SJPL Picks: Picture Books for Black History MonthLike this list

17 items

• The People Remember

  Zoboi, Ibi Aanu,

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  A primer on the principles of Kwanzaa and an examination of the tenacious spirit of the formerly enslaved African people. Stolen African people from different cultures were forced to build uncommon bonds to survive the transatlantic slave…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Our Story Starts in Africa

  Lawrence, Patrice,

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  When Paloma goes to visit her family in Trinidad, she doesn't feel that she fits in. But Tante Janet has a story to tell her: An ancient story of warrior queens and talking drums, of treasures and tales that span thousands of years...a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The ABCs of Black History

  Cortez, Rio,

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  B is for Beautiful, Brave, and Bright! And for a Book that takes a Bold journey through the alphabet of Black history and culture. Letter by letter, The ABCs of Black History celebrates a story that spans continents and centuries, triumph…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lizzie Demands a Seat

  Elizabeth Jennings Fights for Streetcar Rights

  Anderson, Beth, 1954-

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  One hundred years before Rosa Parks took her stand, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Jennings tried to board a streetcar in New York City on her way to church. Though there were plenty of empty seats, she was denied entry, assaulted, and threatened all…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Oldest Student

  How Mary Walker Learned to Read

  Hubbard, Rita L,

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  A picture book biography sharing the inspiring and incredible true story of the nation's oldest student, Mary Walker, who learned to read at the age of 116.

• The Power of Her Pen

  the Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne

  Cline-Ransome, Lesa,

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  Ethel L. Payne always had an ear for stories. Seeking truth, justice, and equality, Ethel followed stories from her school newspaper in Chicago to Japan during World War II. It even led her to the White House briefing room, where she broke…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Counting the Stars

  Cline-Ransome, Lesa,

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  The story of Katherine Johnson, an African American mathematician whose work was critical to the first US space flight.

• Exquisite

  the Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

  Slade, Suzanne,

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  Introduces the life and work of Gwendolyn Brooks, from her early love of poetry and her first published poems as a girl in Chicago through her financial struggles as an adult during the Depression to winning the Pulitzer Prize for her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Fierce 44

  Black Americans Who Shook Up the World

  Reiss, Stephen (EDT)/ Gates, Henry Louis (FRW)/ Merida, Kevin (FRW)/ Ball, Robert (ILT)

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  A dynamic and hip collective biography that presents 44 of America's greatest movers and shakers from Frederick Douglass to Aretha Franklin to Barack Obama.

• R-E-S-P-E-C-T

  Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul

  Weatherford, Carole Boston, 1956-

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  There was even more to Aretha than being a singer, songwriter, and pianist: she was an activist, too. Her song "Respect" was an anthem for people fighting for civil rights and women's rights. With words that sing and art that shines, this…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Voice of Freedom

  Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

  Weatherford, Carole Boston, 1956-

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  Presents a collage-illustrated treasury of poems and spirituals inspired by the life and work of civil rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer.

• Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop

  the Sanitation Strike of 1968

  Duncan, Alice Faye,

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  Recounts the 1968 sanitation workers strike in Memphis, Tennessee, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his final speech to strikers the night before his assassination, and details the perseverance of strikers before and after his death.

• The Book Itch

  Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore

  Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux,

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  Relates the story of the National Memorial African Bookstore, founded in Harlem by Louis Michaux in 1939, as seen from the perspective of Louis Michaux Jr., who met famous men like Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X while helping there.

• 28 Days

  Moments in Black History That Changed the World

  Smith, Charles R., Jr., 1969-

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  A picture book look at many of the men and women who revolutionized life for African Americans throughout history.

• This Is the Rope

  a Story From the Great Migration

  Woodson, Jacqueline

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  his is the story about a rope that has been passed down through the generations of an African American family. Three generations of children played jump rope with the rope, which was also used to tie luggage on top of a car when a family…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We March

  Evans, Shane

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  A family and many other people attend the 1963 march in Washington, D.C., where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a historic speech.

• My People

  Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967

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  Hughes's spare yet eloquent tribute to his people has been cherished for generations. Now, acclaimed photographer Smith interprets this beloved poem in vivid sepia photographs that capture the glory, the beauty, and the soul of being a…Read moreRead more of this annotation