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Click to buy this bookTitle:  Great Books for African-American Children
(Click to Order On-line)

Author:  Pamela Toussaint, Dutton
Publisher:  NAL/Dutton
Date Published:  February 1999
Format:  Trade Paper

The Publisher: 
By the time they finish high school, black children will have read countless books featuring white heroes and heroines. It's a common experience for young children to color these characters brown, wanting to see themselves as the protagonists of these stories. Yet there are many wonderful books by and about African Americans that portray them in a positive way, to build a child's self-esteem and to spur hopes, dreams, and imagination. Great Books for African-American Children lists 250 of these books, which provide uplifting and accurate images of African-American culture. Each entry includes:

* A one-paragraph review and plot description
* The value the book conveys
* The title and author's name, publisher, and price
Other special features include "Explore This" which has questions parents can ask their children about a particular story, and indexes of books by title, by author, and by the moral value each book teaches.

Library Journal: 
Former Essence editor Toussaint has collected poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that reflect a wide range of black experience, show sensitivity to black features in their illustrations, and have a lesson or values to impart. For each age group, Toussaint defines what children like in a book and includes advice about how to choose books. Entries suggest ways to explore a story further. An author-devised code helps the user determine what values the story reflects; an emphasis on Christian values--e.g., "God's protection," "covetousness"--may be objectionable to some users. Helpful extras include a list of out-of-print titles, a bookstore directory, and a section listing magazines, television shows, web sites, videos, and other sources that promote reading and regularly include African Americans. Overall, a good purchase for education and children's collections.
-- Glynys Thomas, Wheelock Coll. Lib., Boston