The 2025 Social Justice Children’s Book Fair was a blast! Over 50 vendors, panels, storytime, activities, music, an award, and more! Thanks to our partners, The Conscious Kid and the Juvenile Justice Literacy Project, thousands of books were also donated to Oakland Schools and other bay area community libraries and organizations.
If you missed it, navigate over to our YouTube channel to get a taste of the day, watch some of the panels, and see the videos about the award recipients.
And it’s not too late to get books from the fair! Check out our shop on bookshop.org:
Social Justice Children’s Books operates on a shoestring budget. Help us build this movement by making a tax-deductible donation. And keep in touch! We will be doing a lot more in 2026, so be the first to know by signing up for updates.
2025 SOCIAL JUSTICE CHILDREN’S BOOK FAIR
2025 Participants
- Ajuan Mance
- Alejandra Domenzain
- Alphabet Rockers
- Angelo Monsalve
- Avy Jetter
- Aya de Leon
- Booki Vivat
- Brook M. Thompson
- Charlotte Cheng
- Crystel Patterson
- Gloo Books/ Karen Chan
- Hayley Diep
- Innosanto Nagara
- JaNay Brown-Wood
- Jill Guerra
- Jin Rou
- Joanna Ho
- John Casselberry
- Justine Villanueva/ Sawaga River press
- Khalid White
- Laura Atkins
- Lena Fuentes
- Mackenzie Lee Foster
- Madeline Connor
- Maggie Owsley
- Maggie Tokuda-Hall
- Malik Sickstein
- Mariah Parivizi
- Michael Genhart
- Meera Sriram
- Meredith Steiner
- Mona Damluji
- Nancy Kay
- Natasha Triplett
- Paige Mason
- PM Press
- Reflection Press (Maya and Matthew)
- Robert M. Alexander
- Robert Liu-Trujillo
Organizations: Children’s Fairyland, Mrs Dalloway’s Bookstore, Oakland Literacy Coalition, Oakland Public Library, and Reading Partners,
2025 Artwork
The original artwork for the 2025 Fair was created by Maya Gonzalez. Maya Gonzalez is an award-winning children’s book artist, author, activist, publisher, and progressive educator. AND Maya is one of the founding members of the Social Justice Children’s Book Fair! We were excited to have her work as the face of this year’s fair.
Artist Statement
When I first moved to San Francisco 30 years ago, one of the first things I saw painted on the side of a building was “A PEOPLE SHOULD NOT LONG FOR THEIR OWN IMAGE.” In that moment, I realized why I had come here. I had longing. Not just to “see” myself reflected in the world, but to “belong” so much so that my own image was something common, not unexpected or abnormal. San Francisco fast became home.
Claiming Face and what that represents has been a lifelong journey for me as a Chicanx, queer femme creative and I’m nowhere near done! One day I know all of us fabulous queerdos of color, from the youngest to the most elderly will be flying the skies knowing that our core selves belong here now, forever. It always begins with making sure our kids are free and free and free again. Home makes that possible. Make art. Be free. xomaya
