International children's picture books provide windows and mirrors for children and allow them to consider issues of fairness, justice, equity, diversity, and the common good as they build their nascent citizenship skills. One powerful pedagogy that supports the use of rich curriculum and thoughtful discussions is critical literacy, a subset of critical pedagogy, which asks students to take a critical stance while reading. The ideas presented here address the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies themes culture; time, continuity, and change; individual development and identity; and civic ideals and practices by exploring differing perspectives, cultural diversity, identity, and rights and responsibilities. Elementary teachers can use international children's picture book lessons to empower their students to recognize, consider, and respect others' perspectives.