50 Books Published by Abrams on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

From Colin Kaepernick to Martin Luther King, Jr. to Benjamin Crump, Hair Like Obama’s, Hands Like LeBron’s is a picture book celebration of Black history and excellence from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Savanna Durr.

I have hair like Obama’s and hands like LeBron’s.
My mind is more magical than “Ice” McDonald’s wands.
My legs, like Michael Jordan’s, shatter records with a leap.
My soul is kissed by Africa—the future’s mine to keep.

Inspired by the famous White House photograph of five-year-old Jacob Philadelphia touching then-president Barack Obama’s hair, Weatherford’s powerful text—illuminated by Savanna Durr’s warm, jewel-toned art—is an ode to all the things that make Black and brown kids beautiful. Young readers will learn about many inspiring figures in Black history up to the present day, gaining confidence in their abilities and their cultural legacy as they learn. The back matter includes an author’s note and biographies of each of the featured figures: Guion Bluford, Usain “Lightning” Bolt, “Bootsy” Collins, John Coltrane, Benjamin Crump, LeBron James, Lonnie Johnson, Michael Jordan, Colin Kaepernick, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Elijah McCoy, Kenrick “Ice” McDonald, Barack Obama, Colin Powell, and Tommie Smith.

A joyous exploration of imagination and finding inspiration, The Idea in You is the debut picture book from Questlove—New York Times bestselling author, six-time GRAMMY Award-winning drummer, producer, and Academy Award-winning filmmaker—and Coretta Scott King Honor Award-winning illustrator Sean Qualls.

An idea can come from anywhere.
Start here: reach up into the sky
And unhook a star.

Questlove’s debut picture book, an uplifting story about passion, creativity, and joy—exuberantly illustrated by award-winning artist Sean Qualls—will inspire kids to find their own creative pursuits.

Fortunes & Frenemies is the third book in Marti Dumas’s Creole tradition inspired, fun middle-grade contemporary Wildseed Witch fantasy series, about a social-media-loving tween—and witch!

In the past year, Hasani has learned she’s a witch, been accepted by Les Belles Demoiselles, and formed her own coven—and her YouTube followers for her makeup channel are growing every day. Now that she’s in eighth grade, she’s ready to rule the school with all her witch powers and best friends by her side.

But frenemy LaToya is still at Riverbend Middle causing trouble, both magically and socially. LaToya’s determined to befriend every single possible witch at school (and turn them against Hasani), and Hasani can’t help but wonder if she’s got another scheme going. Witches aren’t supposed to interfere in each others’ business—but what if LaToya is going to hurt someone? Or herself? Hasani and her friends Dee, Angelique, and Luz have to figure out for themselves when it’s right to let things lie—and when it’s their responsibility to stand up for their community.

The Wildseed Witch series

• Wildseed Witch (Book 1)
• Charmed Life (Book 2)
• Fortunes & Frenemies (Book 3)

Inspired by creole traditions, Charmed Life is the second book in Marti Dumas’s fun, middle-grade contemporary fantasy Wildseed Witch series with an all-BIPOC cast, about a social-media-loving tween—and witch!

After a summer of being the worst witch at a fancy witch school, Hasani can’t wait to get back to the peace and normalcy of Riverbend Middle where she knows all the rules and is destined to be captain of the Mathletes. There are a few little hiccups to work out—like how she’s going to tell her best friend that she’s a witch—but even though the other two members of Hasani’s coven have joined her friend group and her school, there’s no reason to think that eighth grade won’t be smooth sailing … that is until her former friend (and fellow witch) LaToya shows up.

LaToya starts trying to take her friends and make Hasani seem like the bad guy. To make matters worse, strange things begin happening around the school—including a termite infestation—and Hasani is sure that LaToya is to blame. However, when Miss Lafleur comes to visit to help deal with the termites and investigate the magic, she helps Hasani to channel her powers and realize just how strong her magic has become.

But Miss Lafleur also isn’t convinced that LaToya could have caused all this chaos on her own—so Hasani sets out to prove it, and heads to a magical market, 3Thirteen, to find the ingredients she needs to do so. But in all her focus on proving she’s right and learning more about her magic, is Hasani losing sight of the people and things that are most important to her?

Includes a teaser chapter of Fortunes & Frenemies (Wildseed Witch Book 3)

The Wildseed Witch series

• Wildseed Witch (Book 1)
• Charmed Life (Book 2)
• Fortunes & Frenemies (Book 3)

Peek behind the curtain of the glorious musicality of birds in Bird Rehearsal, a picture book about a raucous romp through the neighborhood, told entirely in birdsong from the award-winning author/illustrator team Jonah Winter and Stacy Innerst.

When the night is done,
and the sky begins to lighten,
the bird rehearsal begins.
It’s not meant for us, but here we are,
every day, listening …

In this horror graphic novel from award-winning writer Jazmine Joyner and illustrator Anthony Pugh, American Gods meets Get Out in a dark retelling of the West African legend of Anansi the Spider.

In the Deep South, something evil waits in the darkness…

Devour tells the story of the Turner family, who move to Alabama to care for their ailing matriarch, Vassie, when she begins suffering from dementia. But Vassie isn’t just any old lady; she’s the last of a line of powerful root women who have been caring for the community since her ancestors were first captured and enslaved by white plantation owners.

Patsy, the eldest daughter in the family, is immediately suspicious; the locals’ fear and superstition of her grandmother leads Patsy to take a closer look at the Turner family home, and what she finds is beyond her wildest nightmares.

Devour is a terrifying new fable that delivers thrills and chills in equal measure.

Perfect for fans of The Day You Begin and Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, author Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and illustrator Shahrzad Maydani’s Sister Friend is a heartwarming new picture book celebrating the unique joy of cultivating friendships within your cultural community.

Ameena feels invisible. It’s been that way since she started at her new school. But now there is another new girl in class. Ameena sees her brownness and her hijab, even though the other kids do not.

Ameena wants to be her friend, but she can’t seem to find the right words or do the right things. Until one day, they find them together: "Assalamu Alaikum, Sister. Welcome."

New York Times bestselling author Andrea Beaty and neuroscientist Theanne Griffith’s Rockin’ Robots is the fifth book in a nonfiction early-reader series about the science of robots starring Ada Twist, Scientist!

What exactly is a robot? How do they talk and move? And what does it take to build one?

Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files is the perfect nonfiction resource for all these questions and more. Based on the bestselling Questioneers series and the Ada Twist, Scientist Netflix show, this nonfiction series is perfect for the youngest scientists of tomorrow as they learn along with Ada. Designed in a scrapbook format, these books combine art from the show, illustrations, and photography to bring simple science concepts to life.

From patchwork-quilt farmland to the winding red roads, from sandy beaches to the endless stars at night, Apples and Butterflies shows Prince Edward Island shining in the bright blue and gold light of fall. Shauntay Grant’s award-winning poetry and Tamara Thi baux Heikalo’s rich and wild illustrations pull the reader towards the wide-open space of the island. New softcover edition.

Discover the power and joy of poetry in this simple, modern introduction to Langston Hughes, featuring an ode to spring and long-awaited new beginnings

In this illustrated adaptation of a beloved Langston Hughes poem, a child delights as the world around him awakens from winter and comes to life with the long-awaited arrival of spring and new beginnings of all kinds.

A freshly retold animal fable about heroism, hope, and community, from award-winning creators Leah Henderson and Magaly Morales Across oceans, lands, and skies In whispers, shouts, and in many different languages the story of the little hummingbird of the Great Forest can always be heard The story of the little hummingbird has been told around the world in many forms and across many cultures, believed to have originated among the Indigenous Quecha people of modern-day Ecuador. In this spin on the globally popular legend, when a disastrous forest fire threatens the Great Forest, the hummingbird must inspire all the animals to work together to save their homes. Lyrically told by Leah Henderson and vividly illustrated by Magaly Morales, this tale of bravery against seemingly insurmountable odds and a community working together to overcome adversity is a reminder that no challenge is too great, and that even the smallest of us can make a world of difference. Includes an author’s note, as well as back matter on the origins of the folktale and facts about hummingbirds.

A sweet sibling story all about making family traditions your own—perfect for fans of Alma and How She Got Her Name and Welcome to the Party Today’s the day! It’s Baby Sister’s naming ceremony, and big sister Amira could not be more excited. She has the perfect name picked out … or, at least, she hopes it’s the perfect name. One by one, friends and family arrive. As Amira greets them, she asks what name they have brought to give to Baby Sister. Each is more beautiful than the last—Shakira, Akahana, Uhwe. And each has its own special meaning—thankful, red flower, moonlight. Amira knows that Baby Sister will love these names. But will she love the name Amira has chosen? Is it special enough? A story about rich traditions and the unique bond between sisters, Naming Ceremony celebrates multigenerational family and Black joy.

Queenie: Godmother of Harlem is a historical graphic novel inspired by the life of legendary mobster Stephanie Saint-Clair, the infamous criminal who made herself a legend in the 1930s.

"It's original, entertaining, riveting, moving. A beautiful piece of art, a must-read!" —Whoopi Goldberg

Born on a plantation in the French colony of Martinique, Stephanie Saint-Clair left the island in 1912 and headed for the United States, eager to make a new life for herself. In New York she found success, rising up through poverty and battling extreme racism to become the ruthless queen of Harlem's mafia and a fierce defender of the Black community.

A racketeer and a bootlegger, Saint-Clair dedicated her wealth and compassion to the struggling masses of Harlem, giving loans and paying debts to those around her. But with Prohibition ending, and under threat by Italian mobsters seeking to take control of her operation, she launched a merciless war to save her territory and her skin. In an America still swollen by depression and segregation, Saint-Clair understood that her image was a tool she could use to establish her power and wield as a weapon against her opponents.

Authors Elizabeth Colomba and Aurelie Levy's meticulous details—in both story and art—bring Saint-Clair's story to life in a tense narrative, against a sometimes bloody backdrop of jazz and voodoo. The story tackles the themes of colonization, corruption, police violence, and racial identity, but above all, Queenie celebrates the genius of a woman forgotten by history.

From National Book Award–winner Kacen Callender, a contemporary YA that follows Lark’s journey to speak the truth and discover how their own self-love can be a revolution

Lark Winters wants to be a writer, and for now that means posting on their social media accounts––anything to build their platform. When former best friend Kasim accidentally posts a thread on Lark’s Twitter declaring his love for a secret, unrequited crush, Lark’s tweets are suddenly the talk of the school—and beyond. To protect Kasim, Lark decides to take the fall, pretending they accidentally posted the thread in reference to another classmate. It seems like a great idea: Lark gets closer to their crush, Kasim keeps his privacy, and Lark’s social media stats explode. But living a lie takes a toll—as does the judgment of thousands of Internet strangers. Lark tries their best to be perfect at all costs, but nothing seems good enough for the anonymous hordes––or for Kasim, who is growing closer to Lark, just like it used to be between them …

In the end, Lark must embrace their right to their messy emotions and learn how to be in love.

Nnedi Okorafor’s story of Chioma, a young Nigerian-American woman whose destiny is revealed during a furious rainstorm—now in paperback, with bonus content including Q&As with the creative team and never-before-seen art and designs!

After the Rain is an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s short story, “On the Road.” The adaptation, written by John Jennings and illustrated by David Brame, begins in Nigeria during a powerful and unexpected storm. While visiting her grandmother, a young Nigerian-American woman named Chioma answers a knock at the door and is horrified by what she sees—a young boy with a severe head wound is standing on the doorstep.

When he touches Chioma, his hand burns like fire and just as suddenly as he arrived, he disappears. Her grandmother comes down to see what is wrong and chastises Chioma for opening the door for a stranger. Outside there are only footprints in the mud which vanish in the same manner as their owner.

This event sets off a chain of mysterious occurrences that become more and more terrifying. Chioma knows that something is wrong, and that the boy has “marked” her in some way… . Haunted and hunted, Chioma must embrace her heritage in order to survive.

From a talented young journalist on the rise, a deeply reported, timely new biography of the Notorious B.I.G., publishing for what would have been his 50th birthday

The Notorious B.I.G. was one of the most charismatic and talented artists of the 1990s. Born Christopher Wallace and raised in Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, Biggie lived an almost archetypal rap life: young trouble, drug dealing, guns, prison, a giant hit record, the wealth and international superstardom that came with it, then an early violent death. Biggie released his first record, Ready to Die, in 1994, when he was only 22. Less than three years later, he was killed just days before the planned release of his second record Life After Death.

Journalist Justin Tinsley’s It Was All a Dream is a fresh, insightful telling of the life beyond the legend. It is based on extensive interviews with those who knew and loved Biggie, including neighbors, friends, DJs, party promoters, and journalists. And it places Biggie’s life in context, both within the history of rap but also the wider cultural and political forces that shaped him, including Caribbean immigration, the Reagan era disinvestment in public education, street life, the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and the booming, creative, and influential 1990s music industry. This is the story of where Biggie came from, the forces that shaped him, and the legacy he has left behind.

From award-winning authors Charles Johnson and Steven Barnes comes a graphic novel anthology of interconnected Afrofuturistic parables inspired by the teachings of Buddha.

Eight strangers looking for enlightenment from an ancient spiritual teacher are trapped in a cave high in the mountains on their way to his temple. One of his acolytes directs them to each tell a story that the group can learn from as they wait out the horrible snowstorm that rages outside the cave’s entrance.

One by one the travelers each share a story that, unbeknownst to them, is actually a morality tale representing one of the aspects of final enlightenment as taught in Buddhism. As the wind howls through the night, they tell symbolic stories of horror, dystopia, high adventure, cyberpunk, and urban fantasy. Each story is a spoke on the symbolic Dharma wheel, and each interlocking tale gets the travelers closer to their true destiny—unveiling the future of the entire human race.

This remarkable collection borrows heavily from the traditions of pop-culture morality anthology series such as The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Night Gallery, Lovecraft Country, and the publications of E.C. Comics. Heavily influenced by the science fiction pulps of the 1950s and 1960s, this brilliant collection remixes classic social narratives such as Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, and The Arabian Nights, through an edgy, contemporary, yet spiritually centered lens. In The Eightfold Path, our destinies lie in heeding the lessons given in every one of these entrancing tales.

Bestselling author and Sundance award-winning director Questlove offers a thrilling, music-driven ride through the last fifty years of American history​.

In Music Is History, bestselling author and Sundance award-winning director Questlove harnesses his encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and his deep curiosity about history to examine America over the past fifty years. Choosing one essential track from each year, Questlove unpacks each song’s significance, revealing the pivotal role that American music plays around issues of race, gender, politics, and identity.

Music Is History focuses on the years 1971 to the present, not only the country’s most complex and rewarding half-century when it comes to the ways that pop culture and culturally diverse history intersect and interact, but also the years that overlap with Questlove’s own life. Music Is History moves fluidly from the personal to the political, examining events closely and critically, to unpeel and uncover previously unseen dimensions, and encouraging readers to do the same. Whether he is exploring how Black identity reshaped itself during the blaxploitation era, analyzing the assembly-line nature of disco and its hostility to Black genius, or remembering his own youth as a pop fan and what it taught him about America, Questlove finds the hidden connections in the American tapestry.

Complete with playlists organized around personal, playful themes that touch on everything from the relationship of hip-hop to music’s past to the secret ingredient in all funk songs, Music Is History is filled with and informed by Questlove’s preferences, perspectives, and particularities. It feels like both a popular history of contemporary America and a conversation with one of music’s most influential and unique voices.

“A lovingly written, beautifully illustrated and stunningly timely book.”
— Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming, MacArthur Fellow

A proud, empowering introduction to African American history that celebrates and honors enslaved ancestors

Your story begins in Africa.
Your African ancestors defied the odds and survived 400 years of slavery in America and passed down an extraordinary legacy to you.

Beginning in Africa before 1619, Your Legacy presents an unprecedentedly accessible, empowering, and proud introduction to African American history for children. While your ancestors’ freedom was taken from them, their spirit was not; this book celebrates their accomplishments, acknowledges their sacrifices, and defines how they are remembered—and how their stories should be taught.

First you march, then you run. From the #1 bestselling, award–winning team behind March comes the first book in their new, groundbreaking graphic novel series, Run: Book One

“Run recounts the lost history of what too often follows dramatic change—the pushback of those who refuse it and the resistance of those who believe change has not gone far enough. John Lewis’s story has always been a complicated narrative of bravery, loss, and redemption, and Run gives vivid, energetic voice to a chapter of transformation in his young, already extraordinary life.” –Stacey Abrams

In sharing my story, it is my hope that a new generation will be inspired by Run to actively participate in the democratic process and help build a more perfect Union here in America.” –Congressman John Lewis

To John Lewis, the civil rights movement came to an end with the signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. But that was after more than five years as one of the preeminent figures of the movement, leading sit–in protests and fighting segregation on interstate busways as an original Freedom Rider. It was after becoming chairman of SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and being the youngest speaker at the March on Washington. It was after helping organize the Mississippi Freedom Summer and the ensuing delegate challenge at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. And after coleading the march from Selma to Montgomery on what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” All too often, the depiction of history ends with a great victory. But John Lewis knew that victories are just the beginning. In Run: Book One, John Lewis and longtime collaborator Andrew Aydin reteam with Nate Powell—the award–winning illustrator of the March trilogy—and are joined by L. Fury—making an astonishing graphic novel debut—to tell this often overlooked chapter of civil rights history.

A moving tribute to the little-known history behind the first Memorial Day, illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award winner Floyd Cooper

Today is a special day. Eli knows it’s important if he’s allowed to miss one second of school, his "hard-earned right."
Inspired by true events and told through the eyes of a young boy, this is the deeply moving story about what is regarded as the first Memorial Day on May 1, 1865. Eli dresses up in his best clothes, Mama gathers the mayflowers, Papa straightens his hat, and together they join the crowds filling the streets of Charleston, South Carolina, with bouquets, crosses, and wreaths. Abolitionists, missionaries, teachers, military officers, and a sea of faces Black, Brown, and White, they march as one and sing for all those who gave their lives fighting for freedom during the Civil War.
With poignant prose and celebratory, powerful illustrations, A Day for Rememberin’ shines light on the little-known history of this important holiday and reminds us never to forget the people who put their lives on the line for their country. The book is illustrated by award-winning illustrator Floyd Cooper and includes archival photos in the back matter, as well as an author’s note, bibliography, timeline, and index.

One hundred years after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Across the Tracks is a celebration and memorial of Greenwood, Oklahoma

In Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre, author Alverne Ball and illustrator Stacey Robinson have crafted a love letter to Greenwood, Oklahoma. Also known as Black Wall Street, Greenwood was a community whose importance is often overshadowed by the atrocious massacre that took place there in 1921.

Across the Tracks introduces the reader to the businesses and townsfolk who flourished in this unprecedented time of prosperity for Black Americans. We learn about Greenwood and why it is essential to remember the great achievements of the community as well as the tragedy which nearly erased it. However, Ball is careful to recount the eventual recovery of Greenwood. With additional supplementary materials including a detailed preface, timeline, and historical essay, Across the Tracks offers a thorough examination of the rise, fall, and rebirth of Black Wall Street.

Winner of 2021 Orbis Pictus Award!

The story of Elgin Baylor, basketball icon and civil rights advocate, from an all-star team

Hall-of-famer Elgin Baylor was one of basketball’s all-time-greatest players—an innovative athlete, team player, and quiet force for change. One of the first professional African-American players, he inspired others on and off the court. But when traveling for away games, many hotels and restaurants turned Elgin away because he was black. One night, Elgin had enough and staged a one-man protest that captured the attention of the press, the public, and the NBA.

Above the Rim is a poetic, exquisitely illustrated telling of the life of an underrecognized athlete and a celebration of standing up for what is right.

The instant New York Times bestselling YA fantasy from incredible new talent Jordan Ifueko—perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Sabaa Tahir!

"Nothing like a boss @$$ fantasy with a gorgeous, dark brown girl at the center that highlights—in technicolor and glittering gold—the trifecta of our most basic of human desires: to belong, to be loved, and to walk a path of one’s own choosing." -Nic Stone, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin​

Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.

A celebratory and inspiring look at some of the most important black women in STEM.

Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM celebrates more than 50 women who have shattered the glass ceiling, defied racial discrimination, and pioneered in their fields. Award-winning author Tonya Bolden explores the black women who have changed the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,and Mathematics) in America.

Changing the Equation provides an inside look at groundbreaking computer scientists, doctors, inventors, physicists, pharmacists, mathematicians, aviators, and many more. In these profiles, young readers will find role models, inspirations, and maybe even reasons to be the STEM leaders of tomorrow. These stories help young readers to dream big and stay curious. The book includes a glossary of education and career descriptions, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

Books about women in science and successful women of color are in demand. Changing the Equation is especially timely as we celebrate Women’s History Month in March.

The true story of how a ride on a carousel made a powerful Civil Rights statement

A Ride to Remember tells how a community came together—both black and white—to make a change. When Sharon Langley was born in the early 1960s, many amusement parks were segregated, and African-American families were not allowed entry. This book reveals how in the summer of 1963, due to demonstrations and public protests, the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in Maryland became desegregated and opened to all for the first time. Co-author Sharon Langley was the first African-American child to ride the carousel. This was on the same day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Langley’s ride to remember demonstrated the possibilities of King’s dream. This book includes photos of Sharon on the carousel, authors’ notes, a timeline, and a bibliography.

The follow-up to Kindred, the #1 bestseller, comes Octavia E. Butler’s groundbreaking dystopian novel

In this graphic novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, by Damian Duffy and John Jennings, the award-winning team behind the #1 bestseller Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, the author portrays a searing vision of America’s future. In the year 2024, the country is marred by unattended environmental and economic crises that lead to social chaos. Lauren Olamina, a preacher’s daughter living in Los Angeles, is protected from danger by the walls of her gated community. However, in a night of fire and death, what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny … and the birth of a new faith.

The first book to explore the historical role and residual impact of the Green Book, a travel guide for black motorists

Published from 1936 to 1966, the Green Book was hailed as the "black travel guide to America." At that time, it was very dangerous and di cult for African-Americans to travel because black travelers couldn’t eat, sleep, or buy gas at most white-owned businesses. The Green Book listed hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses that were safe for black travelers. It was a resourceful and innovative solution to a horrific problem. It took courage to be listed in the Green Book, and Overground Railroad celebrates the stories of those who put their names in the book and stood up against segregation. It shows the history of the Green Book, how we arrived at our present historical moment, and how far we still have to go when it comes to race relations in America.

A celebration of August Wilson’s journey from a child in Pittsburgh to one of America’s greatest playwrights

August Wilson (1945-2005) was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who had a particular talent for capturing the authentic, everyday voice of Black Americans. As a child, he read off soup cans and cereal boxes, and when his mother brought him to the library, his whole world opened up. After facing intense prejudice at school from both students and some teachers, August dropped out. However, he continued reading and educating himself independently. He felt that if he could read about it, then he could teach himself anything and accomplish anything. Like many of his plays, Feed Your Mind is told in two acts, revealing how Wilson grew up to be one of the most influential American playwrights. The book includes an author’s note, a timeline of August Wilson’s life, a list of Wilson’s plays, and a bibliography.

In this companion to the Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award�winning Trombone Shorty, join a scrappy young musician named Shorty on a tour of his beloved New Orleans. After letting his band down by missing rehearsal, Shorty has some serious questions about what it means to be a leader. He hits the streets of New Orleans to find some answers and soak up inspiration. Along the way he’ll meet street musicians, a favorite restaurant owner, and the famous Mardi Gras Indians. Each has some NOLA-bred wisdom to share with Shorty about being an artist, a leader, and a friend. In The 5 O’Clock Band, Troy Andrews has crafted another unforgettable love letter to New Orleans illustrated by the incomparable Bryan Collier.

Frederick Douglass (1818�1895) is best known for the telling of his own emancipation. But there is much more to Douglass’s story than his time spent enslaved and his famous autobiography. Facing Frederick captures the whole complicated, and at times perplexing, person that he was. Statesman, suffragist, writer, and newspaperman, this book focuses on Douglass the man rather than the historical icon.

Over the centuries, untold numbers of black men and women in America have achieved great things against the odds."Pathfinders"is a collective biography of sixteen diverse American men and women of African descent who made their mark on American history in the 18th to 20th centuries. People who dared to dream, take risks, and create goals not only for themselves, but for others and the betterment of their society, too. Award-winning author Tonya Bolden offers an insightful look at these figures, from Venture Smith, who bought his freedom; to Sadie Alexander, who contributed to the Civil Rights movement in the United States; to Katherine Johnson, who helped the United States land on the moon.

Among the incredible people in this nonfiction masterpiece are James Forten (1766 1842), a powder boy then prisoner of war during the Revolution, who grew up to be the captain of his own ship and one of Philadelphia s leading abolitionists and wealthiest citizen; Richard Potter (1783-1835), an accomplished magician, ventriloquist, and hypnotist who paved the way for other well-known entertainers like Harry Houdini; Paul Revere Williams (1894 1980), born poor and an orphan by age four, who became known as the Architect to the Stars (among them Danny Thomas); Jackie Ormes (1911 1985), who first made her mark as a cartoonist in the 1930s; and Katherine Johnson (1918), a mathematician and physicist whose calculations were key to the successful missions of astronauts Alan Shepard, John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong. Each evocative profile includes an enlightening look at the historical build up and several images ranging from paintings and photographs to primary documents. The book ends with endnotes, a timeline, a bibliography, and an index. Ideal for Black History Month and common core usage, this book will also find wide appeal year-round for curious minds looking to discover fascinating pieces of American History, as well as interesting career possibilities.

The book examines the lives of:

• Venture Smith, prince
• James Forten, entrepreneur
• Richard Potter, magician
• James McCune Smith, physician
• Mary Bowser, spy
• Allen Allensworth, town founder
• Clara Brown, pioneer
• Sissieretta Jones, concert singer
• Maggie Lena Walker, bank founder
• Charlie Wiggins, race car driver
• Eugene Bullard, combat pilot
• Oscar Micheaux, filmmaker
• Jackie Ormes, cartoonist
• Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, economist and attorney
• Paul R. Williams, architect
• Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson, mathematician

Octavia E. Butler’s bestselling literary science-fiction masterpiece, Kindred, now in graphic novel format. �

More than 35 years after its release, Kindred continues to draw in new readers with its deep exploration of the violence and loss of humanity caused by slavery in the United States, and its complex and lasting impact on the present day. Adapted by celebrated academics and comics artists Damian Duffy and John Jennings, this graphic novel powerfully renders Butler’s mysterious and moving story, which spans racial and gender divides in the antebellum South through the 20th century.� �

Butler’s most celebrated, critically acclaimed work tells the story of Dana, a young black woman who is suddenly and inexplicably transported from her home in 1970s California to the pre�“Civil War South. As she time-travels between worlds, one in which she is a free woman and one where she is part of her own complicated familial history on a southern plantation, she becomes frighteningly entangled in the lives of Rufus, a conflicted white slaveholder and one of Dana’s own ancestors, and the many people who are enslaved by him. �

Held up as an essential work in feminist, science-fiction, and fantasy genres, and a cornerstone of the Afrofuturism movement, there are over 500,000 copies of Kindred in print. The intersectionality of race, history, and the treatment of women addressed within the original work remain critical topics in contemporary dialogue, both in the classroom and in the public sphere. �

Frightening, compelling, and richly imagined, Kindred offers an unflinching look at our complicated social history, transformed by the graphic novel format into a visually stunning work for a new generation of readers.

A 2017 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction finalist!

American attitudes toward immigrants are paradoxical. On the one hand, we see our country as a haven for the poor and oppressed; anyone, no matter his or her background, can find freedom here and achieve the “American Dream.” On the other hand, depending on prevailing economic conditions, fluctuating feelings about race and ethnicity, and fear of foreign political and labor agitation, we set boundaries and restrictions on who may come to this country and whether they may stay as citizens. This book explores the way government policy and popular responses to immigrant groups evolved throughout U.S. history, particularly between 1800 and 1965. The book concludes with a summary of events up to contemporary times, as immigration again becomes a hot-button issue. Includes an author’s note, bibliography, and index.

Hailing from the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today this Grammy-nominated artist headlines the legendary New Orleans Jazz Fest.
Along with esteemed illustrator Bryan Collier, Andrews has created a lively picture book autobiography about how he followed his dream of becoming a musician, despite the odds, until he reached international stardom. Trombone Shorty is a celebration of the rich cultural history of New Orleans and the power of music.

This Coretta Scott King Honor Book provides a much-needed window into a little-documented time in black history. The poignant story, based on the memoir of Maritcha Rémond Lyons, shows what it was like to be a black child born free and living in New York City in the mid-1800s.

Capital Days introduces young readers to Washington, D.C., during the early to mid-19th century. Spanning more than 60 years, the story of Michael Shiner (c. 1804-1880) highlights a period of immense change in our country and its capital. Covering the burning of the city during the War of 1812, the rebuilding of the Capitol and White House, the raising of the Washington Monument, and on through the Civil War, the end of slavery, and numerous other "capital days," this book offers readers fresh insights and background on how our nation’s capital came to be. The book includes excerpts from Shiner’s diary, other primary sources, archival images, and a timeline.Much as she did in Maritcha and Searching for Sarah Rector, award-winning author Tonya Bolden expertly examines the intricacies of American history through the lens of one relatable person’s life.

A young boy wakes. He has forgotten to say his prayers. Outside his window, a beautiful harvest moon illuminates the city around him and its many inhabitants. As the moon slowly makes its way across the heavens, the boy offers a simple prayer for the homeless, the hungry, and others.Critically acclaimed author Tonya Bolden teams up with award?winning illustrator Eric Velasquez to create a richly painted and emotionally complex book that celebrates prayer and kindness while recognizing the diversity of the world around us.

A 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book and a 2015 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a “Whites only” school. Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.

Praise for Separate is Never Equal STARRED REVIEWS ”Tonatiuh masterfully combines text and folk-inspired art to add an important piece to the mosaic of U.S. civil rights history.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Younger children will be outraged by the injustice of the Mendez family story but pleased by its successful resolution. Older children will understand the importance of the 1947 ruling that desegregated California schools, paving the way for Brown v. Board of Education seven years later.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Tonatiuh (Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote) offers an illuminating account of a family’s hard-fought legal battle to desegregate California schools in the years before Brown v. Board of Education.” —Publishers Weekly

“Pura Belpré Award�“winning Tonatiuh makes excellent use of picture-book storytelling to bring attention to the 1947 California ruling against public-school segregation.” —Booklist

“The straightforward narrative is well matched with the illustrations in Tonatiuh’s signature style, their two-dimensional perspective reminiscent of the Mixtec codex but collaged with paper, wood, cloth, brick, and (Photoshopped) hair to provide textural variation. This story deserves to be more widely known, and now, thanks to this book, it will be.” —The Horn Book Magazine

  Before the Little Rock Nine, before Rosa Parks, before Martin Luther King Jr. and his March on Washington, there was Barbara Rose Johns, a teenager who used nonviolent civil disobedience to draw attention to her cause. In 1951, witnessing the unfair conditions in her racially segregated high school, Barbara Johns led a walkout—the first public protest of its kind demanding racial equality in the U.S.—jumpstarting the American civil rights movement. Ridiculed by the white superintendent and school board, local newspapers, and others, and even after a cross was burned on the school grounds, Barbara and her classmates held firm and did not give up. Her school’s case went all the way to the Supreme Court and helped end segregation as part of Brown v. Board of Education.

� Sarah Rector was once famously hailed as ?the richest black girl in America.” Set against the backdrop of American history, her tale encompasses the creation of Indian Territory, the making of Oklahoma, and the establishment of black towns and oil-rich boomtowns.
Rector acquired her fortune at the age of eleven. This is both her story and that of children just like her: one filled with ups and downs amid bizarre goings-on and crimes perpetrated by greedy and corrupt adults. From a trove of primary documents, including court and census records and interviews with family members, author Tonya Bolden painstakingly pieces together the events of Sarah’s life and the lives of those around her.
The book includes a glossary, a bibliography, and an index.

Praise for Searching for Sarah Rector
STARRED REVIEWS
"This handsome volume with its many photographs is carefully sourced and has a helpful glossary, illustration credits and index. Bolden admirably tells a complex story while modeling outstanding research strategy, as her insightful author’s note attests."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This book will be extremely useful to teachers and librarians seeking material to align with Common Core State Standards dealing with the craft of writing of informational text."
—School Library Journal, starred review
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"Bolden’s remarks on tracking down Sarah’s story will appeal to those who enjoy untangling historical mysteries."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

� When a group of students wins a trip to New York City, accompanied by their teacher, they aren’t sure where to start. Soon enough, they’re roaming the city, from the Statue of Liberty to Times Square, from Chinatown to Central Park, in order to discover what makes New York one of the greatest cities on Earth.
Structured like the popular song ?The Twelve Days of Christmas,” Tonya Bolden’s text captures the fun and fast-paced spirit of New York, while Gilbert Ford’s illustrations embody its dynamic beauty and odd quirks. The book includes a map of all five boroughs of the city highlighting kid-friendly places to see when you visit.

Praise for 12 Days of New York
"Ford’s illustrations, rendered in a variety of media including India ink, gouache, dyes and Photoshop, depict the city in bright, glowing tones that are cartoonlike but manage to capture the essence of the people and places."
?Kirkus Reviews

"Ford’s mixed-media art features chunky India ink outlines and a broad palette that portrays afternoon, twilight, indoor, and outdoor scenes with equal skill? While the venues are recognizable, the adventurous perspectives Ford uses gives them a welcome freshness."
?Publishers Weekly

"Richly colored cartoon illustrations, with a dialogue bubble here and there for added humor, depict the wide-eyed characters and their surroundings with a fair amount of detail without overwhelming? A jolly jaunt introducing a few classic Big Apple landmarks."
?Booklist

"Vibrant illustration."
?School Library Journal

Published on the anniversary of when President Abraham Lincoln’s order went into effect, this book offers readers a unique look at the events that led to the Emancipation Proclamation. Filled with little-known facts and fascinating details, it includes excerpts from historical sources, archival images, and new research that debunks myths about the Emancipation Proclamation and its causes. Complete with a timeline, glossary, and bibliography, Emancipation Proclamation is an engrossing new historical resource from award-winning children’s book author Tonya Bolden.

Praise for Emancipation Proclamation:
FOUR STARRED REVIEWS
"A convincing, handsomely produced argument…"
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Bolden makes excellent use of primary sources; the pages are filled with archival photos, engravings, letters, posters, maps, newspaper articles, and other period documents. Detailed captions and a glossary interpret them for today’s readers."
—School Library Journal, starred review

"The language soars, powerfully communicating not just the facts about the Emancipation Proclamation but its meaning for those who cared most passionately."
—Booklist, starred review

"Bolden tackles these questions in a richly illustrated overview of the lead-up to the Proclamation, organizing and reiterating information already familiar to many middle-schoolers, while introducing material that will probably be eye-opening to students who have taken their textbook’s version of history at face value."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review

Award
School Library Journal Best Book of 2013
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbons List 2013
Notable Children’s Books from ALSC 2014
2014 Carter G.Woodson Middle Level Book Award

The Oprah Winfrey Show came to an end on May 25, 2011, after 25 years on television. Arguably the most influential television personality of all time, Ms. Winfrey and her show have had an impact on American culture that cannot be overstated. This beautifully illustrated book will explore and celebrate the legacy of the show using essays and tributes from a stellar group of contributors including Maya Angelou, Bono, Ellen DeGeneres, Nelson Mandela, Toni Morrison, Julia Roberts, Maria Shriver, Gloria Steinem, John Travolta, and more. The book will feature photographs from the Harpo archive, spanning the 25 years the show has been on the air, including the farewell season.
�
Essays within the book will be dedicated to different themes (e.g., personal growth, social action, and literature) and will explore how the show has touched people’s lives and impacted the conversation around those issues. The essays will be followed by narrative text, which will guide the reader through the history of the show’s involvement with each topic and will include stories about the events, people, and organizations that have acted as touchstones or provided insights along the way. Accompanying the essays and narrative text will be images from the show, behind-the-scenes photographs, as well as signature portraits of the contributing celebrities taken by noted photographers.

The book will allow Oprah Winfrey Show fans to understand the broad cultural impact of the show, while revisiting favorite guests, episodes, and stories.

Praise for Oprah Winfrey Show:�Reflections on an American Legacy:

“A lavish and loving tribute to the television personality, icon, and philanthropist makes a powerful case for Oprah’s centrality and influence on American culture… . The book shines when it … gives us, in its gorgeous photographs, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the empty studio, the primping process (with no fewer than three makeup artists), and the vast army of producers and writers behind Oprah’s magic.”�

“A big, glossy paean to the queen of talk … A chance to relive the first twenty-five years of ‘aha’ moments.” —USA Today “[A] sumptuous tribute to the talk-show icon.” —Washington Post (A Best Book of 2011) � “This is a perfect gift for any Oprah fan or anyone just looking for inspiration.” —Dallas Morning News
—Publishers Weekly

Neighbors gather on a hot summer day for a joyful block party: Kids play double Dutch; men debate at the barber shop and play chess; mothers and aunts cook up oxtail stew, collard greens, and other delicious treats; and friends dance and sway as jazz floats through the streets.

A rhythmic tale that celebrates the diversity of a close-knit community, Around Our Way on Neighbors’ Day will excite readers and prompt them to discover the magic of their own special surroundings.

A young narrator tells readers about her friend Maya, who absolutely loves to dance. In this rhyming picture book, Maya attends a lively dance class. She can’t get enough of dance: the costumes, the grand entrances, the pirouettes, the music, the final bow, and the magic of recitals. She even loves the hard work of practice. But why doesn’t her friend dance, too?�The pages themselves seem to dance, thanks to the charming verse of Cheryl Willis Hudson and the vibrant colors and motion of Eric Velasquez’s paintings.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

A Coretta Scott King Honor Award author offers a fresh look at this pioneering American innovator

Shampoo from peanuts? Wallpaper from clay? Ink from sweet potatoes? Discover Carver’s imagination and inspiration in this one-of-a-kind biography.

With imagination and intellect, George Washington Carver (1864�1934) developed hundreds of unexpected products from everyday plants. This book reveals what an exceptionally uncommon man Carver was: trailblazing scholar, innovative scientist, pioneering conservationist, and impassioned educator.

This book follows his life from slave and orphan to his college days as the first African American to attend Iowa State College (where he later taught), and on to his life and work in the field of agriculture. Illustrated with historical artifacts and photographs, the book traces Carver’s life, discoveries, and legacy.

This Coretta Scott King Honor Book provides a much-needed window into a little-documented time in black history. The poignant story, based on the memoir of Maritcha Rémond Lyons, shows what it was like to be a black child born free and living in New York City in the mid-1800s.

The first book to trace growing up black in America In a warm, personal voice, Tonya Bolden explores what it has meant to be young and black in America. From the first recorded birth of a black child in Jamestown, through the Revolution, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the fight for civil rights, right on up to our own time, Bolden brings to light how black children have worked and played, suffered and rejoiced. She covers a range of lifestyles, social classes, attitudes, and perceptions to portray children in ever-evolving states of life. Both unknown and celebrated children are included, from those remembered only from advertisements for the slave trade to those who would grow up to shape and make history, including Frederick Douglass, Benjamin Banneker, Sadie and Bessie Delany, Charles Johnson, and basketball legends Paula and Pamela McGee. This important book, the first trade book of its kind, draws on a wealth of primary sources, including interviews, diaries, news articles, and historical documents, and is generously illustrated with paintings, photographs, posters, and other ephemera.