Inspire Important Life Skills with These 4 Children’s Books
Books significantly influence our children. They cultivate language skills, cognitive development, and emotional awareness. They also help children relate to their world.
The 4 children’s books listed below, published by Planting People Growing Justice Press as part of its 2025 Spring Book Collection, do all that and more! They inspire life skills and leadership potential, while relatable characters and positive messaging instill cultural pride and awareness.
Meet the Books
1) Akua Goes to the Post Office by Dr. Artika Tyner
Life Skill: The importance of written communication
Young readers join an inquisitive young girl and her family on a trip to the post office. They are introduced to how mail is sorted and delivered and learn how fun it can be to keep in touch by writing letters.
2) Kojo Goes to the Library by Dr. Artika Tyner
Life Skill: The importance of literacy and education
By following a bright young boy on his first trip to the library, young readers are introduced to the joy that can be found in the world of books, storytelling, and learning. They watch him as he gains a love for reading and realizes the power of knowledge.
3) Carl Walker: The Sound of Justice by Majeste Phillip
Life Skill: The importance of using your skills to uplift the community
Young readers meet a community leader who brought the joy of music to thousands of people of all ages. They learn how Walker West Academy gave students the musical skills to tell their own stories and a space to come together around music.
4) Shirley Chisholm: Champion for Change by Dr. Tonya Allen
Life Skill: The importance of courage and justice
By learning about the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, young readers are inspired to become difference-makers. They see how her legacy of change lives on and continues to inspire future leaders.
Create Extraordinary Impact
With the purchase of each book, a portion of the proceeds are donated to support Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute, a non-profit that utilizes the arts and humanities to promote literacy and diversity in children’s books. Since its inception in 2017, it has created quite an impact.
Working in partnership with PPGJ Press, it not only shares positive messaging through relatable characters but is building an ecosystem for new literary artists of all ages with its writing competitions. You can meet the youngest author, Zephaniah Martin, in this video to get a feel for how purchasing one of these books touches lives and creates positive change.
Learn More
The publisher, Planting People Growing Justice Press (PPGJ), is a traditional publishing house founded by Dr. Artika Tyner in the historic Black neighborhood of Rondo. It celebrates culture and history across the African diaspora while supporting youth leadership development.
The founder of the publishing house, Dr. Artika R. Tyner, is an award-winning author and nationally recognized civil rights attorney. She believes "leaders are readers," and that PPGJ books provide young leaders with the tools needed to make a difference in the world.
With its dedication to planting seeds of social change through the power of storytelling, PPGJ recently launched these books as part of its 2025 Spring Book Collection. The books are filled with vibrant illustrations that help bring the story to life and are written by Black authors. Because Black authors have declined considerably since 2020 and only 12% of children’s books feature Black characters, the value of this collection can not be overestimated.
To ensure the books reach a wide audience, they are also being distributed through Lerner Publishing Group, a leading name in children's and educational publishing.
Visit Planting People Growing Justice Online Bookstore today at https://www.ppgjbooks.com/. Whether the books are for your home, school, or library, you will be making a difference!