46 Books Published by Lerner Publishing Group on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

Click for more detail about Small Shoes, Great Strides: How Three Brave Girls Opened Doors to School Equality by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Small Shoes, Great Strides: How Three Brave Girls Opened Doors to School Equality

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Carolrhoda Books (Nov 07, 2023)
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Leona Tate, Gail Etienne, and Tessie Prevost didn’t set out to make history. But when these three Black first graders stepped into the all-white McDonogh No. 19 Public School in New Orleans on November 14, 1960, that’s exactly what they did. They integrated their school just ten minutes before Ruby Bridges walked into her school, also in New Orleans. Like Ruby, the trio faced crowds of protestors fighting against public school desegregation efforts and relied on US Marshals to keep them safe. Their teacher protected them every step of the way, and the girls formed a close bond, becoming friends for life.

Award-winning author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson conducted extensive interviews to bring this little-known story from the Civil Rights Movement to a broad audience. Vivid illustrations by fine artist Alex Bostic highlight the girls’ strength, courage, and determination.


Click for more detail about That Flag by Tameka Fryer Brown That Flag

by Tameka Fryer Brown
Millbrook Press (Jan 31, 2023)
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An affecting picture book from Tameka Fryer Brown and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Nikkolas Smith (The 1619 Project: Born on the Water) that challenges the meaning behind the still-waving Confederate flag through the friendship of two young girls who live across the street from each other.

Bianca is Keira’s best friend. At school, they are inseparable. But Keira questions their friendship when she learns more about the meaning of the Confederate flag hanging from Bianca’s front porch. Will the two friends be able to overlook their distinct understandings of the flag? Or will they reckon with the flag’s effect on yesterday and today?

In That Flag, Tameka Fryer Brown and Nikkolas Smith graciously tackle the issues of racism, the value of friendship, and the importance of understanding history so that we move forward together in a thought-provoking, stirring, yet ultimately tender tale.

A perfect conversation starter for the older and younger generations alike, this book includes back matter on the history of the Confederate flag and notes from the creators.


Click for more detail about Be a Bridge by Irene Latham and Charles Waters Be a Bridge

by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Carolrhoda Books (Aug 02, 2022)
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In this upbeat picture book, acclaimed authors Irene Latham and Charles Waters bring key themes from their earlier collaborations (Can I Touch Your Hair? and Dictionary for a Better World) to a young audience.

Rhyming verse describes different ways in which readers can be a bridge, from welcoming a new student and listening respectfully when someone else is talking to standing up to a bully and comforting a classmate who is upset.

Nabila Adani’s cheerful illustrations depict a diverse group of students, including young versions of Charles and Irene. Scan a Page Plus QR code at the end of the book to download a Bridge Builder Pledge. An ideal book to share with students in the fall to set the tone for the whole school year


Click for more detail about Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

by Carole Boston Weatherford
Carolrhoda Books (Feb 02, 2021)
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“Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history.”

Sample image from Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa’s Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community.

News of what happened was largely suppressed, and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years. This picture book sensitively introduces young readers to this tragedy and concludes with a call for a better future.


Click for more detail about Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z

by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Carolrhoda Books (Feb 04, 2020)
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How can we make the world a better place?

This inspiring resource for middle-grade readers is organized as a dictionary; each entry presents a word related to creating a better world, such as ally, empathy, or respect. For each word, there is a poem, a quote from an inspiring person, a personal anecdote from the authors, and a try it prompt for an activity.

This second poetic collaboration from Irene Latham and Charles Waters builds upon themes of diversity and inclusiveness from their previous book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship. Illustrations from Iranian-British artist Mehrdokht Amini offer readers a rich visual experience.


Click for more detail about A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson A Girl Like Me

by Angela Johnson
Millbrook Press (Feb 04, 2020)
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"Poet Johnson (Heaven) bridges fanciful aspirations and attainable goals in this inclusive portrait of girlhood. ’I always dream’ opens the airy, free-verse narrative. In collages superimposing crisp photos against swirling abstract backdrops, Crews (Seeing into Tomorrow) portrays a girl flying through the air in a red cape, another walking atop skyscrapers, and a third swimming in the ocean, becoming ’part of the waves, ’ while onshore onlookers holler, ’A girl like you needs to/ stay out of the water/ and be dry, / like everyone else.’ The collaborators bring the tone down to earth as the kids react to unseen naysayers who discourage their dreams. In affirmations of their spirit of curiosity and adventure, the girls don vibrant clothing and funky hats as they skip down city streets and frolic by the ocean, always ’thinking/ way up/ high/ and making/ everything/ better than/ the dream.’ The book concludes with a roundup of the subjects and personal statements about their personalities, favorite things, and ambitions, inviting readers’ own self-reflections. A blithe celebration of individuality, guts, and sisterhood."—Publishers Weekly

—Journal


Click for more detail about Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song by Cynthia Grady Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song

by Cynthia Grady
Millbrook Press (Sep 01, 2019)
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Drawing on biblical imagery, slave songs both expressed the sorrow of life in bondage and offered a rallying cry for the spirit. Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator Michele Wood conveys the rich meaning behind these historic songs.


Click for more detail about Let ’er Buck!: George Fletcher, the People’s Champion by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Let ’er Buck!: George Fletcher, the People’s Champion

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Carolrhoda Books (Feb 05, 2019)
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Nelson plaits her narrative with Western lingo and homespun similes … James’ painterly oils swirl with energy, visible daubs creating the dusty, monumental landscape and equally monumental horses and humans … A champion indeed. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The true tale of a cowboy’s epic rodeo ride from acclaimed author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and Caldecott Honoree Gordon C. James.

In 1911, three men were in the final round of the famed Pendleton Round-Up. One was white, one was Indian, and one was black. When the judges declared the white man the winner, the audience was outraged. They named black cowboy George Fletcher the people’s champion and took up a collection, ultimately giving Fletcher far more than the value of the prize that went to the official winner. Award-winning author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson tells the story of Fletcher’s unlikely triumph with a western flair that will delight kids—and adults—who love true stories, unlikely heroes, and cowboy tales.


Click for more detail about I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon by Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon

by Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul
Millbrook Press (Feb 05, 2019)
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"Even as a young child Tantoh Nforba loves the rich soils of his native northwestern Cameroon, earning the nickname ’Farmer’ from his mocking classmates; family members discourage him from following his passion in favor of aiming for an office job. Owning the nickname proudly—he even writes it on his school uniform—he rejects their judgment and grows up to become not just a farmer but an effective advocate for clean water and safe agricultural practices. He founds a successful nonprofit organization and contributes to the health and well-being of countless communities across Cameroon (’In the twenty years since he first put on the Farmer shirt, Tantoh has installed or consulted on the building of more than sixty wells or spring catchments and inspired the planting of more than eight hundred home, school, or community gardens’). This heartening story—accompanied in front and back matter by the authors’ photographs, maps, and additional commentary about their time with Nforba and his family—conveys the importance of sound agricultural practices across farms, schoolyards, communities, and nations. In Zunon’s colorful mixed-media illustrations, the vibrancy of people, water, and especially the contrasting soils of the wet and dry seasons showcase the movement that Farmer Tantoh has built. The back matter also includes a brief glossary/pronunciation guide of Limbum (one of the languages of Cameroon) words."—The Horn Book Magazine

—Journal


Click for more detail about The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just by Mélina Mangal The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just

by Mélina Mangal
Millbrook Press (Nov 01, 2018)
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"Ernest Everett Just, an unsung African-American hero, changed biological science in the early 1900s. Mangal introduces Just as a scientist who ’saw the whole, where others saw only parts. He noticed details others failed to see.’ He became ’the world authority on how life begins from an egg’—but it was a long and difficult journey. Just was an observant child with a schoolteacher mother, but when he caught typhoid fever, he lost the ability to read and struggled, successfully, to relearn. He studied at boarding school and attended Dartmouth College, where he had difficulty keeping up while working to pay his way and support two siblings. Taking a biology class and discovering the world of the cell changed his life. He taught at Howard University and conducted research at a laboratory in Massachusetts, updating experimental processes and discovering a controversial idea about the egg cell’s role in fertilization. Mangal’s succinct, respectful narrative contextualizes Just in his times, for instance pointing out that he experienced more freedom and respect in the European scientific community than he did in the United States; eventually, he moved to France. A beautiful palette of sea blues and greens, sand and coral colors surround Just in illustrations that highlight the importance of environment and family. More than a story of triumph against the odds, this book shows the necessity of opportunity for brilliant minds to reach their potential."—Kirkus Reviews

—Journal


Click for more detail about A Matter of Souls by Denise Lewis Patrick A Matter of Souls

by Denise Lewis Patrick
Carolrhoda Books (Aug 01, 2018)
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From the shores of Africa to the bowels of a transatlantic ship to a voting booth in Mississippi to the jungles of Vietnam, all human connection is a matter of souls.

In this stirring collection of short stories, Denise Lewis Patrick considers the souls of black men and women across centuries and continents. In each, she takes the measure of their dignity, describes their dreams, and catalogs their fears.

Brutality, beauty, laughter, rage, and love all take their turns in each story, but the final impression is of indomitable, luminous, and connected souls.


Click for more detail about No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson No Crystal Stair

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Carolrhoda Books (Mar 01, 2018)
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A documentary novel of the life and work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem bookseller

"You can’t walk straight on a crooked line. You do you’ll break your leg. How can you walk straight in a crooked system?"

Lewis Michaux was born to do things his own way. When a white banker told him to sell fried chicken, not books, because "Negroes don’t read," Lewis took five books and one-hundred dollars and built a bookstore. It soon became the intellectual center of Harlem, a refuge for everyone from Muhammad Ali to Malcolm X.

In No Crystal Stair, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson combines meticulous research with a storyteller’s flair to document the life and times of her great uncle Lewis Michaux, an extraordinary literacy pioneer of the Civil Rights era.

"My life was no crystal stair, far from it. But I’m taking my leave with some pride. It tickles me to know that those folks who said I could never sell books to black people are eating crow. I’d say my seeds grew pretty damn well. And not just the book business. It’s the more important business of moving our people forward that has real meaning."


Click for more detail about Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship

by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Carolrhoda Books (Jan 01, 2018)
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Two poets, one white and one black, explore race and childhood in this must-have collection tailored to provoke thought and conversation.

How can Irene and Charles work together on their fifth grade poetry project? They don’t know each other … and they’re not sure they want to.

Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is Black, use this fictional setup to delve into different experiences of race in a relatable way, exploring such topics as hair, hobbies, and family dinners. Accompanied by artwork from acclaimed illustrators Sean Qualls and Selina Alko (of The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage), this remarkable collaboration invites readers of all ages to join the dialogue by putting their own words to their experiences.


Click for more detail about Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song by Gary Golio Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song

by Gary Golio
Millbrook Press (Feb 01, 2017)
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The audience was completely silent the first time Billie Holiday performed a song called "Strange Fruit." In the 1930s, Billie was known as a performer of jazz and blues music, but this song wasn’t either of those things. It was a song about injustice, and it would change her life forever.



Discover how two outsiders Billie Holiday, a young black woman raised in poverty, and Abel Meeropol, the son of Jewish immigrants combined their talents to create a song that challenged racism and paved the way for the Civil Rights movement.


Click for more detail about A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent by Anne Rockwell A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent

by Anne Rockwell
Carolrhoda Books (Nov 01, 2016)
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Told for the first time in picture book form is the true story of James Lafayette—a slave who spied for George Washington’s army during the American Revolution.

After his resounding defeat at the battle of Yorktown, British general Charles Cornwallis made a point of touring the American camp, looking for the reason behind his loss. What he didn’t expect to see was James, a runaway slave who had served as a guide to the British army. Or at least that’s what Cornwallis was led to believe. In fact, James wasn’t actually an escaped slave—he was a spy for the American army.

But while America celebrated its newfound freedom, James returned to slavery in Virginia. His service as a spy hadn’t qualified him for the release he’d been hoping for. For James the fight wasn’t over; his next adversary was the Virginia General Assembly. He’d already helped his country gain its freedom, now it was time to win his own.


Click for more detail about The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Carolrhoda Books (Nov 01, 2015)
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In the 1930s, Lewis’s dad, Lewis Michaux Sr., had an itch he needed to scratch a book itch. How to scratch it? He started a bookstore in Harlem and named it the National Memorial African Bookstore.

And as far as Lewis Michaux Jr. could tell, his father’s bookstore was one of a kind. People from all over came to visit the store, even famous people Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, to name a few. In his father’s bookstore people bought and read books, and they also learned from each other. People swapped and traded ideas and talked about how things could change. They came together here all because of his father’s book itch. Read the story of how Lewis Michaux Sr. and his bookstore fostered new ideas and helped people stand up for what they believed in.


Click for more detail about One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia

by Miranda Paul
Millbrook Press (Feb 01, 2015)
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"In the 1980s in the cities of Gambia, a switch from using baskets made of natural materials to non-biodegradable plastic bags led to a problem: roadsides began to be choked by ever-growing piles of plastic bags. Then the problem spread to the villages. In Njau, Gambia, a young woman named Isatou Ceesay became concerned; when she learned that these non-biodegradable objects, discarded after breakage and tears made them no longer usable, were attracting disease-bearing insects and that domestic animals often died after eating the bags, she decided to do something about it. Author Paul has written a clear and sensitive account of Ceesay and her fellow activists’ ingenious solution to the plastic bag problem (they wash them, cut the bags into strips, and crochet the strips into small purses to sell in the city). Zunon’s collages, with their vivid colors, elegant patterns, and varied textures—especially those from actual plastic bags—provide a beautiful and authentic entry into the story. An informative author’s note, glossary, timeline, and suggestions for further reading accompany the story. This handsome presentation of grassroots environmental activism is certain to inspire young readers." —The Horn Book Magazine

—Journal


Click for more detail about An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution and Persecution of Leo Frank by Elaine Marie Alphin An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution and Persecution of Leo Frank

by Elaine Marie Alphin
Carolrhoda Books (Aug 01, 2014)
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Was an innocent man wrongly accused of murder? On April 26, 1913, thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan planned to meet friends at a parade in Atlanta, Georgia. But first she stopped at the pencil factory where she worked to pick up her paycheck. Mary never left the building alive. A black watchman found Mary’s body brutally beaten and raped. Police arrested the watchman, but they weren’t satisfied that he was the killer. Then they paid a visit to Leo Frank, the factory’s superintendent, who was both a northerner and a Jew. Spurred on by the media frenzy and prejudices of the time, the detectives made Frank their prime suspect, one whose conviction would soothe the city’s anger over the death of a young white girl. The prosecution of Leo Frank was front-page news for two years, and Frank’s lynching is still one of the most controversial incidents of the twentieth century. It marks a turning point in the history of racial and religious hatred in America, leading directly to the founding of the Anti-Defamation League and to the rebirth of the modern Ku Klux Klan. Relying on primary source documents and painstaking research, award-winning novelist Elaine Alphin tells the true story of justice undone in America.


Click for more detail about Hey, Charleston!: The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band by Anne F. Rockwell Hey, Charleston!: The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band

by Anne F. Rockwell
Carolrhoda Books (Nov 01, 2013)
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”What happened when a former slave took beat-up old instruments and gave them to a bunch of orphans? Thousands of futures got a little brighter and a great American art form was born.

In 1891, Reverend Daniel Joseph Jenkins opened his orphanage in Charleston, South Carolina. He soon had hundreds of children and needed a way to support them. Jenkins asked townspeople to donate old band instruments—some of which had last played in the hands of Confederate soldiers in the Civil War. He found teachers to show the kids how to play. Soon the orphanage had a band. And what a band it was.

The Jenkins Orphanage Band caused a sensation on the streets of Charleston. People called the band’s style of music “”rag””—a rhythm inspired by the African-American people who lived on the South Carolina and Georgia coast. The children performed as far away as Paris and London, and they earned enough money to support the orphanage that still exists today. They also helped launch the music we now know as jazz.

Hey, Charleston! is the story of the kind man who gave America “”some rag”” and so much more.”


Click for more detail about H.O.R.S.E.: A Game Of Basketball And Imagination by Christopher Myers H.O.R.S.E.: A Game Of Basketball And Imagination

by Christopher Myers
Egmont USA (Oct 09, 2012)
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One day at the basketball court, two kids, a familiar challenge—H.O.R.S.E.?

But this isn’t your grandmother’s game of hoops.

Not when a layup from the other side of the court standing on one foot with your eyes closed is just the warm-up.

Around the neighborhood, around the world, off Saturn’s rings, the pair goes back and forth.

The game is as much about skill as it is about imagination.

A slam dunk from multi-award-winning author/illustrator Christopher Myers, H.O.R.S.E. is a celebration of the sport of basketball, the art of trash-talking, and the idea that what’s possible is bounded only by what you can dream.


Click for more detail about Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist by Q. L. Pearce and Gina Capaldi Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist

by Q. L. Pearce and Gina Capaldi
Millbrook Press (Oct 01, 2011)
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”I remember the day I lost my spirit.” So begins the story of Gertrude Simmons, also known as Zitkala-Sa, which means Red Bird. Born in 1876 on the Yankton Sioux reservation in South Dakota, Zitkala-Sa willingly left her home at age eight to go to a boarding school in Indiana. But she soon found herself caught between two worlds—white and Native American.

At school she missed her mother and her traditional life, but Zitkala-Sa found joy in music classes. “My wounded spirit soared like a bird as I practiced the piano and violin,” she wrote. Her talent grew, and when she graduated, she became a music teacher, composer, and performer.

Zitkala-Sa found she could also “sing” to help her people by writing stories and giving speeches. As an adult, she worked as an activist for Native American rights, seeking to build a bridge between cultures.

The coauthors have told about Zitkala-Sa’s life by weaving together pieces from her own stories. The artist’s acrylic illustrations and collages of photos and primary source documents round out the vivid portrait of Zitkala-Sa, a frightened child whose spirit “would rise again, stronger and wiser for the wounds it had suffered.”


Click for more detail about It’s Tot Shabbat! by Naomi Danis It’s Tot Shabbat!

by Naomi Danis
Kar-Ben Publishing (Jan 01, 2011)
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Join a class of preschoolers as they learn about celebrating Shabbat. Engaging photos of children show them taking plush Torahs out of the pretend ark and reading a Bible story. They learn to say the blessings over challah and pretend wine before happily joining their parents in the sanctuary.


Click for more detail about Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey Ruth and the Green Book

by Calvin Alexander Ramsey
Carolrhoda Books (Nov 01, 2010)
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About This Book Ruth was so excited to take a trip in her family’s new car! In the early 1950s, few Americans could afford to buy cars, so this would be an adventure. But she soon found out that black travelers weren’t treated very well in some towns. Many hotels and gas stations refused service to black people because of the Jim Crow laws. Finally, a friendly attendant at a gas station showed Ruth’s family The Green Book. It listed all of the places that would welcome black travelers. With this guidebook and the kindness of strangers, Ruth could finally make a safe journey from Chicago to her grandma’s house in Alabama. Ruth’s story is fiction, but The Green Book and its role in helping a generation of black travelers is historical fact.

From the NY Times:
The playwright and author Calvin Alexander Ramsey (left), 65, was raised in the South and now lives in New York City. He is the author of “Ruth and the Green Book,” a children’s book published in 2010, and the play “The Green Book,” first produced in 2005 and published last year in book form. He is working on a documentary called “The Green Book Chronicles.” His work was inspired by Victor Hugo Green, who from 1936 to 1964 published the Jim Crow-era “Negro Motorist Green Book” (its title was modified over time, eventually abbreviated as the “Green Book”) listing locations catering to African-American travelers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda.


Click for more detail about Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers Looking Like Me

by Walter Dean Myers
Carolrhoda Books (Oct 27, 2009)
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When you look in a mirror, who do you see?

A boy? A girl?
A son? A daughter?
A runner? A dancer?

Whoever and whatever you see―just put out your fist and give yourself an I am BAM!

This jumping, jazzy, joyful picture book by the award-winning team of Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers celebrates every child, and everything that a child can be.


Click for more detail about Bad News For Outlaws: The Remarkable Life Of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Bad News For Outlaws: The Remarkable Life Of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Carolrhoda Books (Sep 01, 2009)
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Sitting tall in the saddle, with a wide-brimmed black hat and twin Colt pistols on his belt, Bass Reeves seemed bigger than life. Outlaws feared him. Law-abiding citizens respected him. As a peace officer, he was cunning and fearless. When a lawbreaker heard Bass Reeves had his warrant, he knew it was the end of the trail, because Bass always got his man, dead or alive. He achieved all this in spite of whites who didn’t like the notion of a black lawman. Born into slavery in 1838, Bass had a hard and violent life, but he also had a strong sense of right and wrong that others admired. When Judge Isaac Parker tried to bring law and order to the lawless Indian Territories, he chose Bass to be a deputy U.S. Marshall. Bass would quickly prove a smart choice. For three decades, Bass was the most feared and respected lawman in the territories. He made more than 3,000 arrests, and though he was a crack shot and a quick draw, he only killed fourteen men in the line of duty. The story of Bass Reeves is the story of a remarkable African American and a remarkable hero of the Old West.


Click for more detail about Hush Harbor: Praying in Secret (Carolrhoda Picture Books) by Freddi Williams Evans Hush Harbor: Praying in Secret (Carolrhoda Picture Books)

by Freddi Williams Evans
Carolrhoda Books (Sep 01, 2008)
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In the early nineteenth century, enslaved Africans are not allowed to gather together in groups. For Simmy and his family, that means they must worship in secret. If they are caught, the punishment will be terrible. Simmy’s job is to watch for danger while the others pray and sing as the Spirit moves them. Will he be able to keep the hush harbor safe?


Click for more detail about Jamaica and Brianna by Juanita Havill Jamaica and Brianna

by Juanita Havill
Egmont Childrens Books (Aug 01, 2008)
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Jamaica hates wearing hand-me-down boots when her friend Brianna has pink fuzzy ones.


Click for more detail about A Boy Named Beckoning: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero by Gina Capaldi A Boy Named Beckoning: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero

by Gina Capaldi
Carolrhoda Books (Apr 01, 2008)
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At the end of his career, Dr. Carlos Montezuma tells his life story in the form of a letter that the author has pieced together from his writings: As young Wassaja, he was kidnapped from his Yavapai tribe by the Pima, a long time enemy of his people. They sold him as a slave and in 1871 he was purchased by Mr. Gentile, an Italian who actually made his living with an early camera. Together they traveled the nation, taking pictures all the way. Wassaja, now renamed Carlos, eventually enrolled in school in Chicago where he thrived despite difficult circumstances, eventually graduating from the University of Illinois, and Chicago Medical School. He devoted his life to lobbying on behalf of his people. The illustrator is a multi-media artist, and she has skillfully integrated her own paintings with Mr. Gentiles photographs of Carlos to give us a fascinating view of another era.


Click for more detail about Roberto Clemente: Baseball’s Humanitarian Hero (Trailblazer Biographies) by Heron Marquez Roberto Clemente: Baseball’s Humanitarian Hero (Trailblazer Biographies)

by Heron Marquez
Carolrhoda Books (May 01, 2005)
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Book by Marquez, Heron


Click for more detail about Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Almost to Freedom

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Lerner Publishing Group (Sep 01, 2003)
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Tells the story of a young girl’s dramatic escape from slavery via the Underground Railroad, from the perspective of her beloved rag doll.


Click for more detail about Sacagawea by Liselotte Erdrich and Julie Buffalohead Sacagawea

by Liselotte Erdrich and Julie Buffalohead
Carolrhoda Books (Jul 01, 2003)
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A biography of the Shoshone girl, Sacagawea, from age eleven when she was kidnapped by the Hitdatsa to the end of her journey with Lewis and Clark, plus speculation about her later life.


Click for more detail about The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft (On My Own History) by Cathy Moore The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft (On My Own History)

by Cathy Moore
Carolrhoda Books (Feb 01, 2002)
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FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Recounts how Ellen Craft and her husband, William, escaped from slavery disguised as “”Mr. Johnson,”” a young white man with his arm in a sling, and his manservant.


Click for more detail about Sports Injuries: Stay Safe And (Get in the Game! with Robin Roberts) by Robin Roberts Sports Injuries: Stay Safe And (Get in the Game! with Robin Roberts)

by Robin Roberts
Millbrook Press (Sep 01, 2001)
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Book by Roberts, Robin


Click for more detail about Which Sport Is Right For You? (Get in the Game! with Robin Roberts) by Robin Roberts Which Sport Is Right For You? (Get in the Game! with Robin Roberts)

by Robin Roberts
Millbrook Press (Sep 01, 2001)
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Book by Roberts, Robin


Click for more detail about Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song by Katherine E Krohn Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song

by Katherine E Krohn
Twenty-First Century Books (Mar 19, 2001)
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These informative and inspiring biographies will give young readers a look at the lives of some of the world’s most influential people in history. Each over 100 pages, the books are also ideal for reports.


Click for more detail about Children of the Civil Rights Era by Catherine A. Welch Children of the Civil Rights Era

by Catherine A. Welch
Carolrhoda Books (Jan 01, 2001)
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Recounts the courageous involvement of many young people who marched, protested, were arrested, and risked their lives to end racial discrimination in the South during the 1950s and 1960s.


Click for more detail about Carter G. Woodson: The Man Who Put “Black” in American History by James Haskins Carter G. Woodson: The Man Who Put “Black” in American History

by James Haskins
Millbrook Press (Feb 01, 2000)
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A biography of the son of former slaves who received a Ph.D. in history from Harvard and devoted his life to bringing the achievements of his race to the world’s attention.


Click for more detail about Children of the Relocation Camps (Picture the American Past) by Catherine A. Welch Children of the Relocation Camps (Picture the American Past)

by Catherine A. Welch
Carolrhoda Books (Jan 01, 2000)
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Explores the experiences of Japanese American children who were moved with their families to relocation centers during World War II, looking at school, meals, sports, and other aspects of camp life.


Click for more detail about Children of the Tlingit (World’s Children) by Frank J. Staub Children of the Tlingit (World’s Children)

by Frank J. Staub
Carolrhoda Books (Feb 01, 1999)
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Introduces the history, geography, and culture of the Tlingit people in Southeast Alaska through the daily lives of children who live there.


Click for more detail about Langston Hughes by Milton Meltzer Langston Hughes

by Milton Meltzer
Millbrook Press (Aug 01, 1997)
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Tells the story of a leading poet of the Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s who devoted his life to writing about the black experience in America.


Click for more detail about Songs from the Loom: A Navajo Girl Learns to Weave (We Are Still Here) by Monty Roessel Songs from the Loom: A Navajo Girl Learns to Weave (We Are Still Here)

by Monty Roessel
Lerner Publishing Group (Sep 01, 1995)
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In this unique series, Native American authors examine their cultural traditions, from Navajo rug weaving in the Southwest to wild rice gathering in northern Minnesota. Each book describes these customs as they are seen through the eyes of the participants and discusses how Native American people maintain their cultural identities in contemporary society.


Click for more detail about What I Had Was Singing: The Story of Marian Anderson (Trailblazer Biographies) by Jeri Ferris What I Had Was Singing: The Story of Marian Anderson (Trailblazer Biographies)

by Jeri Ferris
Carolrhoda Books (Jan 01, 1994)
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Click for more detail about Battlefields and Burial Grounds: The Indian Struggle to Protect Ancestral Graves in the United States by Roger Echo-Hawk and Walter R. Echo-Hawk Battlefields and Burial Grounds: The Indian Struggle to Protect Ancestral Graves in the United States

by Roger Echo-Hawk and Walter R. Echo-Hawk
Lerner Publishing Group (Oct 01, 1993)
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Describes the efforts of Native Americans to rebury ancestral human remains and grave offerings held by museums and historical societies, with particular emphasis on the Pawnees and their struggle to reclaim their dead.


Click for more detail about Native American Doctor: The Story of Susan Laflesche Picotte (Trailblazer Biographies) by Jeri Ferris Native American Doctor: The Story of Susan Laflesche Picotte (Trailblazer Biographies)

by Jeri Ferris
Carolrhoda Books (Jul 01, 1991)
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A biography of the young Omaha Indian woman who became the first Native American woman to graduate from medical school.


Click for more detail about Arctic Explorer: The Story of Matthew Henson (Trailblazer Biographies) by Jeri Ferris Arctic Explorer: The Story of Matthew Henson (Trailblazer Biographies)

by Jeri Ferris
Carolrhoda Books (Dec 01, 1989)
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A biography of the Black explorer who discovered the North Pole.


Click for more detail about Walking the Road to Freedom: A Story about Sojourner Truth (Creative Minds Biography) by Jeri Ferris Walking the Road to Freedom: A Story about Sojourner Truth (Creative Minds Biography)

by Jeri Ferris
Carolrhoda Books (Dec 01, 1988)
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Traces the life of the Black woman orator who spoke out against slavery throughout New England and the Midwest.