Every Day Is Malala Day

Gr 2–4—This picture gallery from the president of Plan Canada, an organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children in developing countries, opens with a photo and brief introduction to Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani student who was shot for her outspoken support of girls' education. Each page features an evocative, captioned image, such as a barefoot child bride in wedding finery and a single girl, dressed in pink, surrounded by glaring boys in blue. Addressed to Malala, the simple text reads like an admiring letter to this articulate and inspiring spokesperson for social justice. Though readers may come away assuming that the subjects in the photographs actually spoke these words, the "Acknowledgements" page clarifies that, in fact, Plan Canada produced a film depicting girls from all over the world writing to Malala; images from Plan's own collection were chosen to illustrate the girls' words. Back matter includes photo credits, author acknowledgements, and excerpts from Malala's July 2013 speech to the United Nations, which ended with the words, "One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world." An effective introduction to an important social justice issue.—Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL