Books Celebrating the African American Experience           compiled by N. Case     The Quilt by Ann Jonas Grade level, K-3 A child's new patchwork quilt recalls old memories and provides new adventure at bedtime.   More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby Grade level, K-3 Nine-year-old Booker works with his father and brother at the saltworks but dreams of the day when he'll be able to read.   The Creation by James Weldon Johnson Grade level, K-3 A poem based on the story of creation from the first book of the Bible.   Something Beautiful by Sharon Wyeth Grade level, K-4 When she goes looking for "something beautiful" in her city neighborhood, a young girl finds beauty in many different forms.   When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Muñoz Ryan Illustrated by: Brian Selznick Grade level, K-3 An introduction to the life of Marian Anderson, extraordinary singer and civil rights activist, who was the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, whose life and career encouraged social change.   My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up With the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Christine Farris Grade level, K-3 Looks at the early life of Martin Luther King, Jr., as seen through the eyes of his older sister   A Chair for My Mother by Vera Williams Grade level, K-3 A child, her waitress mother, and her grandmother save dimes to buy a comfortable armchair after all their furniture is lost in a fire.   Anansi The Spider: A Tale From the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott Grade level, K-3 In trying to determine which of his six sons to reward for saving his life, Anansi the Spider is responsible for placing the moon in the sky.   Fishing Day by Andrea Pinkney Grade level, K-3 In the Jim Crow South, a young African-American girl decides to share the secret of her and her mother's fishing success with their needy white neighbors.    Nina Bonita by Ana Machado Grade level, K-3 The white rabbit who lives next door to Nina Bonita wants to have a daughter as black and pretty as Nina, so he asks her what makes her skin so dark and pretty.   Stories Huey Tells by Ann Cameron Grade level, K-3 Huey invents banana spaghetti, is frightened by a bad dream, becomes an animal tracker, and leaves on a trip to Africa.   Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson Grade level, K-3 A young slave stitches a quilt with a map pattern which guides her to freedom in the North.   Bright Eyes, Brown Skin by Cheryl Hudson & Bernette Ford Grade level, K-3 "Adapted from the original poem, Bright eyes, brown skin."  Young children enjoy the activities of a typical day at school.   I Have Heard of a Land by Joyce Carol Thomas Grade Level, K-3 Describes the joys and hardships experienced by an African-American pioneer woman who staked a claim for free land in the Oklahoma territory.   Bigmama's by Donald Crews Grade level, K-3 Children's author Donald Crews recalls a childhood visit to Bigmama's house in the country, where he finds his relatives full of news and the old place and its surroundings just the same as the year before.   Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes Grade level, K-3 A little girl introduces her best friend through a collection of thirteen poems.   The Palm of My Heart:  Poetry by African American Children Grade level, K-3 A collection of poems written by African-American children celebrating what it means to be Black.   Nappy Hair, by Carolivia Herron Grade level, K-3 Various people at a backyard picnic offer their comments on a young girl's tightly curled, "nappy" hair.   Bill Pickett:  Rodeo-Ridin’ Cowboy by Andrea Davis Pinkney Grade level, K-3 Describes the life and accomplishments of the son of a former slave whose unusual bulldogging style made him a rodeo star.   Love to Langston by Tony Medina Grade level, K-3 A series of poems written from the point of view of the poet Langston Hughes, offering an overview of key events and themes in his life.   I Am Rosa Parks by Rosa Parks & James Haskins Grade level, K-3 The black woman whose acts of civil disobedience led to the 1956 Supreme Court order to desegregate buses in Montgomery, Alabama, explains what she did and why.   Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard Grade level, K-3 In the post-Civil War South, a young African American girl is determined to prove that she can go to school just like her older brothers.   Visiting Langston by Willie Perdomo Grade level, K-3 A poem to celebrate the African American, Langston Hughes, born February 1, 1902.   Goin’ Someplace Special by Pat McKissack Grade level, K-3 In segregated 1950s Nashville, a young African American girl braves a series of indignities and obstacles to get to one of the few integrated places in town: the public library.   In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers published by Lee and Low Grade level, K-3 A collection of poems celebrating African-American fathers by Angela Johnson, E. Ethelbert Miller, Carole Boston Weatherford, and others.   Africa Dream by Eloise Greenfield Grade level, K-3 An African-American child's dreams are filled with the images of the people and places of Africa.   In the Time of Drums by Kim Siegelson Grade level, K-3 Mentu, an American-born slave boy, watches his beloved grandmother, Twi, lead the insurrection at Teakettle Creek of Ibo people arriving from Africa on a slave ship.   Ashley Bryan’s ABC of African American Poetry by Ashley Bryan Grade level, K-3 Presents poems or excerpts from poems written by African-American poets, featuring one selection for each letter of the alphabet.   Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman Grade level, K-4 Although a classmate says that she cannot play Peter Pan in the school play because she is black, Grace discovers that she can do anything she sets her mind to do.   Wings by Christopher Myers Grade level, 3-6 Ikarus Jackson, the new boy in school, is outcast because he has wings. But his resilient spirit inspires one girl to speak up for him in this thought provoking story about celebrating individuality.   Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman by Nikki Grimes Grade level, 3-6 A biography of the woman who became the first licensed African American pilot.   Soul Looks Back in Wonder, published by Puffin Books. Grade level, 3-6 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.   The People Could Fly:  American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton Grade level, 3-6 Retells twenty-four African-American folktales of animals, fantasy, the supernatural, and desire for freedom, each followed by a note explaining its history and meaning.   I See the Rhythm by Toyomi Igus Grade level, 3-6 Chronicles and captures poetically the history, mood, and movement of African-American music.   Her Stories:  African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales by Virginia Hamilton Grade level, 3-6 A collection of tales about the supernatural and animals, fairy tales, folk tales and legends, by and about African American women.   Nathanial Talking by Eloise Greenfield Grade level, 3-6 Poems by Nathaniel, a spirited nine-year-old poet who raps and rhymes about what it's like to be nine, his education, and his family life. Includes instructions for children on how to create a twelve-bar blues poem.   Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales by Julius Lester Illustrated by: Jerry Pinkney Grade level, 3-6 Offers a retelling of the complete adventures and misadventures of Brer Rabbit and his friends and enemies.   Let it Shine:  Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Grade level, 3-6 Presents profiles of ten African-American women whose efforts on behalf of racial justice and freedom have influenced the course of history.   Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes Grade level, 3-6 An illustrated collection of twenty-six poems by noted African-American poet Langston Hughes, and contains a detailed introduction and biography, as well as brief notes accompanying each poem.   The Friendship by Mildred Taylor Grade level, 3-6 Four children witness a confrontation between an elderly African-American man and a white storekeeper in rural Mississippi in the 1930s.   Rosa by Nikki Giovanni Grade level,  3-6 Presents an illustrated account of Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, and the subsequent bus boycott by the black community.   Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.by Doreen Rappaport Grade level, 3-6 Looks at the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, explaining his work to bring about a peaceful end to segregation.   Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange Grade level, 3-6 The author remembers the great African American musicians, athletes, writers, and politicans who visited her home when she was a child.   The Gold Cadillac by Mildred Taylor Grade level, 3-6 Two Black girls living in the North are proud of their family's beautiful new Cadillac until they take it on a visit to the south and encounter racial prejudice for the first time.   Harlem: A Poem by Walter Dean Myers Grade level, 3-6 A poem celebrating the people, sights, and sounds of Harlem.   Wilma Unlimited:  How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull Grade level, 3-6 A biography of the African-American woman who overcame crippling polio as a child to become the first woman to win three gold medals in track in a single Olympic.   Kidnapped Prince; The Life of Olaudah Equiano, by Olaudah Equiano Grade level, 3-6 The biography of Olaudah Equiano, the young African boy who was kidnapped, hidden in an enormous sack, and carried off into slavery, and his struggle with injustice, heartbreak, and his own despair as well as his triumph because of his courage, intelligence, love of adventure, and his unconquerable faith.   Maritcha: a Nineteenth-century American Girl by Tonya Bolden Grade level, 3-6 Presents the personal memoirs of Maritcha Remond Lyons who was born in nineteenth-century New York City and describes how she and her family escaped to Rhode Island during the 1863 Draft riots and how she overcame prejudice to become the first African-American person to graduate from Providence High School.   Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges Grade level, 4-7 Ruby Bridges recounts the story of her involvement, as a six-year-old, in the integration of her school in New Orleans in 1960.   Black Hands, White Sails:  The Story of African-American Whalers by Pat McKissack Grade level, 5-8 A history of African-American whalers between 1730 and 1880, describing their contributions to the whaling industry and their role in the abolitionist movement.   Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence:  The Story of New York’s African Burial Ground by Joyce Hansen and Gary McGowan Grade level, 5-8 Describes the discovery and study of the African burial site found in Manhattan in 1991, while excavating for a new building, and what it reveals about the lives of African-American people in Colonial times.   Carver, A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson Grade level, 5-8 A collection of poems that combine to provide a portrait of the life of nineteenth-century African-American botanist and inventor George Washington Carver.   A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson by Michelle Green Grade level, 5-8 Tells the story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, a woman who had to overcome the obstacles of gender and race to pursue her dream of playing baseball, and who finally got her chance when she and other African-American women were invited to play in the Negro Leagues after male players were allowed on major league teams.   Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson Grade level, 5-8 Inspired by his teacher, eleven-year-old Lonnie begins to write about his life in a series of poems in which he discusses his feelings about his friends, his foster mom, his little sister Lili, and the death of his parents.   The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes & Brian Pinkney Grade level, 5-8 Sixty-six poems selected by the author include lyrical poems, songs, and blues, many exploring the Black experience.   Drylongso by Virginia Hamilton Grade level, 5-8 As a great wall of dust moves across their drought-stricken farm, a family's distress is relieved by a young man called Drylongso, who literally blows into their lives with the storm.   Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? by Patricia and Frederick McKissack Grade level, 5-8 A biography of the former slave who became well-known as an abolitionist and advocate of women's rights.   "The Legend of Bass Reeves: Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Famous Marshal in the West" by Gary Paulson Grade level, 5-8 The story of Bass Reeves who was born a slave and later became one of the most respected federal marshals in Oklahoma and Texas.   Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, by Paul Curtis Grade level, 6-8 The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.   Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum Grade level, 6-9. An account of a Freedom Ride made in 1961 by John Lewis and Jim Zwerg. John was black and Jim was white and they joined others to protest segregation by riding a bus together.   Night John, by Gary Paulsen Grade level, 5-8 After he escaped to freedom in the north, Nightjohn returns to slavery to teach other enslaved people how to read. And 12-year-old Sarny is willing to risk mutilation and death for precious knowledge.   Dark Thirty; Southern Tales of the Supernatural, by Patricia C. McKissack Grade level, 5-8 A collection of ghost stories with African-American themes, designed to be told during the Dark Thirty--the half hour before sunset.   The Other Side by Angela Johnson Grade level, 5-8 A collection of poems reminiscent of growing up as an African-American girl in Shorter, Alabama.   M. L. K. Journey of a King by Tonya Bolden Grade level, 6-9 Profiles the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, and includes over eighty illustrated photographs that describe his marches, speeches, and non-violence philosophy.     return to black history page