New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer, illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Holiday House, 2015. 40 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8

Recommended for: Ages 4-8

It’s difficult for contemporary children to really “get” the effects of segregation and Jim Crow laws in the South in the first half of the twentieth century. But contemporary children readily understand the trials of constantly outgrowing their shoes! Meyer takes this common experience to illustrate just how insidious these laws were: back in the day, African Americans couldn’t try on shoes before buying! As a result, if an older sibling’s hand-me-down shoes didn’t fit, the child and parent simply picked out what looked closest from the store and brought it home, hoping for the best. Ella Mae and her best friend Charlotte are tired of this injustice; together they come up with a plan that, through hard work and creativity, solves their problem and brings their community together. Velasquez’s illustrations appear as static portraits as if a theatrical production has been frozen in time in various scenes. All in all, this is an interesting read and a good way to illustrate the effects of racism on a child’s level.

Cautions: none

Overall Rating: 4 (out of 5)

• Worldview Rating: 4
• Artistic Rating: 4

Categories: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, History, Multicultural, 3 stars
Cover image from Amazon
A free copy was received from the publisher for a fair review.