CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2012
"A stirring and thought-provoking account of an unsung figure in 20th-century American history. (author's notes, source notes, bibliography, index) (Fictional biography. 12-18)"
Lewis Michaux provided a venue for his fellow African-Americans to have access to their own history and philosophy at a time when the very idea was revolutionary.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2012
"Readers will come away moved, saddened, troubled by this stain on their country's past and filled with abiding respect for those who fought and overcame. (timeline, notes, bibliography, note on sources) (Nonfiction. 11-14)"
Cogent and stirring, this very readable book focuses on the Jim Crow era, that period between 1896 and 1954, a shameful time in U.S. history framed by two landmark Supreme Court cases.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2012
"History that's fun to read…and important. (authors' note, illustrator's note) (Historical fiction. 10 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2012
"A moving record of young people rising at a pivotal historical moment, based on original interviews and archival research as well as published sources. (photos, timeline, endnotes, multimedia resource lists) (Nonfiction. 11-15)"
Triumph and tragedy in 1963 "Bombingham," as children and teens pick up the flagging civil rights movement and give it a swift kick in the pants.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 18, 2011
"Lengthier accounts of travel on the Underground Railroad abound, but few if any portray the experience with such compelling immediacy. (afterword) (Picture book. 5-9)"
Powerfully expressive imagery will sweep young viewers into this suspenseful journey along the Underground Railroad.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 7, 2010
"Nonetheless, an accomplished, visually stunning homage to an important African-American artist. (author's and illustrator's notes, bibliography, websites) (Picture book/poetry/biography. 7-10)"
The enslaved 19th-century potter Dave, who lived and worked near Edgefield, S.C., could transform 60 pounds of clay into a 40-gallon pot.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2009
"Here, children can saddle up with a genuine Western hero in a narrative that hits the bull's-eye. (glossary, timeline, bibliography, notes) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)"
He rode tall in the saddle and excelled at riding, shooting, tracking and every other skill required of a man representing the law in the vast and often lawless American frontier known as Indian Territory in the late 1800s.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2009
"The illustrator is at his best in the wordless full-bleed doublespreads interspersed throughout the book, which set a contemplative pace that invites flipping back and forth through the pages documenting the Sweethearts' travels, triumphs and travails. (Picture book/poetry. 10-14)"
Nelson brings her signature poetic treatment of history to this outstanding collaboration with illustrator Pinkney about a racially integrated "all-girl swing band" that toured the United States during World War II.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 6, 2009
"All together, they are the perfect accompaniment to the classic poem and create a complex work of art that any age can relish. (photographer's note) (Picture book. 2-10)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2008
"A remarkable tribute well worthy of its subject. (afterword, bibliography, references, further reading and listening) (Poetry. 14 & up)"
"I toted my songs / like a satchel and felt most / at home when I sang," says Billie Holiday in this gorgeously produced fictional "life in poems" of the great jazz singer.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 8, 2008
"Along with being absolutely riveted by the art, readers will come away with a good picture of the Negro Leaguers' distinctive style of play, as well as an idea of how their excellence challenged the racial attitudes of both their sport and their times. (bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 9, 2007
"Incorporated into these final spreads with the music are concluding illustrations for every song, each focusing on a shining source of light. (Nonfiction. 3-8)"
An extra-large trim size, a vibrant palette and Bryan's glorious cut-paper collage illustrations add up to a marvelous interpretation of three traditional African-American spirituals: "This Little Light of Mine," "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2006
"Transcendent. (foreword, author's note) (Picture book. 5-9)"
In elegant free verse, Weatherford imagines Tubman's remarkable escape from slavery and her role in guiding hundreds to freedom.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 27, 2005
"Despite the shortcomings, still the best resource to date for young readers. (maps, illustration credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)"
The post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction was a revolutionary time of enormous possibility, but it ultimately was an "unfinished revolution" in racial democracy, leaving it to future generations to hash out what democracy really meant.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2005
"Although Maritcha comes across as something of a stuffed shirt—her prose is distinctly Victorian in flavor—her story provides a valuable glimpse into a history largely forgotten. (notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-12)"
A serious-looking 12-year-old girl looks out at the reader from a sepia-toned cover photograph: The "American Girl" of the subtitle was African-American, a member of New York's black middle class.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 9, 2004
"A dreamy, powerful picture-book tribute to both Hamilton and the generations-old story. (Picture book. 9-12)"
"They say the people could fly. Say that long ago in Africa, some of the people knew magic.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 31, 2004
"While at times these can distract, they cannot dim the incandescence of the poetry, or the keen-eyed glimpse into one small moment in the American "Peculiar Institution" it provides. (bibliography) (Poetry. 12+)"
In 1798, Fortune, a slave owned by Dr. Preserved Porter, a bonesetter, died; rather than bury him, Dr. Porter rendered his corpse and preserved his bones for anatomical study.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2003
"An important addition to library collections and classroom units. (foreword, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 15, 2003
"Children will see both replies in the pictures and in the sweet dark rhythm of the words. (Picture book. 6-11)"
A powerful union of text and image transmutes itself into a work of art—and it explains what the blues is, besides.
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