37 Books Published by Jump At The Sun on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

The fifth book of the award-winning and bestselling Sugar Plum Ballerinas series by Whoopi Goldberg--now featuring brand-new illustrations!

At the Nutcracker School of Ballet in Harlem, young dancers learn to chassé, plié, and jeté with their Sugar Plum Sisters--but things don't always go to plan! As the girls encounter challenges both on and off stage, they'll need the support of their classmates to carry them through with aplomb.

Jessica is worse than worried when she learns that the Nutcracker School of Ballet might lose its lease! Life just wouldn't be the same without the ballet classes she shares with her Sugar Plum sisters. Her problems mount when she rescues an adorable stray kitty on her way home from class. The animal shelters can't take the cat for weeks, so Jessica hopes the cat can live at the Nutcracker School in the meantime. But the school is already in trouble, and a cat could be just what the landlord needs to bring down the curtain on the ballerinas-permanently.

Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, these poems pay tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists insisting that Black Lives Matter. Elliott engages poets from the past two centuries to create a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls.
This collection features forty-nine powerful poems, four of which are tribute poems inspired by the works of Lucille Clifton, Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, and Phillis Wheatley.
This provocative collection will move every reader to reflect, respond-and act.

The world-renowned poet, cultural critic, feminist theorist, intellectual, and award-winning author, bell hooks, brings together with the resplendent artwork of Shane W. Evan, a beautiful board book perfect for little hands.

PRAISE FOR HOMEMADE LOVE

The rhythm of the words, the smoothness of the text, and the positive message all combine to make a lovely read-aloud.School Library Journal

[Evans’s] cheerful, splashy paintings display an abundance of affection between the girl and her parents.Publishers Weekly

Muhammad Ali is considered by many to have been the finest athlete of the twentieth century. Here is a compelling testimony to his courage, resilience in the face of controversy, and boxing prowess by Obie Award-winning author Ntozake Shange. In her own words, Shange shows us Ali and his life, from his childhood in the segregated South, to his meteoric rise in boxing to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Edel Rodriguez’s stunning artwork combines pastels, monoprint woodblock ink linework and spray paint on colored papers to capture Ali’s power, spontaneity, and energy. A timeline and list of additional resources in the backmatter help make this a standout picturebook biography of the man known around the world as "The Greatest."

The reissue of this compelling portrait will have readers cheering once again for the late American icon.

The skin I’m in is just a covering. It cannot tell my story. The skin I’m in is just a covering. If you want to know who I am, you have got to come inside and open your heart way wide.

Celebrating all that makes us unique and different, Skin Again offers new ways to talk about race and identity. Race matters, but only so much—what’s most important is who we are on the inside. Looking beyond skin, going straight to the heart, we find in each other the treasures stored down deep. Learning to cherish those treasures, to be all we imagine ourselves to be, makes us free.

This award-winning book, with its myriad of faces, introduces a strong message of loving yourself and others that will appeal to parents of our youngest readers.

This joyous ode to hair may well restart conversations that began last year with the controversy over Carolivia Herron’s Nappy Hair. Bubbling over with affection, and injecting a strong self-esteem boost for girls, hooks’s ebullient, poetic text celebrates the innate beauty and freedom of hair that’s

soft like cotton,
flower petal billowy soft, full of frizz and fuzz.

Waxing poetic about “short tight naps” or “plaited strands all,“ hooks conjures all the lovely varieties of hairstyles that “let girls go running free.” She sings the praises of “girlpie hair,” subtly reinforcing her theme with a chorus of descriptive words like “halo” and “crown.”

She also evokes the intimate warmth of mother-daughter time&hellip “sitting still for hands to brush or braid and make the day start hopefully.” A powerful, uplifting and, above all, buoyantly fun read-aloud, the text receives a superb visual interpretation by Raschka. A master of minimalism, he works here in nuanced, impressionistic watercolors and suggests his subjects with a quick stroke of the brush here, a graceful sweep of line there. Bolstering the theme of individuality, he provides softly shaded washes of varying hue that set off the dazzling array of hairstyles like an aura and create a rhythmic flow of color across the pages. Broad swoops conjure curls and braids, quick stripes of colors make barrettes, and tiny dots create beads.

Though clearly of particular interest to African-American girls, the infectious energy and spirit of this volume will appeal to all readers. —Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Happy to be nappy!
Happy with hair all short and strong.
Happy with locks that twist and curl.
Just all girl happy!
Happy to be nappy hair!

Legendary author bell hooks and Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka present a lyrical celebration, brimming with enthusiasm for girls and their hair. Nominated for an NAACP Image Award, this stunning picturebook is now available again in board book form.

I be boy. All bliss boy. All fine beat. All beau boy. Beautiful. Famed author bell hooks brings us a tight, exuberant story that captures the essence and energy of what it means to be a boy. Chris Raschka’s soulful illustrations buzz with a force that is the perfect match for these powerful words. Praise for Be Boy Buzz: *"This spare, poetic riff on young manhood plumbs the delights and contradictions of what it means to be a boy… . Hooks’s rhythmic blend of brevity and eloquence launches Raschka’s trademark visual haiku… . This life-affirming book will have readers as much ’in love with being a boy’ as are its own utterly irresistible characters."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[The] poetry is rhythmic and rolling, each word finessed to fit the pulse of [hooks’s] verse. The lilt of the language is contagious, begging to be read aloud… . Raschka’s mixed media illustrations are an energetic dream… . Buy it for the boys and all those who love them."
-Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books

"[A] pleasing and affirmative visual and textual interpretation of what it means to be a little boy: be boy buzz, indeed."
-Kirkus Reviews

When Lizzie’s parents are granted their freedom from slavery, Mama says its time for Lizzie and her brother Paul to go to a real school—a new one, built just for them. Lizzie can’t wait. The scraps of learning she has picked up here and there have just made her hungry for more.

The walk to school is long. Some days it’s rainy, or windy, or freezing cold. Sometimes there are dangers lurking along the way, like angry white folks with rocks, or mysterious men on horseback. The schoolhouse is still unpainted, and its very plain, but Lizzie has never seen a prettier sight. Except for maybe the teacher, Mizz Howard, who has brown skin, just like her.

They’ve finally made it to Freedom’s School. But will it be strong enough to stand forever?
Praise for Light in the Darkness
"In this tale, [Cline-Ransome] makes the point that learning was not just a dream of a few famous and accomplished men and women, but one that belonged to ordinary folk willing to risk their lives. Ransome’s full-page watercolor paintings-in beautiful shades of blue for the night and yellow for the day-are a window, albeit somewhat gentle, into a slave’s life for younger readers. A compelling story about those willing to risk "[a] lash for each letter." -Kirkus Reviews

"Told from the perspective of Rosa, a girl who makes the dangerous nighttime journey to the lessons with her mother, the story effectively conveys the urgent dedication of the characters to their surreptitious schooling and their belief in the power of literacy…Solid text and soft, skillful illustrations combine for a poignant tribute to the power of education and the human spirit."-School Library Journal

Rosa and her mama go to school together-in the dark of night, silently, afraid that any noise they hear is a patroller on the lookout for escaped slaves. Their school is literally a hole in the ground, where they and other slaves of all ages gather to form letters out of sticks, scratch letters in the dirt, and pronounce their sounds in whispers. Young Rosa is eager to learn the letters and then the words, because after the words comes reading. But she must have patience, her mama reminds her, and keep her letters to herself when she’s working on the plantation. If the Master catches them, it’ll mean a whipping-one lash for each letter. No matter how slow and dangerous the process might be, Rosa is determined to learn, and pass on her learning to others.

Epatha knows she’s the perfect pick for the lead in the new Sugar Plum ballet. But her dream role isn’t as fabulosa as she imagined. When she tries to spice up the choreography with her free-spirited style it’s up to the rest of the Sugar Plum Ballerinas to keep Epatha’s toes in line. Will Epatha listen to her friends or can she convince the other ballerinas that her way is the best? The sixth and final book in the Sugar Plum Ballerina series is as full of fun, mischief, and friendship as ever!

In 9 stories and 15 poems, Sharon G. Flake provides insight into the minds of a diverse group adolescent African American males. There’s Tow-Kaye, getting married at age 16 to love of his life, who’s pregnant. He knows it’s the right thing to do, but he’s scared to death. James writes in his diary about his twin brother’s terrible secret, which threatens to pull James down, too. Tyler explains what it’s like to be a player with the ladies. In a letter to his uncle, La’Ron confesses that he’s infected with HIV. Eric takes us on a tour of North Philly on the Fourth of July, when the heat could make a guy go crazy. Still, he loves his hood. These and other unforgettable characters come to life in this collection of urban male voices. Sharon’s G. Flake’s talent for telling it like it is will leave readers thinking differently, feeling deeply, and definitely wanting more.

Terrel is always in charge, whether she’s making lists for grocery shopping (her favorite hobby, AFTER ballet), keeping her brothers in line, or organizing father-daughter time in with her dad. Lately, though, her dad’s been acting a little strange—wearing new clothes and way too much aftershave. Things get even weirder when he surprises Terrel with his new girlfriend during a night out at the ballet - a night that was supposed to be father-daughter time. What’s more, his "date" brought her niece along. A niece who turns out to be Terrel’s ballerina nemesis, Tiara Girl! With some Sugar Plum help, Terrel takes charge of breaking up her father’s new relationship.

Perfectionistic Jerzey Mae desperately wants to be a ballet dancer. But she’s frustrated by her own lack of talent—and by her friends’ jokes about her terrible dancing. Things get even worse when her little brother Mason attends her ballet class, totally embarrassing Jerzey in front of her prima ballerina idol, Miss Camilla Freeman. When Jerzey learns that Miss Camilla will be attending their recital, she’s determined not to make a fool of herself again. But her efforts to learn her dance are continually thwarted—until she finds help in a very unexpected place.

Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of several masters before she escaped to freedom. But she knew she wouldn’t really be free unless she was helping to end injustice. That’s when she changed her name to Sojourner and began traveling across the country, demanding equal rights for black people and for women. Many people weren’t ready for her message, but Sojourner was brave, and her truth was powerful. And slowly, but surely as Sojourner’s step-stomp stride, America began to change.

A ballet slipper-ey slope

Brenda Black prides herself on her logical and orderly mind. She studies anatomy books to get a twelve-year head start on medical school, and she idolizes Leonardo da Vinci. But things go haywire when her spoiled cousin Tiffany comes to visit. At first Brenda tries to ignore Tiffany’s constant bragging. But when Tiffany implies that Brenda is not cultured enough to know who Miss Camilla Freeman is—Miss Camilla Freeman, the very famous prima ballerina—Brenda snaps. She tells Tiffany that not only does she know who Camilla Freeman is, but she happens to own an autographed pair of her toeshoes. So of course, Tiffany wants to see the shoes.

The only problem? The shoes actually belong to Ms. Debb , the headmistress of the Nutcracker School! Brenda’s anatomy books might get her into medical school, but they can’t get her out of this mess—for that, she’ll need the help of her Sugar Plum Sisters!

Alexandrea Petrakova Johnson does not want to be a beautiful ballerina, and she does not want to leave her friends in Apple Creek. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop her ballet-crazy mother from moving them to Harlem, or from enrolling Al at the Nutcracker School of Ballet.


Life is hard when you’re the new ballerina on the block, and it’s even harder when you’re chosen to be the Sugar Plum Fairy in the school recital! Not only is Al a terrible dancer, but she’s also got a rotten case of stage fright! Al’s ballet classmates are going to have to use all the plum power they’ve got to coach this scary fairy!

First-day-of-school buzz?  So over!  It’s the end of September, and the spotlight-loving, drama-obsessed It Chicks’ lives are getting juicier by the second.

“You live in a tower without a stair,
Sugar Cane, Sugar Cane, let down your hair.”

Stolen away from her parents on her first birthday by island sorceress Madam Fate, beautiful Sugar Cane grows up in a tower overlooking the sea. With only a pet green monkey named Callaloo for company, Sugar Cane is lonely?her only consolation is her love of music. Often she stands at her window and sings, imagining that the echo of her voice is someone answering her. Then one night, someone does hear her song, but could this young man with a gift for music break the spell of Madam Fate and help Sugar Cane set herself free?

Now that Grandpa’s gone, Sarah tries to remember what he used to say about the garden.  Like us, he would tell her, a part of it never dies.  Everything and everyone goes on and on.  But Sarah feels very sad, even though Grandma and all the relatives are with her, sharing stories and hugs.  How can life go on without Grandpa?

As summer slips into fall, Grandma and Sarah share a rich garden harvest?and their sweet, sweet memories of Grandpa. The stories and memories of loved ones, Sarah learns, are what keep everything and everyone going on and on.  

This spare and beautiful picture book balances sadness and mourning with the comforting notion of the continuity of all life.

After the sudden and violent death of his father, there remains only one certainty in Keith James’s life: everything is going to be different now. Barely a month has passed, and Keith is being forced to move from big-city Brooklyn, New York, to small-town Hollow Falls, Ohio.

Keith enters the eighth grade at his new school, not surprised to find he’s the only one with an Afro, a wardrobe straight out of the ’60s, and a zealous appreciation of Jimi Hendrix, the greatest guitarist who ever lived. Struggling to start over, Keith finds comfort in Jimi’s music, wisdom in his lyrics, and a connection to the man himself—Jimi was a left-hander who loved to write music and poetry, just like Keith. Through the storm of his tragic loss, Keith begins to see the few rays of happiness in this tiny new town—especially when the beautiful Veronica, long blond hair falling everywhere, looks his way.

Soon, however, Keith discovers there may be a journey even more painful than coming to peace with his father’s death—coming to peace with his father’s life. As powerful secrets from his dad’s past come to light, the man Keith once worshipped suddenly becomes the man he hardly knew. Everything is going to be different now.

What they want is fame.
All they have is drama.

Welcome to Louis B. Armstrong, New York City’s most prestigious performing arts school, where the gifted, wanna-be starlets, and It Chicks are all on the rise. But when rehearsals give way to hot and heavy after-school sessions away from the barre and without the mic, the real drama begins.  

Meet the hottest cast in town:

Tangie, the Dreamer. Skye the Drama Queen. Eden the Bombshell. Trey the Bad Boy. CJ the Thug with the Heart of Gold. Izzy the Wild Child. Regina the Silent Threat. And the Entourage: Marisol, Kamillah, Blackadocious, Vineet, and Lyle.

 

They’re all playing the fame game and will do whatever it takes to nail it.

This time Willimena’s troubles arrive in the form of sweet, innocent little peanut-butter cremes, chocolate mint, and 100% shortbread cookies. She sells box after box after box. and even gets a patch for being the top seller in her troop. But then she loses-well, actually, spends-the money while trying to do her best to live up to the Girl Scout Law. But in doing so, she breaks it at the same time. Facing the humiliation and shame of being kicked out of Brownies, she and her big sister Tina come up with a plan to earn the money back. Of course, it backfires and that’s when things really begin to heat up!!

Raspberry Hill, who once was homeless, vowed never to end up on the streets again. To her, money equals security. But when a troubled neighborhood teenager attacks her mother, Raspberry is desperate for things in her life to change and ends up stealing from her best friend. But nothing good comes from bad money. And as her thoughts alternate between the two men in her life-as her relationship with Sato blossoms and her relationship with her drug-addicted father erodes-Raspberry must finally confront the biggest of all her fears: is she really much different from her thieving father after all? How will her friends react when the find out what she’s done? Raspberry is certain…something’s got to change.

What new set of rules does Willimena live by in this adventure? Well, summer’s over, and Willie is finally about to enter the third grade. Things are looking pretty rosy until she learns that Mrs. Sweetly-who’s anything but sweet-is going to be her teacher for the whole year. Not to be daunted, Willie wonders how she can make a good impression on the "sinister" Mrs. Sweetly. And, as Willie soon finds out, the first rule to losing your class pet (and impressing your teacher) is to "volunteer to bring your class pet home." Rule #2? "Make sure you look away while cleaning his cage in your backyard". And so, when Lester, the third grade’s beloved floppy-eared guinea pig makes a break for it, Willimena’s rules are about to change.

This colorful, vibrant treasury is the ultimate tribute to the unique sport and pastime of double Dutch. Written and compiled by celebrated author and journalist Veronica Chambers, Double Dutch is filled with her own personal memories of girlhood and jumping rope, along with poems, interviews, songs, history, quotes, rhymes, and photographs. At the heart of Double Dutch, though, is a celebration, not just of a sport, but of sisterhood—after all, it takes a few friends to make that rope really swing and those feet jump for joy

A collection of poems that capture the feelings and expression of music in some of its forms.

Here is one of four new additions to the irresistible Motown Baby Love board book series. Paired with scrumptious photos of babies who coem in all clors, shapes, and sizes, the heartfelt lyrics of these timeless Motown songs take on a whole new meaning. You cna never have enough baby love.

Here is one of four new additions to the irresistible Motown Baby Love board book series. Paired with scrumptious photos of babies who come in all colors, shapes and sizes, the heartfelt lyrics of these timeless Motown songs take on a whole new meaning. You can never have enough baby love.

Here is one of four new additions to the irresistible Motown Baby Love borad book series. Paired with scrumptious photos of babies who come in all colors, shapes, and sizes, the heartfelt lyrics of these timeless Motown songs take on a whole new meaning. You can never have enough baby love.

We all know them, we all love them—our favorite Motown songs just keep getting better and better. These heartfelt lyrics have stood the test of time—and now they take on a whole new meaning when paired with irresistible photos of babies who come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. The Motown Baby Love board books are sure to zoom to the top of the charts!

We all know them, we all love them—our favorite Motown songs just keep getting better and better. These heartfelt lyrics have stood the test of time—and now they take on a whole new meaning when paired with irresistible photos of babies who come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. The Motown Baby Love board books are sure to zoom to the top of the charts!

We all know them, we all love them—our favorite Motown songs just keep getting better and better. These heartfelt lyrics have stood the test of time—and now they take on a whole new meaning when paired with irresistible photos of babies who come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. The Motown Baby Love board books are sure to zoom to the top of the charts!

A Newbery Honor author tells about the blues while profiling ten of the most celebrated blues singers of last century, including Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, and James Brown, in a boldly illustrated picture book. 15,000 first printing.

Illustrations and rhyming text describe babies in terms of different sweet and tasty brown treats.

Take It to the Hoop, Magic Johnson

An illustrated collection of poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar, including "A Boy’s Summer Song," "The Sparrow," and "Little Brown Baby."

Dawn

An angel, robed in spotless white,
Bent down and kissed the sleeping Night.
Night woke to blush; the sprite was gone.
Men saw the blush and called it Dawn

To make this group of kids abide by the rules, the grown-ups create a world inside a box … with toys, games, treats, and gifts, but these clever children are able to find their way out of the box and back into reality. 100,000 first printing.