About the Books
City Above the Clouds was written and illustrated by Gabriel Shen, then a 7th-grader at the Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the book, Lulu helps other creatures learn about their rights while making a city child-friendly.
From Our Hearts explores the relationship of three friends who are determined to help one another—and learn about their rights in the process. Written and illustrated by then 7th-graders Roisin Amador Fitzgerald and Amelia Colburn of Blake Middle School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the students have shared their book with their Early Learning Center and other reading buddies.
Notes for the Narwhal: This engaging story about an adventurous narwhal out to learn about child rights was written by then 7th-grader Gabriel Shen and English teacher Erica Boulay-Ali, both of Blake Middle School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They involved sixth-graders as illustrators, who were also learning about their rights, so the book features a range of the younger students’ original drawings.
About the Project
Middle and High School Students Develop Picture Books on Child Rights for Younger Students
As the movement grows to ensure that U.S. young people experience the rights of all other children in the world, middle school students in Minneapolis have been developing picture books about child rights for younger students.
Many people don’t realize that the U.S. is the only country in the United Nations (of 193 member states) not to have adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely adopted U.N. treaty. To ensure that U.S. students are not left out of this global movement, an option to participate at the city level is being advanced by UNICEF USA. This initiative is “Child Friendly Cities” and Minneapolis is one of the first in the U.S. to make this commitment, joining approximately 3,000 other cities around the globe.
In January 2025, Kristi Rudelius-Palmer and Maddy Wegner, HRE USA Minnesota Regional Representatives, presented to 350 Minneapolis-based Blake Middle School students on the Children Friendly Cities initiative and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Lisa Sackreiter, Blake Middle Schools’ Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement, coordinated the effort. A year later (Feb. 2026), the HRE USA Minnesota Regional Representatives were asked to present again for the 6th grade class with a further link to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. .
Following the first presentation in early 2025, middle school students then developed and illustrated books that illuminate the idea that all children everywhere exercise these 54 articles. These books were created through the Service Club time during after school hours. Lisa and Maddy worked to support the student in the book development process. The entire process took nearly a year as the books were published in January 2026. Support from Blake Middle School and the Van Sloun Foundation enabled the three books to be printed.
In March 2026, the three Children’s Rights books were brought to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Library to be added into the Human Rights Education Collection in Geneva, Switzerland. They will soon be posted here – https://searchlibrary.ohchr.org/
The next phase of this Children’s Rights Book Project included dissemination through reading to younger buddies in the Blake Schools and distribution throughout the Reach Out and Read (ROR) family literacy program to Minneapolis pediatric health clinics.
This program makes the books accessible to 2-5 year olds through the “well child” visits at Minneapolis clinics and hospitals. ROR has been working with the Child Friendly Cities – Minneapolis initiative since 2023.
Link to English/Language Arts Standards: The book-writing and -illustrating process is a “whole language” strategy, incorporating English/Language Arts skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and exchanging ideas. It is grounded in the writing process – the idea that students learn how to plan and draft multiple versions of a piece of writing for an intended audience, revise, and edit before publishing.
Next Steps: While the pilot program has had a successful launch, next steps include:
- Uploading student authors’ readings of their books to the Human Rights Educators USA website (hreusa.org);
- Developing lesson plans for the HRE USA website so that other teachers, globally, can develop with their students more books on child rights by young people;
- Translating the current (pilot) books into multiple languages;
- Fundraising for further printings; and
- Offering training to other educators in book development.
Examples of Child Rights: These rights are for young people under age 18, and are often grouped into the categories of promotion, protection, and prevention. Examples of promotion include the right to a name, nation, and identity; education; participation and voice; health; leisure, play, and culture; identity and family life. The prevention and protection categories include protection from violence and abuse, exploitation, trafficking; the use of illegal drugs; and fair treatment within the justice system. All actions must be in the “best interests of the child.”
Books (PDF)
Video Recordings
City Above the Clouds: https://youtu.be/5iqPijtmq34
From Our Hearts: https://youtu.be/GAUCCQmIIyI
Notes for the Narwhal: https://youtu.be/bmFyKuFjYmI
The Curriculum: Child Rights Picture Book Making Project
Children’s Rights and Anti-racist Book Club list
Show Your Support For the CRC!
As part of the Every Child, Every Right Campaign in celebration of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), HRE USA invites you to upload and share a short video answering the question:
Why is the CRC important to you and/or your community?
or
What actions are you and/or your community taking to support the CRC?
Please share any thoughts, actions, or ideas that will inspire others to promote children’s rights! Videos should be no longer than 2 minutes.
HRE USA 