Celebrate Black History Month!

Today I am sharing some great picture books to read for Black History Month.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

The People Could Fly: The Picture Book by Virginia Hamilton
In this retelling of a folktale, a group of slaves, unable to bear their sadness and starvation any longer, calls upon the African magic that allows them to fly away.

Let Freedom Sing by Vanessa Newton
Adapts the lyrics of the song "This Little Light of Mine" to a look at how African-American men and women have let their own lights shine to make a better world.

Happy to Be Nappy by Bell Hook
Celebrates the joy and beauty of nappy hair.

Steamboat School by Deborah Hopkinson
In 1847 St. Louis, Missouri, when a new law against educating African Americans forces Reverend John to close his school, he finds an ingenious solution to the new state law by moving his school to a steamboat in the Mississippi River.


More Books --
Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds
A Band of Angels: A Story Inspired by the Jubilee Singers by Deborah Hopkinson
The Beatitudes by Carole Boston Weatherford
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses: A True Story by Julius Lester
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem's Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Boycott Blues: How Rosa Inspired a Nation by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Bring on That Beat! by Rachel Isadora
Bring Me Some Apples and I'll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis by Robbin Gourley
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by  Janice Harrington
Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
Flossie & the Fox by Patricia McKissack
Goggles by Ezra Jack Keats
I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes
Just Like Josh Gibson by Angela Johnson
Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
The Legendary Miss Lena Horne by Carole Boston Weatherford
Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia McKissack
Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest
The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes
The New Person by Lauren Child
The Piano Man by Debbi Chocolate
Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis by Jabari Asim
The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pat Zietlow Miller
Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Jangles -- Think of That! by Leo Dillon
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
Sister Anne's Hands by Marybeth Lorbiecki
Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson by Sharon Robinson
Uptown by Bryan Collier
Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka


Check these and more picture books for Black History Month out on display at the Arnold Branch through March 9, 2018.

Stories in Black and White

One of the big stories with last night's Oscars ceremony was the lack of African-American nominees.  This was upsetting considering how many great acting performances were given by African Americans this past year.  So, I want to draw attention to some great teen books featuring African American characters . . . .

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson is shot to death, his community is thrown into an uproar because Tariq was black and the shooter, Jack Franklin, is white, and in the aftermath everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events agree.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
In 1845, Sammy, a Chinese American girl, and Annamae, an African American slave girl, disguise themselves as boys and travel on the Oregon Trail to California from Missouri.

Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein
Having moved to Ethiopia to avoid the prejudices of 1930s America, Emilia Menotti, her black adoptive brother Teo, and their mother Rhoda, a stunt pilot, are devoted to their new country even after war with Italy looms, drawing the teens into the conflict.

Fake ID by Lamar Giles
An African-American teen in the Witness Protection Program moves to a new town and finds himself trying to solve a murder mystery when his first friend is found dead.

Jimi & Me by Jaime Adoff
After his father's tragic death, twelve-year-old Keith James moves from Brooklyn to a small midwestern town where his mixed race heritage is not accepted, but he finds comfort in the music of Jimi Hendrix and the friendship of a white classmate.


More Books --
Black and White by Paul Volponi
Boy21 by Matthew Quick
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper
Dancer by Lorri Hewett
Fabulous by Simone Bryant
Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser
Invasion! by Walter Dean  Myers
Kendra by Coe Booth
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
Money Hungry by Sharon Flake
My Name Is Not Friday by Jon Walter
New Boy by Julian Houston
The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz


Check out these books on display through March, 18, 2015.

Books for Black History Month

During this Black History Month, share one of the following great books focusing on the African-American experience with your child . . . .

Just Like Josh Gibson by Angela Johnson
A young girl's grandmother tells her of her love for baseball and the day they let her play in the game even though she was a girl.

This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt
Presents an introduction to jazz music and nine well-known jazz musicians, set to the rhythm of the traditional song, "This Old Man." Includes brief facts about each musician.

Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds
From the back of the bus, an African American child watches the arrest of Rosa Parks.

Goggles by Ezra Jack Keats
Two boys must outsmart the neighborhood bullies before they can enjoy their new treasure, a pair of lensless motorcycle goggles.

Light in the Darkness by Lisa Cline-Ransome
Risking a whipping if they are discovered, Rosa and her mama sneak away from their slave quarters during the night to a hidden location in a field where they learn to read and write in a pit school.


More Books for Black History Month --
Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Be Boy Buzz by Bell Hooks
The Beautitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights by Carole Boston Weatherford
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses by Julius Lester
Bring on That Beat by Rachel Isadora
Coming on Home Soon by  Jacquline Woodson
Ellen's Broom by Kelly Starling Lyons
Flossie and the Fox by Pat McKissack
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen LEvine
I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes
In the Time of Drums by Kim L. Siegelson
Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty
The Listeners by Gloria Whelan
Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers
Mirandy and Brother Wind by Pat McKissack
Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton
The Piano Man by Deborah Chocolate
Pictures for Miss Josie by Sandra Belton
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin A. Ramsey
Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Something Beautiful by Sharon Wyeth
Uptown by Bryan Collier
Yo! Yes? by Christopher Raschka


Check out these and more books on display at the Arnold Branch through March 4, 2016.

Books for Black History Month

Every February we celebrate the achievements of African-Americans and the Civil Rights movement during Black History Month.  Here are some great picture books to share with your child for Black History Month . . .

The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights by Carole Boston Weatherford
The Beatitudes form the backdrop for Weatherford's free-verse poem that traces the African American journey from slavery to civil rights.

Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrations and rhythmic text recall the December, 1955, bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney
A celebration of the momentous Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing Civil Rights Movement.

Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson
The making of "Show ways," or quilts which once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves, is a tradition passed from mother to daughter in the author's family.