YA/Adult |
The Black West: A Documentary and Pictoral History of the African American Role in the Westward Expansion of the United States
by William Katz This entirely new edition of a famous classic has glorious new photographs—many never before seen—as well as a revised and expanded text that deepens our understanding of the vital role played by African American men and women on our early frontiers.Inspired by a conversation that William Loren Katz had with Langston Hughes, The Black West presents long-neglected stories of daring pioneers such as Nat Love, a.k.a. Deadwood Dick, Mary Fields, a.k.a. Stagecoach Mary, Cranford Goldsby, a.k.a. Cherokee Bill—and a host of other intrepid men and women who marched into the wilderness alongside Chief Osceola, Billy the Kid, and Geronimo.Featuring captivating narratives and photographs (many from the author’s world-famous collection), The Black West enriches and deepens our stirring frontier saga. From slave runaways during the colonial era, to the journeys of Lewis and Clark, to the charge at San Juan Hill, Katz vividly recounts the crucial contributions African Americans made during scores of frontier encounters. With its stirring pictures and vivid eyewitness accounts, The Black West is an exhilarating treasure trove.
--Harlem Moon 2005 ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 4-8 |
I Could Do That!: Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote
by Linda Arms White “I could do that,” says six-year-old Esther as she watches her mother making tea. Start her own business at the age of nineteen? Why, she could do that, too. But one thing Esther and other women could NOT do was vote. Only men could do that.
With lively text and humorous illustrations as full of spirit as Esther herself, this striking picture book biography shows how one girl’s gumption propels her through a life filled with challenges until, in 1869, she wins the vote for women in Wyoming Territory – the first time ever in the United States!
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Ages: 4-8 |
Rosa
by Nikki Giovanni She had not sought this moment but she was ready for it. When the policeman bent down to ask “Auntie, are you going to move?” all the strength of all the people through all those many years joined in her. She said, “No.”
Fifty years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is still one of the most important figures in the American civil rights movement. This picture- book tribute to Mrs. Parks is a celebration of her courageous action and the events that followed. --Henry Holt ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 11 Up |
Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX: The Law That Changed the Future of Girls in America
by Karen Blumenthal The Law that changed the future of girls in America - Ages 11 Up
Can girls play softball? Can girls be school crossing guards? Can girls play basketball or ice hockey or soccer? Can girls become lawyers or doctors or engineers? Of course they can... today. But just a few decades ago, opportunities for girls were far more limited, not because they weren't capable of playing or didn't want to become doctors or lawyers, but because they weren't allowed to. Then quietly, in 1972, something momentous happened: Congress passed a law called "Title IX," forever changing the lives of American girls. [[Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972] --Atheneum ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 7-9 |
by Doreen Rappaport All they wanted was to learn. In Drew, Mississippi, in 1965, the schools were still segregated. The "all-black" schools were separate and unequal to "white" schools, lacking resources and support from the government. The Carters, a family of sharecroppers, had had enough. Mae Bertha and Matthew wanted their children to have an equal opportunity for a good education. So they sent their kids to the "all-white" schools.Teasing, death threats, and rebuking followed-from the white children and the white adults and teachers. It was not easy to be black and wage a fight for equality, but that's just what the Carters did. Their faith in a higher power and in the goodness of people helped them battle through ignorance and prejudice. As President John F. Kennedy said, "When Americans are sent to war, we do not ask for whites only. American students of any color should be able to attend any school." For the Carters, it would be the fight of their lives.This is a true story of faith, courage, and honor: qualities Americans of any color can learn from the Carters.
--Jump at the Sun ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 10-14 |
Our Eleanor : A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life
by Candace Fleming No matter how the question is answered, one thing is clear: There has hardly been a life in the last century that Eleanor Roosevelt has not affected, in one way or another. From securing safe, low-cost housing for Kentucky's poor, to helping her grandchildren hang a tire swing on the White House's south lawn, to representing America as the first female delegate to the United Nations, Eleanor rarely kept a second of her life for herself -- and she wouldn't have had it any other way.
In this stunning "scrapbook" biography, Candace Fleming, author of the acclaimed Ben Franklin's Almanac, turns her keen eye to our nation's premier First Lady. Filled with photographs of everything from Eleanor's speech at the 1940 Democratic National Convention to her high school report card, as well as fascinating stories about life in and out of the White House, Our Eleanor gives us a remarkable perspective on a remarkable woman, and presents to a new generation an Eleanor to call its own. --Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books ORDER HERE |
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Ages: 9-12 |
The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage
by Walter Dean Myers and Bill Miles The story of the Harlem Hellfighters is not simply one of victory in a war. . . . It is the story of men who acted as men, and who gave a good account of themselves when so many people thought, even hoped, that they would fail. The men of the 369 Infantry, dubbed the "Harlem Hellfighters," came from all walks of life. They were laborers and clerks, lawyers and artists, salesmen and musicians. And in the last battles of the First World War they held the banner of black dignity high enough for the entire world to see. Through compelling narrative and never-before-published photographs, award-winning author Walter Dean Myers and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Bill Miles deftly portray the true story of the Harlem Hellfighters, WWI's unsung American heroes. This book sheds much-needed light on this incredible piece of African American history. Backed by authority (Miles is the official historian of the 369th Regiment Armory in Harlem and the co-founder of the 369th Hall of Fame), this is the first children's book about the courageous Harlem Hellfighters.
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Ages: 7-9 |
Delivering Justice : W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights
by Jim Haskins "Grow up and be somebody," Westley Wallace Law's grandmother encouraged him as a young boy living in poverty in segregated Savannah, Georgia. Determined to make a difference in his community, W.W. Law assisted blacks in registering to vote, joined the NAACP and trained protestors in the use of nonviolent civil disobedience, and, in 1961, led the Great Savannah Boycott. In that famous protest, blacks refused to shop in downtown Savannah. When city leaders finally agreed to declare all of its citizens equal, Savannah became the first city in the south to end racial discrimination. A lifelong mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, W.W. Law saw fostering communication between blacks and whites as a fundamental part of his job. As this affecting, strikingly illustrated biography makes clear, this "unsung hero" delivered far more than the mail to the citizens of the city he loved. ----Candlewick Press 2005 ORDER HERE |
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All Ages |
THIS IS THE DREAM
Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander Our nation was founded on the belief that all men are created equal. Nearly two hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, slavery had been abolished but America was still segregated. Then: Enter the students who marched into the first desegregated school, the passengers who boycotted the buses, and the leaders who stood up and spoke out. When they started, it was all just a dream. . . . Through striking, powerful verse and gorgeous, detailed illustrations, this is the dream catalogs the American experience before, during, and after the civil rights movement. Come along on this incredible journey, and see how far we've come in attaining freedom and justice for all.
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9-12 |
STOMPIN' AT THE SAVOY: THE STORY OF NORMA MILLER
Collected and edited by Alan Govenar Norma knew from being a little girl that all she ever wanted to do was dance. Growing up in Harlem, life was tough - her father died before she was born and her mother worked long hours to keep the family together. But Norma's desire to be a dancer never faltered, inspiring her to overcome racism and poverty and become a world famous dancer and choreographer. This inspiring tale is brought vividly to life by black and white illustrations by prize-winning artist Martin French. [Learn more about Norma Miller] Candlewick Press 2006 ORDER HERE |
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5-8 |
MARVELOUS MATTIE: HOW MARGARET E. KNIGHT BECAME AN INVENTOR
by Emily Arnold McCully With her sketchbook labeled My Inventions and her father’s toolbox, Mattie could make almost anything – toys, sleds, and a foot warmer. When she was just twelve years old, Mattie designed a metal guard to prevent shuttles from shooting off textile looms and injuring workers. As an adult, Mattie invented the machine that makes the square-bottom paper bags we still use today. However, in court, a man claimed the invention was his, stating that she “could not possibly understand the mechanical complexities.” Marvelous Mattie proved him wrong, and over the course of her life earned the title of “the Lady Edison.” Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2006 ORDER HERE |
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| More Titles:
5,000 Miles to Freedom: Ellen and William Craft's Flight from Slavery (Ages 10-14)
Marie Curie: The Woman Who Changed the Course of Science (Ages 9-12)
Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium by Carla Killough McClafferty (Ages 10 and Up) Adventurous Women: Eight True Stories About Women Who Made a Difference (Ages 9-12)
Jeannette Rankin: First Lady of Congress (Ages 8-11) |
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