As conflicts over what is right and wrong, just and unjust, swirl over our cities, states and world, the jobs of parents and educators have gotten more daunting. How do we teach our kids to be compassionate and respectful but also ready to stand up for the defenseless? How do they that without resorting to hatred or violence?
Educating children on such rituals of democracy as using their voices, votes and right to peacefully protest are getting trickier. Standards for appropriate educational reading materials are the subjects of legislation and censorship attempts, and peaceful protests have gotten pushback from law enforcement.
But a beautiful new book by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, grippingly illustrated by Iowan Sue Cornelison, puts peaceful protest into inspiring context for kids. Called "Justice Is..." and labeled "a guide for young truth seekers," the Random House Kids title is aimed at 4- to 8-year-olds. It scored an Amazon Books No. 1 new-release rating for children's reference books.
