Children's Books by African American Authors

Presents questions and answers relating to important periods in African American history including the Revolution, Civil War, Reconstruction, Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Sojourner Truth was born into slavery, but became a free woman. Freedom meant so much to Sojourner, she used the power of speech to help end slavery

A brief recounting of the career of this jazz musician and composer who, along with his orchestra, created music that was beyond category.

HAND IN HAND presents the stories of ten men from different eras in American history, organized chronologically to provide a scope from slavery to the modern day. The stories are accessible, fully-drawn narratives offering the subjects' childhood influences, the time and place in which they lived, their accomplishments and motivations, and the legacies they left for future generations as links in the "freedom chain." This book will be the definitive family volume on the subject, punctuated with dynamic full color portraits and spot illustrations by two-time Caldecott Honor winner and multiple Coretta Scott King Book Award recipient Brian Pinkney. Backmatter includes a civil rights timeline, sources, and further reading. Profiled: Benjamin Banneker Frederick Douglass Booker T. Washington W.E.B. DuBois A. Philip Randolph Thurgood Marshall Jackie Robinson Malcolm X Martin Luther King, Jr Barack H. Obama II

Describes the origins and practices of Kwanzaa, the seven-day festival during which people of African descent rejoice in their ancestral values.

Retells the story of Verdi's opera in which the love of the enslaved Ethiopian princess for an Egyptian general brings tragedy to all involved.
Ages 10 and up

From a Caldecott Honor Award and Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator comes a bright and offbeat picture book with a unique perspective on the story of Rosa Parks. A young girl named Marcie has a magical bus ride where the bus itself tells her the story of the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks. Because she was black, Rosa had to walk miles to a one-room schoolhouse while white children could take the bus, and as an adult, Rosa could only sit in the back. But when the day came that Rosa refused to give up her seat, she helped set the wheels in motion for black people to sit where they wanted. Marcie learns all this and more then gets a special surprise at the end of her trip!

Illustrated in full color. The acclaimed author/illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Tar Beach recounts her unique vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. by describing a dream she had about the great civil rights leader. The dream includes scenes of King's childhood and the major events of his life, from the boycott of the segregated buses to his "I Have a Dream" speech to his assassination. Illustrated in Ringgold's signature folk-art style, the text includes the author's own personal vision, in which she imagines the people of the world gathering in King's memory to trade prejudice, fear, and hate for hope, peace, and love. "Innovative and stirring"--(starred) Publishers Weekly.  

A young African American girl thinks of her mom as a superhero, a doctor, her North Star. But when her beloved role model unexpectedly dies, she cannot even cry; sadness is too overwhelming. As she struggles with grief, she must learn how to carry on while keeping the memory of her mother very much alive inside her heart.
Ages 10 and up

A Caldecott Honor and Reading Rainbow book, this memorable retelling of Cinderella is perfect for introducing children to the fairy tale as well as the history, culture, and geography of the African nation of Zimbabwe. This oversize edition (14 3/4 by 17 5/8 inches) makes it easy to share the book in a library or classroom. Inspired by a traditional African folktale, this is the story of Mufaro, who is proud of his two beautiful daughters. Nyasha is kind and considerate, but everyone--except Mufaro--knows that Manyara is selfish and bad-tempered. When the Great King decides to take a wife and invites the most worthy and beautiful daughters in the land to appear before him, Mufaro brings both of his daughters--but only one can be queen. Who will the king choose? Award-winning artist John Steptoe's rich cultural imagery of Africa earned him the Coretta Scott King Award for Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. The book also went on to win the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. This stunning story is a timeless treasure that readers will enjoy for generations. Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration Caledcott Honor Reading Rainbow Book Boston Globe-Horn Book

Shining Legacy: Storypoems for the Young, So Black Heroes and Heroines Forever Will Be Sung, celebrates the past through epic, ballad, legend and saga, all accentuated with rhyme. Role models range from Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Sojourner Truth -- to Malcolm X, Denmark Vesey, Toussaint L'Ouverture, Paul Robeson and Marcus Garvey. This beautifully colored edition of Shining Legacy comes 38 years after its original 1983 black and white publication. Through Shining Legacy, Taifa provides much-needed identity, purpose and direction for children in general, and Black youth in particular.

A young man searches for three people more foolish than his fiancée and her parents.
Ages 6 and up

Once upon a time . . . There was a singing Cinderella? Yes, with a voice as flavorful as licorice. There was also a Crooked Foster Mother and two evil sisters. A Queen Mother Rhythm and a Prince of Music. And while there's no glass slipper to leave behind at the Great Gospel Convention, there is an enchanted melody for the Prince to search for . . . and to find. Award-winning author and poet Joyce Carol Thomas and Caldecott Medal-winning artist David Diaz have infused the classic Cinderella tale with a soulful twist.

Presents biographical sketches of fourteen notable blacks, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and "Satchel" Paige, accompanied by brief skits in which readers can act out imagined scenes from their lives.

A collection of poems by African American poets.

Background material, ways of celebrating the holiday, and crafts and gifts are all covered in this introduction to Kwanzaa.

Since the earliest days of slavery, African Americans have called on their religious faith in the struggle against oppression.  In this book the Beatitudes -- from Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount -- form the backdrop for Carole Boston Weatherford's powerful free-verse poem that traces the African American journey from slavery to civil rights. Tim Ladwig's stirring illustrations showcase a panorama of heroes in this struggle, from the slaves shackled in the hold of a ship to the first African American president taking his oath of office on the steps of the United States Capitol. Readers of all ages will find this a book to return to again and again for encouragement and inspiration.

In a series of poems, eleven-year-old Lonnie writes about his life, after the death of his parents, separated from his younger sister, living in a foster home, and finding his poetic voice at school. Ages 9-11

A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Red at the Bone, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.   Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson's eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.   A National Book Award Winner A Newbery Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Award Winner Praise for Jacqueline Woodson: Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story . . . but a mature exploration of grown-up issues and self-discovery."--The New York Times Book Review