What Walls Are for

Climbing walls, invisible walls, word walls, playground walls . . . border walls. This timely book leads young readers through an empathetic exploration of how border walls are used in terms they can easily understand. While we, as parents, may not be prone to talk to our children about contemporary political issues, kids nevertheless cannot help hearing about the border wall debate everywhere they turn-and they understand much more than we sometimes give them credit for. If we are listening to the latest news on the border policy debate, they cannot help picking up on some of it too. Be it President Donald Trump on the television, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the radio, or Senator Bernie Sanders on YouTube, kids-like the rest of us-are bombarded on all sides by discussions about walls, walls, walls. This lavishly illustrated, multicultural book provides a refreshing approach to the border wall conversation by encouraging children to see themselves in those who live on the other side of the walls we build around our borders, our minds, and our hearts. What Walls Are For helps kids understand what's important about the border wall issue and, in so doing, helps them come to terms with what it means to be an immigrant, a citizen, a participant in history, and a member of the global family called humanity.