Picture book · Nonfiction

Separate Is Never Equal

Duncan Tonatiuh

About the book

The story of Sylvia Mendez and her family's legal fight to end school segregation of Mexican-American children in California in the 1940s.

Reading notes

Connects to civil-rights history and introduces Mendez v. Westminster; author's note provides further context.

This description was drafted with AI assistance and checked by a separate AI review against catalog, publisher and award sources on 2026-11-11. It has not been reviewed by a human editor. Report an error.

Recognition

  • Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor (2015)

Recognition is listed from the awarding bodies’ published records. How we verify awards.

Book details

Author
Duncan Tonatiuh
First published
2014
Suggested ages
Ages 6–10 (editorial estimate — children vary)
Reading mode
Best read aloud
Topics
civil rights, school, hispanic heritage
Edition shown
ISBN 9781613126332 · Abrams, Inc., 2014
Catalog record
Open Library work record · edition record

Metadata verified against Open Library on 2026-11-11. Other editions and formats exist; ISBNs differ by edition.

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