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Celebrate Black History Month With A Good Book
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The month of February offers our community an opportunity to explore the history and contributions of Black Americans. This special section of the website offers families a collection of titles to explore black history and celebrate this special opportunity to learn about and honor black culture, accomplishments, struggles, and triumphs. This list is not exhaustive but is cultivated from an annotated bibliography of the K-12 resource list for Black History Month. We recommend that your child work with their school librarian if they would like to further explore titles that compliment this month of learning and celebration. Reading ages are noted with each recommendation.
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A Horn for Louis: Louis Armstrong--as a kid!
by Eric A. Kimmel Year Published: 2006Presents a narrative account of the young life of jazz legend Louis Armstrong, in simple text with illustrations, describing how he grew up in New Orleans and learned to play the trumpet. Reading age: 7 - 10.
A Most Beautiful Thing : The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team
by Arshay Cooper Year Published: 2021Growing up on Chicago's Westside in the 90's, Arshay Cooper knows the harder side of life. The street corners are full of gangs, the hallways of his apartment complex are haunted by junkies he calls 'zombies' with strung out arms, clutching at him as he passes by. His mother is a recovering addict, and his three siblings all sleep in a one-room apartment, a small infantry against the warzone on the street below. Arshay keeps to himself, preferring to write poetry about the girl he has a crush on, and spends his school days in the home-ec kitchen dreaming of becoming a chef. And then one day as he's walking out of school, he notices a boat in the school lunchroom, and a poster that reads 'Join the Crew Team.' Having no idea what the sport of crew is, Arshay decides to take a chance. This decision to join is one that will forever change his life, and those of his fellow teammates. As Arshay and his teammates begin to come together to learn how to row--many neverhaving been in water before--the sport takes them from the mean streets of Chicago, to the hallowed halls of the Ivy League. But Arshay and his teammates face adversity at every turn, from racist competitors, gang violence, and sport that has never seen anyone like them before. Most Beautiful Thing is an inspiring true story about the most unlikely band of brothers that form a family,and forever change the sport and their lives for the better.
Reading age: teen - adult.
Amanda Gorman (My Itty-Bitty Bio)
by Eyrn Briscoe Year Published: 2021The My Itty-Bitty Bio series are biographies for the earliest readers. This book examines the life of National Youth Poet Laureate and activist Amanda Gorman in a simple, age-appropriate way that will help young readers develop word recognition and reading skills. It includes a table of contents,author biography, timeline, glossary, index, and other informative info. Reading age: 4-7 years.
Ashes (The Seeds of America Trilogy)
by Laurie Halse Anderson Year Published: 2016As the Revolutionary War rages on, Isabel and Curzon are reported as runaways, and the awfulBellingham is determined to track them down. With purpose and faith, Isabel and Curzon march on,fiercely determined to find Isabel's little sister Ruth, who is enslaved in a Southern state. Reading age: 10 plus.
Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor's Life
by Marilyn Nelson Year Published: 2022A powerful biography in poems about Augusta Savage, the trailblazing artist and pillar of the Harlem Renaissance--withan afterword by the curator of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Reading age: 14 - 16 years.
Baseball's Leading Lady: Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues
by Andrea Williams Year Published: 2021The true story of Effa Manley, the first and only woman in the Baseball Hallof Fame, and her ownership role in the Negro Leagues leading up to the integration of MajorLeague Baseball. Reading Age: 10 - 14
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Year Published: 2017An autobiography about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his life growing up in New York, becoming the basketball star he's known to be, and getting involved in the world around him as an activist for social change. Reading age: 11 plus.
Before She Was Harriet
by Lesa Cline-Ransome Year Published: 2019An evocative poem and richly colored paintings celebrate the diverse accomplishments of HarrietTubman, as revealed by her many names. Reading age 4 - 8 years.
Black Hands, White Sails
by Patricia C. McKissack Year Published: 1999A history of African-American whalers between 1730 and 1880, describing their contributions to the whaling industry and their role in the abolitionist movement.
Reading age: 9 -12 years.
Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson Year Published: 2016The author shares her childhood memories and reveals the first sparks that ignited her writingcareer in free-verse poems about growing up in the North and South. Reading age: 10 plus years.
Chains (The Seeds of America Trilogy)
by Laurie Halse Anderson Year Published: 2010After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels duringthe Revolutionary War. Reading age: 10+
Claudette Colvin : Twice Toward Justice
by Claudette Colvin Year Published:Presents an account of fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin, an African-American girl who refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks, and covers her role in a crucial civil rights case. Reading age 13 - 17 years.
Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever
by Kareem Rosser Year Published: 2021An inspiring memoir of defying the odds from Kareem Rosser, captain of the first all-black squad towin the National Interscholastic Polo championship. Reading age: teen - adult.
Dave the potter : Artist, Poet, Slave
by Laban Carrick Hill Year Published: 2010Chronicles the life of Dave, a nineteenth-century slave who went on to become an influential poet, artist, and potter. Reading age: 5 - 9 years old.
Dear Martin
by Nic Stone Year Published: 2018Writing letters to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seventeen-year-old college-bound JustyceMcAllister struggles to face the reality of race relations today and how they are shaping him. Reading age: 14 - 17 years.
Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks
by Suzanne Slade Year Published:A picture-book biography of celebrated poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize. Reading age: 6 - 9 years.
Forge
by Laurie Halse Anderson Year Published:Curzon, having matured from boy to man over the course of the winter with the army at Valley Forge, worries that someone will learn he is a runaway slave passing for free, and tries to figure out the meaning of his friendship with Isabel. Reading age: 10 - 14 years.
Forgotten Founders: Black Patriots, Women Soldiers, and Other Thinkers and Heroes
by Mifflin Lowe Year Published: 2022Forgotten Founders: Black Patriots, Women Soldiers, and Other Thinkers and Heroes Who Shaped Early America
We all know the Founding Fathers, but as remarkable as they were, founding America took a lot more than white men in wigs. Introducing Forgotten Founders, the inspiring book of stories about the heroic women, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, and others who helped birth the United States of America. Readers will meet Sybil Ludington, the sixteen-year-oldgirl who rode all night to warn of a British attack; Phyllis Wheatley, the gifted Black poet whose work was praised by Voltaire and George Washington; Deborah Sampson, the colonial woman who dressed as a man to enlist in the Continental Army; Peter Salem, the freed slave who became thehero of the Battle of Bunker Hill; and many more! Reading age 7 - 11 years.
Frederick Douglass : The Lion Who Wrote History
by Walter Dean Myers Year Published: 2017A picture book that chronicles the life of African-American social reformer Frederick Douglass. Reading age: 4 - 8 years.
Freedom River
by Doreen Rappaport Year Published: 2000Describes an incident in the life of John Parker, an ex-slave who became a successful businessmanin Ripley, Ohio, and who repeatedly risked his life to help other slaves escape to freedom. Reading age: 5 - 9 years.
Game Changers : The Story of Venus and Serena Williams
by Lesa Cline-Ransome Year Published: 2018Shares the story of the sisters and tennis stars, including their special relationship as sisters andbest friends, their constant training as children, and their incredible success in professional tennis. Reading age: 4 - 8 years
Glory Be
by Augusta Scattergood Year Published: 2012Gloriana faces her twelfth birthday in 1964 and struggles with the changes she sees happeningaround her, but while she struggles to understand the shift in her relationships with her sister--who is about to enter high school--and her best friend, Frankie, Gloriana witnesses tempers rise in adebate over a segregated public pool. Reading age: 9 - 12 years.
Harriet and the Promised Land
by Jacob Lawrence Year Published: 1997Narrative paintings and rhyming text tell the story of Harriet Tubman, a woman who escapedslavery then risked her freedom to lead others along the Underground Railroad. Reading age: 4 - 8 years.
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
by Ellen Levine Year Published: 2007A fictionalized account of how, in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry "Box" Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia. Reading age: 5 - 9 years.
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
by Margot Lee Shetterly Year Published: 2018They participated in some of NASA's greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America's first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world.In this beautifully illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as "colored computers," and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career. Reading age: 6 - 10 years.
Hometown Victory: A Coach's Story of Football, Fate, and Coming Home
by Keanon Lowe, Justin Spizman Year Published: 2022The Blindside meets Friday Night Lights in Keanon Lowe's Hometown Victory when an NFL coach returns home after losing a friend to coach a team of struggling high school kids on a 23-game losing streak. With the heart of favorite football classics––The Blindside, Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans––Keanon’s journey at Parkrose is the true account of a life spent striving forward, even when faced with the unimaginable. Hometown Victory is a story about gratitude, service, and most of all, hope. Reading age: teen- adult
I Color Myself Different
by Colin Kaepernick Year Published: 2022This joyful celebration of black and brown lives is based on real events in the famous athlete andactivist's young life and reveals the power of radical self-love and knowing your self-worth.
Jackie Robinson: Barrier-Breaking Baseball Legend
by Avery Elizabeth Hurt Year Published: 2020Situated firmly in the social and political conditions of the time, this biography illustrates the role African American baseball star Jackie Robinson played in changing not just baseball but society. By breaking the "color barrier" in the major league sport, Robinson paved the way for new opportunities for Americans everywhere. Here, readers will come to know Robinson and his legacy. Reading age: 14 - 17 years.
John Lewis (My Itty-Bitty Bio)
by Meeg Pincus Year Published: 2021Simple text and illustrations look at the life and career of civil rights activist John Lewis. Reading age: 4 - 7 years.
Langston Hughes: Great American Poet (Great African Americans Series)
by Pat McKissack, Fredrick McKissack Year Published: 1992Simple text and illustrations describe the life of the Harlem poet whose work gave voice to the joyand pain of the black experience in America.
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
by Andrea Davis Pinkney Year Published: 2013Presents profiles of ten African-American women whose efforts on behalf of racial justice andfreedom have influenced the course of history. Reading age 6 - 9 years.
Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History
by Vashti Harrison Year Published: 2019Readers will find aviators and artists, politicians and pop stars, athletes and activists. The exceptional men featured include artist Aaron Douglas, civil rights leader John Lewis, dancer Alvin Ailey, filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, musician Prince, photographer Gordon Parks, tennis champion Arthur Ashe, and writer James Baldwin. Reading age: 3 - 9 years.
Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration
by Samara Cole Doyon Year Published: 2020Joyful young narrators celebrate feeling at home in one's own skin. Reading age: 6 - 8 years.
Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl
by Tonya Bolden Year Published: 2005Presents the personal memoirs of Maritcha Rémond Lyons who was born in nineteenth-centuryNew York City and describes how she and her family escaped to Rhode Island during the 1863Draft riots and how she overcame prejudice to become the first African-American person tograduate from Providence High School. Reading age: 8 - 12
Maybe An Artist : A Graphic Memoir
by Liz Montague Year Published: 2022A heartfelt and funny graphic novel memoir by one of the first Black female cartoonists to be published in the New Yorker, at the age of 22.
Reading Grades 7 - 9.
Now Let Me Fly : A Portrait of Eugene Bullard
by Ronald Wimberly Year Published: 2023On the eve of World War I, Eugene Bullard was a refugee of the Jim Crow South who was determined to find a place where a Black man would be treated as a fellow human being. His research took him from rural Georgia to the streets of Paris, from the vaudeville stage to the boxing ring, and finally, from the muddy trenches to the open skies. In 1914, Bullard joined the fight to defend France--and made history as the world's first African American fighter pilot. In this candid but sensitive portrait of Bullard, author Ronald Wimberly balances the personal and the historical to interrogate concepts of cynicism, idealism, fear, glory, and the pervasiveness of anti-Black racism. For teen - adult readers.
Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson
by Katherine Johnson Year Published: 2019The author shares her life excelling in math as a young girl and her eventual career as a NASAmathematician. Explores her work on the Apollo 11 mission. Reading age: 10 plus
Rick Riordan Presents Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
by Kwame Mbalia Year Published: 2020Seventh-grader Tristan Strong tumbles into the MidPass and, with allies John Henry and BrerRabbit, must entice the god Anansi to come out of hiding and seal the hole Tristan accidentallyripped in the sky. Reading age: 9 - 12 years.
Robert Smalls Sails to Freedom
by Susan Taylor Brown Year Published: 2006Describes the life of Robert Smalls and his daring escape from slavery by piloting a steamboat outof Charleston harbor in 1862. Reading age: 7- 9 years.
Run
by John Lewis Year Published: 2021From the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel series March comes the continuation of the life story of John Lewis and the struggles seen across the United States after the Civil Rights Movement. For John Lewis, the Civil Rights Movement as he knew it ended with the signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, but his struggle in the following years echo many of the same questions of civil rights and equality that are being asked today. The movement secured the right to sit at the lunch counter, but what about the right to earn a dollar to pay for your meal? Ousted from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee due to internal disorder, Lewis went on to work on Robert F. Kennedy's campaign, to be shocked by the events of 1968. Struggling with the larger question of how to rebuild the movement, Lewis had an idea: someone should run for the 5th Congressional district seat in Georgia. Starting with the tragic death of Martin Luther King Jr., Run tells the story of how John Lewis entered politics, working within the community, and organizing a campaign that took him to one of the most important seats in Congress. Reading age: 13 years and up.
Singled Out
by Andrew Maraniss Year Published: 2021On October 2nd, 1977, Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, made history without even swinging a bat. When his teammate Dusty Baker hit a historic home run, Glenn enthusiastically congratulated him with the first ever high five. But Glenn also made history in another way--he was the first openly gay MLB player. While he did not come out publicly until after his playing days were over, Glenn's sexuality was known to his teammates, family, and friends. His MLB career would be cut short after only three years, but his legacy and impact on the athletic and LGBTQIA+ community would resonate for years to come. New York Times bestselling author Andrew Maraniss tells the story of Glenn Burke: from his childhood growing up in Oakland, his journey to the MLB and the World Series, the joy of discovering who he really was, to more difficult times: facing injury, addiction, and the AIDS epidemic. Reading age: 12 - 17.
Starstruck : the cosmic journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson
by Kathleen Krull Year Published: 2018A picture-book biography on science superstar Neil deGrasse Tyson, the groundbreaking Americanastrophysicist whose work has inspired a generation of young scientists and astronomers to reach for the stars! Reading age: 4 - 8 years.
Stephen Curry: Basketball Star
by Hubert Walker Year Published: 2021Describes the life and career of National Basketball Association Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. Reading age: 8 - 12 years.
Stolen into Slavery: The True Story of Solomon Northup, Free Black Man
by Dennis Fradin, Judith Fradin Year Published: 2014Recounts the experiences of Solomon Northup, an African American man who was kidnapped into slavery and suffered through twelve years of bondage before being rescued from the Louisianacotton plantation by friends from New York. Reading age: 10 - 14 years.
Take A Picture of Me, James VanDerZee!
by Andrea J. Loney Year Published: 2017A biography of James Van Der Zee, innovative and celebrated African American photographer of the Harlem Renaissance. Includes an afterword, photos, and author's sources. Reading age: 7 - 11 years.
The ABCs of Black History
by Rio Cortez Year Published: 2020"B is for Beautiful, Brave, and Bright! And for a book that takes a bold journey through the alphabet of black history and culture. Letter by letter, [this book] celebrates a story that spans continents and centuries, triumph and heartbreak, creativity and joy. In addition to rhyming text, the book includes back matter with information on the events, places, and people mentioned in the poem, from MaeJemison to W. E. B. Du Bois,Fannie Lou Hamer to Sam Cooke, and the Little Rock Nine to DJ KoolHerc. Reading age: 2- 8 years.
The Beautiful Struggle
by Ta-Nehisi Coates Year Published: 2009A memoir by Ta-Nehisi Coates, in which he details the challenges on the streets and within one's family, especially the eternal struggle for peace between a father and son and the important role family plays in such circumstances.
The Bus Ride That Changed History
by Pamela Duncan Edwards and Danny Shanahan Year Published: 2009A cumulative narrative recounting the story of Rosa Parks, an African-American woman whosparked the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery,Alabama, for a white man. Reading age: 4 - 7 years old.
The Crossover: A Newbery Award Winner
by Kwame Alexander Year Published: 2019Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off thecourt as their father ignores his declining health. Reading age: 10+ years.
The Greatest: Muhammad Ali: Muhammad Ali
by Walter Dean Myers Year Published: 2001An illustrated biography of boxing great Muhammad Ali that addresses his politics, his fight against Parkinson's disease, and boxing's dangers. Reading age: 12 plus.
The Parker Inheritance
by Varian Johnson Year Published: 2019Twelve-year-old Candice Miller is spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, in the oldhouse that belonged to her grandmother, who died after being dismissed as city manager for having the city tennis courts dug up looking for buried treasure--but when she finds the letter that sent her grandmother on the treasure hunt, she finds herself caught up in the mystery and, with the help ofher new friend and fellow book-worm, Brandon, she sets out to find the inheritance, exonerate hergrandmother, and expose an injustice once committed against an African American family in Lambert. Reading age: 9 - 12 years.
The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality
by Deckle Edge Year Published: 2022Kobe Bryant’s death in January 2020 did more than rattle the worlds of sports and celebrity. The tragedy of that helicopter crash, which also took the life of his daughter Gianna, unveiled the full breadth and depth of his influence on our culture, and by tracing and telling the oft-forgotten and lesser-known story of his early life, The Rise promises to provide an insight into Kobe that no other analysis has. Reading age: high-school - adult.
The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver
by Gene Barretta Year Published: 2020Tells the story of the life and history of George Washington Carver, from a baby born into slavery to a celebrated botanist, scientist, and inventor. Reading age: 4 - 8 years.
The Stars Beneath Our Feet
by David Barclay Moore Year Published: 2017A boy tries to steer a safe path through the projects in Harlem in the wake of his brother's death. Reading age: 10 plus.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis Year Published: 2000The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963. Reading age: 10 - 11 years.
This Promise of Change : One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality
by Jo Anne Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy Year Published: 2019In 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the colorbarrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first, things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another. Uneasiness turned into anger, and even the Clinton Twelve themselves wondered if the easier thing to do would be to go back to their old school. Jo Ann---clear-eyed, practical, tolerant, and popular among both black and white students---found herself called on as the spokesperson of the group. But what about just being a regular teen? This is the heartbreaking and relatable story of her four months, thrust into the national spotlight and as a trailblazer in history. Based on original research and interviews and featuring back-matter with archival materials and notes from the authors on the co-writing process. Reading age: 10 - 12 years.
Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice
by by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, Dawud Anyabwile Year Published: 2022A groundbreaking and timely graphic memoir from one of the most iconic figures in American sports--and a tribute to his fight for civil rights. On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Both men were forced to leave the Olympics, received death threats, and faced ostracism and continuing economic hardships. In his first-ever memoir for young readers, Tommie Smith looks back on his childhood growing up in rural Texas through to his stellar athletic career, culminating in his historic victory and Olympic podium protest. Cowritten with Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Honor recipient Derrick Barnes and illustrated with bold and muscular artwork from Emmy Award-winning illustrator Dawud Anyabwile, Victory. Stand! paints a stirring portrait of an iconic moment in Olympic history that still resonates today. Reading age: 13 - 18
Who Is Barack Obama?
by Roberta Edwards, Who HQ Year Published: 2019An illustrated biography of Barack Obama that discusses his parents, childhood,education, work in Chicago, accomplishments throughout his political career, as well as his victorious 2008 presidential campaign against Senator John McCain. Reading age: 7 - 9 years.
Who is Michael Jordan?
by Kirsten Anderson, Who HQ Year Published:A biography of Michael Jordon, covering the life and career of the basketball legend. Reading age: 7 - 10 years.
Who is Michelle Obama?
by Megan Stine, Who HQ Year Published: 2013Abiography of First Lady of the United States and lawyer Michelle Obama. Reading age: 8 - 10 years.
Who Is Oprah Winfrey?
by Barbara Kramer, Who HQ Year Published: 2019Themaster of media. Oprah Winfrey--talk-show host, actress, producer, media mogul, and philanthropist--wasn't always so fortunate. She suffered through a rough childhood and went on to use her personal struggles as motivation for success and became the richest African American person of the twentieth century. Reading age: 8-12 years.
Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions
by Chris Barton, Don Tate Year Published: 2016A biography of Lonnie Johnson, an engineer at NASA who is best known for inventing the SuperSoaker water gun. Reading age: 6 - 10 years.
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