Celebrating Black History Month

February is celebrated as Black History Month.  So we're sharing chapter books for kids by African-American authors.  

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles

When adventurous cousins Otto and Sheed Alston accidentally extend the last day of summer by freezing time, they find the secrets between the unmoving seconds are not as much fun as they expected.

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

When a burning cross set by the Klan causes panic and fear in 1932 Bumblebee, North Carolina, fifth-grader Stella must face prejudice and find the strength to demand change in her segregated town.

Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds

Portico Reeves' secret identity as Stuntboy allows him to use his superpower to keep everybody safe, but when his superhero parents start fighting a lot he feels the responsibility to save them.

More Books by African-American Authors

Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Black Boy Joy edited by Kwame Mbalia

The Dark Thirty by Pat McKissack

Ethan Fairmont by Nick Brooks

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew by Davaun Sanders

Kin: Rooted in Hope by Carole Boston Weatherford

Love Like Sky by Leslie C. Youngblood

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

The Skull Talks Back and Other Haunting Tales by Joyce Carol Thomas

The Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist

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.

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.