Labor Day is more than the last hurrah before school starts, it is bigger than the last barbecue when the weather is still warm. It's not a day to generally celebrate professions and careers.
Labor Day is when we remember the sacrifices that working men and women made to advance the cause of workers' rights, labor fairness and labor safety in the United States.
Read these children's books about the history of solidarity, community organizations, labor unions and the fight for fair and safe working environments. These books teach kids about the past, but also help them draw parallels with today's labor issues.
Table of contents
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General Labor Day Books
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin. If you want to raise kids who won't let their future employers walk all over them, read them this modern classic about a group of determined barnyard animals who persevere to get what they want, despite a grumpy farmer. Ages 4 and up.
Undocumented: A Worker's Fight by Duncan Tonatiuh. This unique accordion-fold format picture book allows readers an entry into the lives of undocumented workers through the narrative a single individual. After the death of his father, Juan makes the dangerous journey north to live with an uncle and work in a restaurant. He meets others in his situation and becomes an advocate for workers' rights. Ages 8 and up.
Viva's Voice by Raquel Donoso, illustrated by Carlos Vélez Auiglera. Five-year-old Viva is loud and her bus-driving Papi is quiet. When Papi and his fellow union workers go on strike, Viva joins him on the picket line and uses her big, bold and confident voice to helps Papi find his. A touching story of both family and worker solidarity. Ages 5 and up.
MORE: Books about protest and civil disobedience
Labor History and Solidarity (United States)
The Only Woman in the Photo by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Alexandra Bye. Perkins was the first female Secretary of Labor. She worked closely with FDR to shape the New Deal and Social Security. Krull's lively text and Bye's colorful illustrations make what might be a tedious history lesson for young children into a fascinating story that will having them considering the impact her work still has on their own lives. Another excellent biography is Thanks to Frances Perkins by Deborah Hopkins. Ages 6 and up.
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Clara comes to NYC dirt poor but full of grit. She works a miserable, backbreaking job at a garment factory. An extraordinary individual, she taught herself to read and led the largest walkout of women workers in U.S. history, despite being beaten and jailed for participating in labor strikes. Markel tells a valuable story of the history of women workers and the importance of fair labor practices. It is a story which still resonates today. Ages 5 and up.
MORE: Picture book biographies about women activists
Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers by Sarah Warren, illustrated by Robert Casilla. Warren portrays Huerta in her many roles from a teacher to parent to protester and more. Her strength and determination to improve the lives of farmworkers motivated her to help organize a strike so they could achieve better working conditions and fair treatment under the law. End notes include excellent supplemental information. Ages 6 and up.
MORE: Books about civil rights
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. In early 1968, two black sanitation workers were killed as a result of faulty machinery, leading to labor strikes. Several months later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came on to the scene to help, and on April 3 delivered his last notable speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop." Duncan narrates the story through the voice of a 9-year-old girl, with the text alternating between verse and prose. Historical details and sources are included. Ages 7 and up.
MORE: Books about Martin Luther King, Jr.
¡SÃ, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can! by Diana Cohn, illustrated by Francisco Delgado, is inspired by a real life janitor strike in 2000. The story centers on Carlitos, whose mother is a night janitor for a Los Angeles skyscraper. I like the family moments, like when mama tucks Carlitos into bed every night before she goes to work. It personalizes the story so kids will be able to relate to the characters, even if they may never find themselves in a similar economic situation. Mama helps to organize the janitor strike, and a passionate Carlitos who "loves his mama" gets involved. A bilingual book. Ages 5 and up.
Which Side are You On? The Story of a Song by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Christopher Cardinale. Florence Reese wrote the titular 1931 song and it has become a ballad sung worldwide in support of workers' rights. Florence's husband was a coal miner and the story of the coal miners' strike is told through the eyes of Florence's daughter. I recommend this book for ages 8 and up because of the depiction of the gun fire that was rained down on the miners. Still, it is an important story that deserves to be remembered.
Kid Blink Beats the World by Dan Brown. Kids will enjoy this book about the newspaper boys and girls who went on strike in 1899. The newsies were protesting the attempt by the big newspaper publishers to squeeze more money from them. Brown has written a lively story that is wonderfully effective at explaining the economics of what a penny might mean to the working class, and the story's conclusion teaches the importance of compromise between labor and business. Ages 5 and up.
MORE: Historical fiction picture books
The Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCully. In 1830s New England young women toiled at the textile mills under harsh conditions. 10-year-old Rebecca, whose mother runs a boarding house for the girls who work in the mills, is one of them. Rebecca observes harsh working conditions, poor wages and compassion-less employers. However, she also witnesses the strength of women banning together to protest against the mill owners and fight for fair labor practices. Ages 6 and up.
On Our Way to Oyster Bay by Monica Kulling, illustrated by Felicita Sala. This is the story of a march led by labor organizer, Mother Jones. In 1903, Mother Jones organized a children's march to Oyster Bay, the home of then-president Theodore Roosevelt, to bring awareness to the plight of children working in the textile mills. Two young children narrate the journey, from making the signs, to camping out, to meeting and learning from others along the way. Ages 7 and up.
A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. I was quite disappointed to find that there is no picture book about the Pullman porters for elementary aged kids! It is such an important moment in the history of labor. After the Civil War, former slaves went to work as porters on sleeper cars. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was the first major black labor union who went up against their unfair treatment by the railroad magnates. A. Phillip Randolph led a tireless battle that lasted for 12 years. This account is excellent and includes fascinating photographs and first hand accounts. Ages 11 and up.
MORE: Books about African-American history
Picture Books about Labor - Outside the U.S.
The following books about child labor are good conversation starters about the present day problem of child labor around the world.
Yasmin's Hammer by Ann Malaspina, illustrated by Doug Chayka. In Bangladesh, Yasmin would prefer to go to school, but she must work to help her family. All day long, while she hammers at bricks, Yasmin dreams about what she would like to do if she could go to school. Yasmin and her sister both work in the brickyard in the hot sun, as the boss lounges under and umbrella. Yasmin's determination to make extra money just to buy a book is inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. Ages 5 and up.
I Like, I Don't Like by Anna Baccelliere, illustrated by Ale + Ale. With its spare text this book speaks volumes. Contrasting images illustrate the differences between the privileged child's life and the life of child who must work. "I like rice" shows a child enjoying meal. "I don't like rice" depicts a child working in a rice field. This is an excellent early book to help children gain perspective and empathy. Ages 4 and up.
MORE: Books that teach compassion
Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan/Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan: Two Stories of Bravery by Jeanette Winter is actually two books in one. Both extraordinary protagonists figure in the fight for the rights of children. Iqbal fought for child-labor rights in Pakistan but was tragically shot and killed at the age of 12. The stories are well written with simple, yet effective text but parents may decide the seriousness of the subject matter means this book is best for older kids. Ages 6 and up.
Novels (ages 9 and up)
Three Strike Summer by Skyler Schrempp. In the 1930s, the Dust Bowl claims Gloria's family farm. Gloria and her parents head for California to work as agricultural laborers in the hope of earning enough to buy their own land again. They find work in a peach orchard but what Gloria really wants is to play baseball. However, first she must find a way to convince the boys to let her play on the secret orchard team. Meanwhile, her father is organizing a labor strike, which has unexpected consequences. Ages 9 and up.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. In the 1930s, Esperanza and her family live on a ranch in Mexico. When tragedy strikes, she and her mother make a risky escape to Southern California, where they become farm workers. Although Muñoz Ryan explores historical topics like the Great Depression, farm worker's rights and labor organization, minority status, this is ultimately a story about how a girl from a privileged background grows in maturity and understanding. Ages 9 and up.
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez. 11-year-old Tyler’s Vermont family farm is in trouble and in order to make ends meet they hire a family of undocumented workers. One of the girls is Tyler’s age and the two become friends, learning from each other. The is a wonderful book that addresses what it means to have compassion for others, the meaning of family and what it means to be honest. The narration alternates between Tyler’s perspective and letters written by Mari. Ages 9 and up.
The Thing about Luck by Cynthia Kadobata. This year, Summer's parents are in Japan and so she and her brother, Jaz, and her grandparents travel with their fellow wheat harvesters from Kansas to Texas and Oklahoma. Summer's narration includes fascinating descriptions of how the harvest is brought in and her experience reveals a lifestyle that is hidden from most American children. When Summer's grandparents are too ill to help, the 12-year-old draws upon her own strength to help bring in the wheat when a crucial deadline looms. Ages 9 and up.
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