Oh, The Things We're For!

by Innosanto Nagara

Overview

A new book by the author of A is for Activist is a rhyming, boldly illustrated vision of a better world.

When you go to a march
And raise your sign high
You'll make people smile
who thought you were shy
And you'll make people wonder, does that kid really know why?
You DO know of course
That's why you are there
You're there to say STOP!
What's happening's not fair

Then they say,
we know what you're against
End poverty stop war...
But okay
then what are you for?

Oh! What are we for!
That's my favorite question
And I'm sure it's yours too
Because you pay attention
You have so many answers
And so many options
And so many solutions that you want to impart
The only hard question is where does one start?

Oh, The Things We're For! is a celebration of the better world that is not only possible, but is here today if we choose it. Today's kids are well aware of the many challenges that they face in a world they are inheriting, from climate change to police violence, crowded classrooms to healthcare. Poetically written and beautifully illustrated in Innosanto Nagara's (A is for Activist) signature style, this book offers a vision of where we could go—and a future worth fighting for. Oh, the Things We're For! is a book for kids, and for the young at heart of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781644210147
Publisher:	Seven Stories Press
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Pages:	36
Sales rank:	1,143,009
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

INNOSANTO NAGARA's new-wave board books encourage children to grow up with confidence in themselves, and to be proactive citizens who are passionate about causes from environmental issues to LGBTQ rights and civil rights. Nagara was born and raised in Indonesia, and moved to the US in 1988. After studying zoology and philosophy at UC Davis, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he worked as a graphic designer for a range of social change organizations, before founding the Design Action Collective, a worker-owned cooperative design studio in Oakland, California.

Editorial Reviews

08/24/2020

With Seussian rhyme, Nagara crafts a progressive call-to-arms about social justice topics, including universal health care, climate change, free public education, and prison abolition. Utilizing a framing device—a child questioned by skeptics—Nagara walks readers through a rhythmic summation of contemporary issues. Busily colorful digital art combines textures, gradients, and typography, reinforcing the energy with which Nagara conveys the necessity of standing up for various rights. Though the book meanders across a wide range of topics, and the rhyme prizes levity over clarity (“Look up! you exclaim./ What do you see?/ A HUGE ball of plasma!/ Clean energy for free!”), this primer offers a useful starting point for readers seeking to begin conversations about social justice. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Nagara’s direct, pragmatic approach to activism for a child audience reaches new levels of specificity and real-world application in this book ... Vibrant colors infuse Nagara’s expressive, textured illustrations, which feature a diverse range of humans, protest signs, and symbolic as well as literal depictions of societal issues and potential solutions.... An accessible, all-too-timely manifesto for young activists (and everyone else)." —Kirkus Reviews

"With Seussian rhyme, Nagara crafts a progressive call-to-arms about social justice topics, including universal health care, climate change, free public education, and prison abolition. Utilizing a framing device—a child questioned by skeptics—Nagara walks readers through a rhythmic summation of contemporary issues. Busily colorful digital art combines textures, gradients, and typography, reinforcing the energy with which Nagara conveys the necessity of standing up for various rights. Though the book meanders across a wide range of topics, and the rhyme prizes levity over clarity (“Look up! you exclaim./ What do you see?/ A HUGE ball of plasma!/ Clean energy for free!”), this primer offers a useful starting point for readers seeking to begin conversations about social justice." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2020-07-28
Rhyming Seuss-esque verse paired with striking posterlike illustrations calls readers to action.

Nagara’s direct, pragmatic approach to activism for a child audience reaches new levels of specificity and real-world application in this book: “Let’s also be clear that harm has been done. / Futures were stolen by sword and by gun. / We can’t flip a switch / and say that we’re there. / A history of injustice / takes more to repair.” Vibrant colors infuse Nagara’s expressive, textured illustrations, which feature a diverse range of humans, protest signs, and symbolic as well as literal depictions of societal issues and potential solutions. A double-page spread composed entirely of overlapping words and phrases such as “DISABILITY ACCESS,” “WILDERNESS PRESERVES,” “CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE EDUCATION,” and “INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGNTY!” invites further research and discussion. The cover features a child with chin-length curly black hair, black eyes, and brown skin posed like the iconic Rosie the Riveter, and, although the visual narrative does not center or even name any characters, this child and several other figures do reappear throughout. Observant readers may connect textual examples to current events. The book concludes with a blank page for readers to list their own solutions to further the causes they support; no resources for further reading or discussion are included. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.3-by-16.8-inch double-page spreads viewed at 68% of actual size.)

An accessible, all-too-timely manifesto for young activists (and everyone else). (Picture book. 4-10)

Kirkus Reviews