Stonewall : A Building, an Uprising, a Revolution by Rob Sanders - ADVISABLE

Stonewall : A Building, an Uprising, a Revolution by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Jamey Christoph. PICTURE BOOK/NON FICTION. Random House, 2019. $18. 9781524719524

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Greenwich Village has always been a great place, the creative center of New York City. 2 old buildings, built in the 1840s and joined together in the 1930s became the Stonewall Inn in the 1960s, welcoming all different kinds of people, especially the LGBTQ+ community. When intolerance turned into repeated police raids, the community stepped in, and the Stonewall Uprising began. It lasted for several days and nights, the police had never seen anything like it. Today, June 28th marks the anniversary of Stonewall, and people all over the world celebrate the movement for LGBTQ+ rights. 

The Stonewall Uprising is a complicated topic, but Rob Sanders has condensed and retold the story simply and with respect. Jamey Christoph's illustrations are expressive and compliment the story well. Taking this movement to a picture book audience leaves out a lot, so hopefully it will spark discussions and interest to find out more.

Lisa Librarian