISBN: 9781426336768
Nonfiction, History, 3-8 Grade
Call Me American (Adapted for Young Adults)
By: Abdi Nor Iftin
ISBN: 9781984897114
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 9-12 Grade
Can Bears Ski?
By: Raymond Antrobus
Illustrated by:
Polly Dunbar
Polly Dunbar
ISBN: 9781536212662
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
Cast Away. Poems for Our Time
By: Naomi Shihab Nye
ISBN: 9780062907691
Nonfiction, Science, 3-12 Grade
The Cat I Never Named. A True Story of Love, War, and Survival
By: Amra Sabic-El-Rayess and Laura L. Sullivan
ISBN: 9781547604531
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 9-12 Grade
Chance. Escape from the Holocaust
By: Uri Shulevitz
ISBN: 9780374313715
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 6-12 Grade
Come Out and Play
By: Maya Ajmera and John D. Ivanko
ISBN: 9781623541637
Nonfiction, Action / Adventure, K-2 Grade
Desert Diary. Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire
By: Michael O. Tunnell
ISBN: 9781580897891
Nonfiction, History, 3-5 Grade
Digging for Words. José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built
By: Angela Burke Kunkel
Illustrated by:
Paola Escobar
Paola Escobar
ISBN: 9781984892638
Fiction, Historical Fiction, K-5 Grade
Dinosaur Lady. The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist
By: Linda Skeers
Illustrated by:
Marta Álvarez Miguéns
Marta Álvarez Miguéns
ISBN: 9781728209517
Nonfiction, Science, K-5 Grade
Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From
By: Jennifer De Leon
Illustrated by:
Elena Garnu
Elena Garnu
ISBN: 9781534438248
Fiction, Diversity, 9-12 Grade
Earth Hour
By: Nanette Heffernan
Illustrated by:
Bao Luu
Bao Luu
ISBN: 9781580899420
Nonfiction, 4-6, Science
Equality’s Call. The Story of Voting Rights in America
By: Deborah Diesen
Illustrated by:
Magdalena Mora
Magdalena Mora
ISBN: 9781534439580
Nonfiction, History, K-2 Grade
Erosion. How Hugh Bennett Saved America’s Soil and Ended the Dust Bowl
By: Darcy Pattison
Illustrated by:
Peter Willis
Peter Willis
ISBN: 9781629441498
Nonfiction, Health, 3-5 Grade
Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away
By: Meg Medina
Illustrated by:
Sonia Sánchez
Sonia Sánchez
ISBN: 9781536207040
Fiction, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices
By: Lindsey Metcalf
ISBN: 9781684379088
Nonfiction, History, 3-5 Grade
The Fighting Infantryman
By: Rob Sanders
Illustrated by:
Nabi H. Ali
Nabi H. Ali
ISBN: 9781499809367
Nonfiction, Diversity, K-5 Grade
Flight for Freedom. The Wetzel Family’s Daring Escape from East Germany
By: Kristen Fulton
Illustrated by:
Torben Kuhlmann
Torben Kuhlmann
ISBN: 9781452149608
Nonfiction, History, K-5 Grade
Flying Free. How Bessie Coleman’s Dreams Took Flight
By: Karyn Parsons
Illustrated by:
R. Gregory Christie
R. Gregory Christie
ISBN: 9780316457194
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, K-2 Grade
Fred’s Big Feelings. The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers
By: Laura Renauld
Illustrated by:
Brigette Barrager
Brigette Barrager
ISBN: 9781534441224
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, K-2 Grade
Go With the Flow
By: Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann
Illustrated by:
Lily Williams
Lily Williams
ISBN: 9781250305725
Fiction, Teen, Social Activism / Equality / Feminism
Harlem Grown
By: Tony Hillery
Illustrated by:
Jessie Hartland
Jessie Hartland
ISBN: 9781534402317
Nonfiction, Health, K-2 Grade
Heads Up. Changing Minds on Mental Health
By: Melanie Siebert
Illustrated by:
Belle Wuthrich
Belle Wuthrich
ISBN: 9781459819115
Nonfiction, Health, 9-12 Grade
The Heart of Mi Familia
By: Carrie Lara
Illustrated by:
Christine Battuz
Christine Battuz
ISBN: 9781433832536
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
History Comics, The Challenger Disaster
By: Pranas T. Naujokaitis
ISBN: 9781250174291
Nonfiction, Science, 6-8 Grade
History Smashers. The Mayflower
By: Kate Messner
Illustrated by:
Dylan Meconis
Dylan Meconis
ISBN: 9780593120316
Nonfiction, History, 3-5 Grade
Hot Pot Night!
By: Vincent Chen
Illustrated by:
Vincent Chen
Vincent Chen
ISBN: 9781623541200
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
The House by the Lake
By: Thomas Harding
Illustrated by:
Britta Teckentrup
Britta Teckentrup
ISBN: 9781536212747
Nonfiction, History, 3-12 Grade
I Want to Ride the Tap Tap
By: Danielle Joseph
Illustrated by:
Olivier Ganthier
Olivier Ganthier
ISBN: 9780374312145
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
If Dominican Were a Color
By: Sili Recio
Illustrated by:
Brianna McCarthy
Brianna McCarthy
ISBN: 9781534461796
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
The Interactive Constitution
By: David Miles
Illustrated by:
Albert Pinilla
Albert Pinilla
ISBN: 9781733633529
Nonfiction, History, 3-5 Grade
Jane Against the World—Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights
By: Karen Blumenthal
ISBN: 9781626721654
Nonfiction, Teen, Government / Politics / Law
Just Like a Mama
By: Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrated by:
Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
ISBN: 9781534461833
Fiction, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
Kamala Harris. Rooted in Justice
By: Nikki Grimes
Illustrated by:
Laura Freeman
Laura Freeman
ISBN: 9781534462670
Nonfiction, Contemporary, K-5 Grade
Lizzie Demands a Seat! Elizabeth Jennings Fights for Streetcar Rights
By: Beth Anderson
Illustrated by:
E.B. Lewis
E.B. Lewis
ISBN: 9781629799391
Nonfiction, History, 3-5 Grade
Love Your Body
By: Jessica Sanders
Illustrated by:
Carol Rossetti
Carol Rossetti
ISBN: 9780711252424
Nonfiction, Health, K-2 Grade
Lulu the One and Only
By: Lynnette Mawhinney
Illustrated by:
Jennie Poh
Jennie Poh
ISBN: 9781433831591
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
Magnificent Homespun Brown
By: Samara Cole Doyon
Illustrated by:
Kaylani Juanita
Kaylani Juanita
ISBN: 9780884487975
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
Mamie on the Mound. A Woman in Baseball’s Negro Leagues
By: Leah Henderson
Illustrated by:
George Doutsiopoulos
George Doutsiopoulos
ISBN: 9781684460236
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, K-5 Grade
Marie’s Ocean
By: Josie James
Illustrated by:
Josie James
Josie James
ISBN: 9781250214737
Nonfiction, 7-12, Biography / Memoir
Mary Seacole. Bound for the Battlefield
By: Susan Goldman Rubin
Illustrated by:
Richie Pope
Richie Pope
ISBN: 9780763679941
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 3-5 Grade
Mei Ling in China City/Mei Ling en la Ciudad China
By: Icy Smith
Illustrated by:
Gayle Garner Roski
Gayle Garner Roski
ISBN: 9780997394764
Fiction, Historical Fiction, 3-5 Grade
Mighty Justice (Young Readers’ Edition)
By: Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe
ISBN: 9781250229007
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 6-8 Grade
Migrants
By: Issa Watanabe
Illustrated by:
Issa Watanabe
Issa Watanabe
ISBN: 9781776573134
Fiction, Contemporary, K-8 Grade
Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade
By: Lyla Lee
Illustrated by:
Dung Ho
Dung Ho
ISBN: 9781534440111
Fiction, Diversity, K-5 Grade
Most Wanted. The Revolutionary Partnership of John Hancock & Samuel Adams
By: Sarah Jane Marsh
Illustrated by:
Edwin Fotheringham
Edwin Fotheringham
ISBN: 9781368026833
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 3-5 Grade
Nana Akua Goes to School
By: Tricia Elam Walker
Illustrated by:
April Harrison
April Harrison
ISBN: 9780525581130
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
The Next President
By: Kate Messner
Illustrated by:
Adam Rex
Adam Rex
ISBN: 9781452174884
Nonfiction, History, 3-5 Grade
No True Believers
By: Rabiah York Lumbard
ISBN: 9780525644255
Fiction, Mystery / Thriller, 9-12 Grade
No Voice Too Small. Fourteen Young Americans Making History
By: Edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf , Keila V. Dawson, Jeanette Bradley
Illustrated by:
Jeanette Bradley
Jeanette Bradley
ISBN: 9781623541316
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 3-5 Grade
Normal. One Kid’s Extraordinary Journey
By: Magdalena Newman and Nathaniel Newman
Illustrated by:
Neil Swaab
Neil Swaab
ISBN: 9781328631831
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 6-8 Grade
Ohana Means Family
By: Ilima Loomis
Illustrated by:
Kenard Pak
Kenard Pak
ISBN: 9780823443260
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
The Oldest Student. How Mary Walker Learned to Read
By: Rita Lorraine Hubbard
Illustrated by:
Oge Mora
Oge Mora
ISBN: 9781524768287
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, K-5 Grade
On the Horizon
By: Lois Lowry
Illustrated by:
Kenard Pak
Kenard Pak
ISBN: 9780358129400
Nonfiction, History, 6-8 Grade
One Boy’s Choice. A Tale of the Amazon
By: Sueli Menezes
Illustrated by:
Anika Siems
Anika Siems
ISBN: 9781662650031
Fiction, Science, K-2 Grade
One Little Lot. The 1-2-3s of an Urban Garden
By: Diane C. Mullen
Illustrated by:
Oriol Vidal
Oriol Vidal
ISBN: 9781580898898
Fiction, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
The One with the Scraggly Beard
By: Elizabeth Withey
Illustrated by:
Lynn Scurfield
Lynn Scurfield
ISBN: 9781459818552
Fiction, Picture Book, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
Oscar’s American Dream
By: Barry Wittenstein
Illustrated by:
Kristen Howdeshell and Kevin Howdeshell
Kristen Howdeshell and Kevin Howdeshell
ISBN: 9780525707691
Fiction, Action / Adventure, K-5 Grade
Papa, Daddy, and Riley
By: Seamus Kirst
Illustrated by:
Devon Holzwarth
Devon Holzwarth
ISBN: 9781433832390
Fiction, Romance, K-2 Grade
The Paper Kingdom
By: Helena Ku Rhee
Illustrated by:
Pascal Campion
Pascal Campion
ISBN: 9780525644613
Fiction, Action / Adventure, K-2 Grade
The Pig War
By: Emma Bland Smith
Illustrated by:
Alison Jay
Alison Jay
ISBN: 9781684371716
Nonfiction, 4-6, History
A Place at the Table
By: Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
ISBN: 9780358116684
Fiction, Diversity, 3-8 Grade
Poisoned Water
By: Candy J. Cooper and Marc Aronson
ISBN: 9781547602322
Nonfiction, Health, 6-8 Grade
The Power of Her Pen. The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne
By: Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrated by:
John Parra
John Parra
ISBN: 9781481462891
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 3-5 Grade
The Power of One. Every Act of Kindness Counts
By: Trudy Ludwig
Illustrated by:
Mike Curato
Mike Curato
ISBN: 9781524771584
Fiction, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
Powwow. A Celebration through Song and Dance
By: Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane
ISBN: 9781459812345
Nonfiction, Diversity, 6-8 Grade
Radium Girls, Young Readers’ Edition
By: Kate Moore
ISBN: 9781728209470
Nonfiction, Health, 6-8 Grade
Respect. Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by:
Frank Morrison
Frank Morrison
ISBN: 9781534452282
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, K-2 Grade
Ritu Weds Chandni
By: Ameya Narvankar
Illustrated by:
Ameya Narvankar
Ameya Narvankar
ISBN: 9781949528947
Fiction, Romance, K-8 Grade
Saving Lady Liberty
By: Claudia Friddell
Illustrated by:
Stacy Innerst
Stacy Innerst
ISBN: 9781684371303
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 3-5 Grade
Saving Stella. A Dog’s Dramatic Escape from War
By: Bassel Abou Fakher and Deborah Blumenthal
Illustrated by:
Nadine Kaadan
Nadine Kaadan
ISBN: 9781547601332
Fiction, Historical Fiction, 3-5 Grade
The Secret Garden of George Washingon Carver
By: Gene Barretta
Illustrated by:
Frank Morrison
Frank Morrison
ISBN: 9780062430151
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, K-2 Grade
A Small History of a Disagreement
By: Claudio Fuentes
Illustrated by:
Gabriela Lyon
Gabriela Lyon
ISBN: 9781771647076
Fiction, Contemporary, 3-5 Grade
Sometimes People March
By: Tessa Allen
Illustrated by:
Tessa Allen
Tessa Allen
ISBN: 9780062991188
Nonfiction, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
Speak Up
By: Miranda Paul
Illustrated by:
Ebony Glenn
Ebony Glenn
ISBN: 9780358140962
Nonfiction, Contemporary, K-12 Grade
A Sporting Chance. How Ludwig Guttmann Created the Paralympic Games
By: Lori Alexander
Illustrated by:
Allan Drummond
Allan Drummond
ISBN: 9781328580795
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 6-8 Grade
Stamped. Racism Antiracism and You
By: Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
ISBN: 9780316453691
Fiction, Diversity, 9-12 Grade
Stand up! Speak Up! A Story Inspired by the Climate Change Revolution
By: Andrew Joyner
ISBN: 9780593301586
Fiction, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
Strong Voices. Fifteen American Speeches Worth Knowing
By: Tonya Bolden
Illustrated by:
Eric Valasquez
Eric Valasquez
ISBN: 9780062572042
Nonfiction, History, 6-12 Grade
Strongman. The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy
By: Kenneth C. Davis
ISBN: 9781250205643
Nonfiction, History, 6-8 Grade
The Suffragist Playbook. Your Guide to Changing the World
By: Lucinda Robb and Rebecca Roberts
ISBN: 9781536210330
Nonfiction, History, 6-8 Grade
Teatime Around the World
By: Denyse Waissbluth
Illustrated by:
Chelsea O'Byrne
Chelsea O'Byrne
ISBN: 9781771646017
Nonfiction, Action / Adventure, K-2 Grade
Thanks to Frances Perkins. Fighter for Workers’ Rights
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrated by:
Kristy Caldwell
Kristy Caldwell
ISBN: 9781682631362
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 3-5 Grade
This Light Between Us. A Novel of World War II
By: Andrew Fukuda
ISBN: 9781250192387
Fiction, Historical Fiction, 9-12 Grade
The True West
By: Mifflin Lowe
Illustrated by:
Wiliam Luong
Wiliam Luong
ISBN: 9781733633512
Nonfiction, History, 3-5 Grade
Unrig. How to Fix Our Broken Democracy (World Citizen Comics)
By: Daniel G. Newman
Illustrated by:
George O'Connor
George O'Connor
ISBN: 9781250295309
Nonfiction, Contemporary, 9-12 Grade
V is for Voting
By: Kate Farrell
Illustrated by:
Caitlin Kuhwald
Caitlin Kuhwald
ISBN: 9781250231253
Nonfiction, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
Voices of Justice. Poems about People Working for a Better World
By: George Ella Lyon
Illustrated by:
Jennifer M. Potter
Jennifer M. Potter
ISBN: 9781250263209
Nonfiction, Poetry, 3-5 Grade
We Are Power. How Nonviolent Activism Changes the World
By: Todd Hasak-Lowy
ISBN: 9781419741111
Nonfiction,, History, 6-8 Grade
We Are Water Protectors
By: Carole Lindstrom
Illustrated by:
Michaela Goade
Michaela Goade
ISBN: 9781250203557
Fiction, 4-6, Environment / Sustainability / Recycling
We The People. The United States Constitution Explored and Explained
By: Aura Lewis and Evan Sargent
Illustrated by:
Aura Lewis
Aura Lewis
ISBN: 9780711254046
Nonfiction, History, 3-5 Grade
When They Call You a Terrorist (Young Adult Edition)
By: Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele
ISBN: 9781250194985
Nonfiction, Diversity, 9-12 Grade
When We Are Kind
By: Monique Gray Smith
Illustrated by:
Nicole Neidhardt
Nicole Neidhardt
ISBN: 9781459825222
Fiction, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
Wherever I Go
By: Mary Wagley Copp
Illustrated by:
Munir D. Mohammed
Munir D. Mohammed
ISBN: 9781534419193
Fiction, Diversity, K-5 Grade
Woke. A Young Poet’s Call to Justice
By: Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Olivia Gatwood
Illustrated by:
Theodore Taylor III
Theodore Taylor III
ISBN: 9781250311207
Nonfiction, Poetry, 3-12 Grade
The Woman’s Hour (Adapted for Young Readers)
By: Elaine Weiss
ISBN: 9780593125182
Nonfiction, History, 6-8 Grade
Wood, Wire, Wings. Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane
By: Kirsten W. Larson
Illustrated by:
Tracy Subisak
Tracy Subisak
ISBN: 9781629799384
Nonfiction, Biography / Memoir, 3-5 Grade
Yes No Maybe So
By: Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
ISBN: 9780062937049
Fiction, Romance, 6-12 Grade
You Matter
By: Christian Robinson
Illustrated by:
Christian Robinson
Christian Robinson
ISBN: 9781534421691
Fiction, Contemporary, K-2 Grade
Your Name is a Song
By: Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Illustrated by:
Luisa Uribe
Luisa Uribe
ISBN: 9781943147724
Fiction, Diversity, K-2 Grade
