Children's Books - African American Authors

A collection of poems written by Afro-American children celebrating what it means to be Black

Presents Maya Angelou's poem illustrated by paintings and drawings of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Artwork and poems by such writers as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Askia Toure portray the creativity, strength, and beauty of their African American heritage.

Children's poetry.

A poem celebrating the role of church in the lives and history of African Americans, from the time of slavery through the struggle for civil rights to the well-established churches of today.

A collection of poems that celebrate the joy, beauty, imagination, and freedom of childhood.

In a story of the Ila people, the colorful birds of Africa ask Blackbird, whom they think is the most beautiful of birds, to decorate them with some of his "blackening brew."

A selection of twenty spirituals, that distinctive music from the time of slavery. Includes piano
accompaniment and guitar chords.

Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a line from a poem by different African American poets, describing an aspect of the black experience.

African Americans in literature

A counting book which shows what can be done with ten black dots--one can make a sun, two a fox's eyes, or eight the wheels of a train.

Donso, a West African hunterman, learns the importance of living in harmony with nature and the necessity of placing humans among, not above, all other living things.

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

A retelling of a traditional Liberian tale in which King Leopard invites all the animals to a spear-throwing contest whose winner will marry his daughter and succeed him as king.

Poems expressing the hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows of growing up.

Artwork and poems by such writers as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Askia Toure portray the creativity, strength, and beauty of their African American heritage.

Describes the period of the 20th century when many African Americans left the South to make better lives for themselves in the northern states.

Juvenile poetry.

A collection of poems exploring the sounds, sights, and emotions enlivening a black neighborhood during the course of one evening.