Little Champions of Justice

Little Champions of Justice tells the true stories of eight remarkable girls and boys from around the world whose courage, determination and sense of justice have made the world a better place.

This book was recommended to me by my dear friend, mother and educator, Linden Qualls, who raved about it. She explained that it started out a Kickstarter project that was supported by people all over the world.

The stories are about influential Baha’is from around the world, but they are told from a child’s point of view. Only two of the stories directly mention the Faith, but all of them demonstrate a Baha’i spirit in action.

This beautifully produced hard-bound book is an appropriate gift for families with children in the 6-10 year range, as well as schools, libraries and educators of young children.

These are not really biographies. They are fictionalized vignettes from the lives of these people from when they were children. The vignettes capture moments of transformation that shaped the direction of their lives. At the end of the stories there are a few sentences that tell more about the adult accomplishments of the children in the stories. Each story is two pages long and beautifully illustrated.

One of the things I like most about it, is that it shows how small actions early in life can be built upon to make big changes in the future. Children don’t have to accomplish great acts in order to become great. Lots of little acts add up over time to create great people. This gives children the idea that they, too, can accomplish great things by being kind, courageous and persistent on a daily basis.

Stories include:

Tahirih (Poet)

Ronald McNair (astronaut)

Nhlumba Bertha Mkhize (South African civil rights worker)

Richard St. Barbe Baker (the man of the trees)

Helen Elsie Austin (Lawyer and Baha’i Pioneer)

Martin Manga (Baha’i Pioneer, story about generosity)

Magdalene Carney (Civil Rights worker)

Malietoa Tanumafili II (King of Samoa)