Oh, the Things We're For!

by Innosanto Nagara

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.

Collected in

Stand Up For What's Right!The Best of Innosanto Nagara Give the gift of leftist literature.LGBTQ Liberation - More than just Pride Month

Buying options

Hardback

$17.95

Publish Date: 2020-10-06

ISBN: 9781644210147

Pages: 56

Not available

Ebook

Publish Date: 2020-10-06

ISBN: 9781644210154

Pages:

“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... [T]his primer offers a useful starting point for readers seeking to begin conversations about social justice.”

– 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

Children’s book author and illustrator Innosanto Nagara’s 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. Born and raised in Indonesia, Inno moved to the US in 1988. After studying zoology and philosophy at UC Davis, Inno moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, working as a graphic designer for a range of social change organizations before founding the Design Action Collective, a worker-owned cooperative design studio. Inno lives in Oakland in a cohousing community with nine adults and eight kids.

Inno’s first book, A is for Activist, started a movement in social justice book publishing for children. After it came Counting on Community, then My Night in the Planetarium and The Wedding Portrait. M is for Movement is the fifth title written and illustrated by Innosanto Nagara.

Inno’s books stand in solidarity with people of all ages, races, gender identifications, and backgrounds. They suggest that your family isn’t only yourself and your parents but also the community in which you live, the histories of those around you, and the natural environment on which we depend for our food and water and air. The ideas in Inno’s books may sometimes sound controversial, but they speak to us in a language that is pure common sense and in tune with our natural wishes and inclinations as human beings.