Written by Jan Carr

Written by Jan Carr, this is a story of a close-knit relationship between a child and her Aunt Ruby, a symbol of love and support. A loving Aunt gives her niece encouragement and hope in surviving a rough day. She gives examples of things in life to be happy and grateful for instead of dwelling on the “dark days” that overwhelm a child. This beautifully illustrated book demonstrates the importance of family support. The illustrator, James Ransom, has won the Coretta Scott King Award for his previous works.

Winner of the 1995 Caldecott Medal, Smoky Nights is a powerful analogy of people and cats. The author cleverly uses the metaphor of felines not getting along, and at the same time needing one another during a night of rioting. The tumultuous history of rioting in our African-American history is displayed in this book, something we tend to forget. “He is standing in the open door, with the smoky night behind him…” The term ‘smoky night’ is coined as a symbol of the riot that takes place in this book in the eyes of a child. Written by Eve Bunting who was inspired by the Los Angeles riots to write this book.

African-Americans were not permitted to learn how to read and write during times of slavery. One of the ways they passed down their history without the aid of a pen, they used songs as a way to tell stories. This book, written by Pete Seeger, caters to the imagination of children. A father tells the story of a huge monster named Abiyoyo that lives outside of town big as a tree and gobbles people up. The boy exercised his power by singing a song about the monster to Abiyoyo and the monster magically disappears through the power of song.




Written by Dennis and Judith Fradin, This is the story of Ida B Wells, a pioneer in the battle for equality. In 1884, white people lynched three black store owners after she bravely sued for discrimination, an unthinkable act for those times, after she refused to give up her seat in a “Whites Only” section of a train, a la Rosa Parks of her time. As one of the first African-American female investigative journalist, she exposed the common lynchings of African-Americans of the south. This is a forgotten part of American history and a symbol of courage of a brave women who faced death in the eye in her quest for equality. www.lilypadbooks.com