Some of Us
A Story of Citizenship and the United States
by Rajani LaRocca
illustrated by Huy Voun Lee
Christy Ottaviano Books (Little, Brown), 2025. 32 pages.
Review written September 24, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review
Some of Us is a simple explanation, in picture book form, of what it means to be an American citizen and how people can become American citizens. The writing is easy to understand, suitable for early elementary age children, and lovely and lyrical.
Here’s the beginning, which covers three spreads, accompanied by pictures of a wide variety of people:
Some of us are born American.
Some choose.We may come from across the world,
or quite nearby.
Some of us are babies, carried in hopeful arms;
some are six, or sixteen, or sixty.We leave the countries of our birth and come here
by boat, and plane,
and car,
and train,
and foot.
The book talks about different reasons people come, including some pictures of notable immigrants, but also covering those fleeing war, oppression, and poverty. It talks about the food and culture immigrants bring with them, and the good things they do to contribute to their new communities.
Then it covers the process of becoming a naturalized citizen for those who choose to do so, and the difficult process of studying, with a test and an interview.
And then we take an oath –
not to the president,
not to Congress,
but to the ideals of the United States:
freedom, justice, peace, equality.
She then talks about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and concludes with fireworks in the background:
Some of us are born to it.
Some of us choose.
And we are all American.
In the five pages of back matter, the author tells how she became a naturalized citizen when she was fifteen. There are links to more information, but also a page titled “Beyond Citizenship: The Rights of All People,” quoting the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I wish this book weren’t so needed right now – but it is a lovely resource for any time period. It helps children understand, simply and clearly, what citizenship is, how people get it, and what it means.
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Nonfiction/some_of_us.html
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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