A great read for younger student's introducing them to the concept of racism. When Ella doesn't fit into her cousins hand-me-down shoes, Ella and her mother have to go to the shop for them. Ella has to wait for a white girl and her father to try on shoes before the clerk helps Ella and her mother. Ella isn't allowed to try on shoes because of the color of her skin. This makes Ella sad, so she and her cousin have the idea to make their own shoe shop where anyone who comes in can try on shoes. I enjoy that this book shows Ella and her cousin fighting for something they believe in and working together to make a difference in other peoples lives. I also think that this is a great book to share with students to show that just because segregation ended, it doesn't mean that everyone is treated equally. A great read aloud for students of all ages! ( )

After years of hand-me-downs, Ella Mae’s older cousin's shoes are too small for her. She gets to get brand new shoes at Johnson’s! However, she is shocked when her mother must trace her feet with a pencil onto paper and that she can’t try on the shoes before they buy them. Why? She discovers her friends at school have had the same experiences. Yet, the white girl who arrived after she and her mother did was able to try on shoes. This book is unapologetically anti-racist because it tells what it was like for black people to buy clothing that they could not try on and how the schools are segregated by race, both by law.

The book is about a young girl who visits a shoe shop to buy a new pair of shoes. When they get there, they experience discrimination by the owner. As a result, the girl begins to make her own shoe shop for those in her community. This is a great book because it is empowering for girls to read about what the character in the story accomplished. She was able to overcome injustices and find a way to make good come out of the situation. This would be a great read aloud for 1st to 3rd graders. ( )

This story is about two African-American girls who face discrimination in a shoe store when they aren't allowed to try on the shoes, so they start their own business where people can pay 10 cents and donate an old pair of shoes for a new pair. This book highlights the real discrimination that African-American people faced through the beautiful story of fictional characters. This book would be appropriate for intermediate readers. ( )

The story of two girls who find a clever way to confront the discrimination they face when trying to buy new shoes in the segregated South. Author’s Note.