'The Wedding Portrait' explains activism for a young audience

'The Wedding Portrait' by Innosanto Nagara
'The Wedding Portrait' by Innosanto Nagara
Courtesy of publisher

Every week, The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. This week, we spoke with Sara Luce Look from Charis Books & More in Atlanta, Ga.

Innosanto Nagara first caught readers' attentions with his colorful board book, "A is for Activist," which explains civil rights, social justice and activism for kids as young as two.

He's back with a new book, "The Wedding Portrait," which bookseller Sara Luce Look instantly fell in love with.

"It made me cry about three times, and I just read it again this morning and I cried again," Luce Look said.

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The book is centered around a wedding portrait taken at a protest against nuclear war. "The couple had met at a protest, so they decided to get married at a protest. They got married, and got arrested, along with the entire wedding party."

"In the book, it talks about why [this couple] has the portrait up on the wall, and it talks about why sometimes you need to break the rules: You need to break the rules to protest things that are wrong."

The picture book goes on to offer kids "explanations about segregation, civil disobedience, direct action — and it uses real-life examples." It covers Claudette Colvin, Rosa Parks and others, all the way up to modern figures who have been involved in protest movements.

"When I read it, I wanted to show it to every customer who walked through the door."

The Wedding Portrait The Wedding Portrait