http://mppl.org/services/youth-department/good-books/?category=current+events&list=Black+History+Month+for+Grades+4-6
List: Black History Month for Grades 4-6
The Crossover
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health.
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Finding Langston
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. Discovering a book of Langston Hughes' poetry in the library helps Langston cope with the loss of his mother, relocating from Alabama to Chicago as part of the Great Migration, and being bullied.
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Elijah of Buxton
Also available in Overdrive. In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American south, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom.
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The Mighty Miss Malone
Also available in Overdrive. With love and determination befitting the "world's greatest family," twelve-year-old Deza Malone, her older brother Jimmie, and their parents endure tough times in Gary, Indiana, and later Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression.
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963
Also available in Overdrive. 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.
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Stella by Starlight
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. When a burning cross set by the Klan causes panic and fear in 1932 Bumblebee, North Carolina, fifth-grader Stella must face prejudice and find the strength to demand change in her segregated town.
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The Lions of Little Rock
In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy twelve-year-old Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration, but her friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her find her voice and fight against racism.
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The Stars Beneath Our Feet
Also available in Overdrive. Unable to celebrate the holidays in the wake of his older brother's death in a gang-related shooting, Lolly Rachpaul struggles to avoid being forced into a gang himself while constructing a fantastically creative LEGO city at the Harlem community center.
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Becoming Muhammad Ali: A Novel
Also available in Overdrive. A biographical novel tells the story of Cassius Clay, the determined boy who would one day become Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time.
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As Brave As You
Also available in Overdrive. "When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires--literally"--
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Glory Be
Also available in Overdrive. In the summer of 1964 as she is about to turn twelve, Glory's town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi, is beset by racial tension when town leaders close her beloved public pool rather than desegregating it.
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Also available in Overdrive. A black family living in Mississippi during the Depression of the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which its children do not understand.
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One Crazy Summer
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.
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Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. BFF #1, Repeat After Me
Lunella can't wait to study the Omni-Wave Projector she found, but when it's activated during gym class, it creates a time portal, bringing forth the savage Devil Dinosaur, along with the evil Killer Folk, who will stop at nothing to claim the device for themselves.
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Rise: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou
"A biography of African American writer, performer, and activist Maya Angelou, who turned a childhood of trauma and emotional pain to become one of the most inspiring voices of our lifetime. Includes afterword, author's note, and sources"--
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This Is Your Time
Also available in Overdrive. Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges--who, at the age of six, was the first African American to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans--shares her story through text and historical photographs, offering a powerful call to action.
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Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
Based on extensive interviews with Claudette Colvin and many others, Phillip Hoose presents the first in-depth account of an important yet largely unknown civil rights figure, skillfully weaving her dramatic story into the fabric of the historic Montgomery bus boycott and court case that would change the course of American history.
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Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
Also available in Hoopla. Presents a collage-illustrated treasury of poems and spirituals inspired by the life and work of civil rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer.
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Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice
"The first-ever picture book biography on Senator Kamala Harris"--
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Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson.
"The inspiring autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped launch Apollo 11."--
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What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?: The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan
"A picture book of lawyer, politician, and civil rights leader Barbara Jordan."--Provided by publisher.
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Become a Leader Like Michelle Obama
In this imaginatively illustrated book from the Work It, Girl series, discover how Michelle became an inspirational leader, FLOTUS, lawyer, author, and role model in this true story of her life. Then, learn 10 key lessons from her work you can apply to your own life. Michelle Obama grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a little bungalow with a close-knit family. She loved going to school, and she knew that, one day, she would use her voice to empower other young girls, just like her. Young Michelle was a brilliant student and wonderful daughter. With hard work and talent, she propelled herself into the universities of Princeton and Harvard. She qualified as a lawyer and life was going smoothly.Then she met a guy named Barack. Work It, Girl is an empowering series of biographies featuring modern women in the world of work, from designers and musicians to CEOs and scientists. Each of these vibrantly illustrated books tells the story of a remarkable woman in 10 chapters that highlight transformative moments in her life, following the ups and downs that she faced on her road to success. At the end, 10 key lessons show what you can learn from these moments, and self-reflection questions help you apply these lessons to your own life. Brightly colored photo illustrations of 3-D cut paper artwork featuring inspiring quotes from these amazing women bring their stories to vivid life. Learn how to work it as you lay the foundations for your own successful career.
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Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. Where is our historian to give us our side? Arturo asked. Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro-Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk's life's passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and bring to light the achievements of people of African descent through the ages. When Schomburg's collection became so big it began to overflow his house (and his wife threatened to mutiny), he turned to the New York Public Library, where he created and curated a collection that was the cornerstone of a new Negro Division. A century later, his groundbreaking collection, known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has become a beacon to scholars all over the world.
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We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders
Presents quotes on civil rights from important and influential figures, including Queen Lili'uokalani, John Lewis, Nina Simone, and Barack Obama.
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Lifting as We Climb: Black Women's Battle for the Ballot Box
"For African American women, the fight for the right to vote was only one battle. An eye-opening book that tells the important, overlooked story of black women as a force in the suffrage movement--when fellow suffragists did not accept them as equal partners in the struggle."--
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Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM
Also available in Hoopla. "Award-winning author Tonya Bolden explores the black women who have changed the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in America. Including groundbreaking computer scientists, doctors, inventors, physicists, pharmacists, mathematicians, aviators, and many more, this book celebrates over 50 women who have shattered the glass ceiling, defied racial discrimination, and pioneered in their fields. In these profiles, young readers will find role models, inspirations, and maybe even reasons to be the STEM leaders of tomorrow. These stories help young readers to dream big and stay curious. The book includes endnotes, a bibliography, and an index"--
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Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation into Space
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. Explores the previously uncelebrated but pivotal contributions of NASA's African-American women mathematicians to America's space program, describing how Jim Crow laws segregated them from their white counterparts despite their groundbreaking successes.
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Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. When Esquire magazine planned an issue to salute the American jazz scene in 1958, graphic designer Art Kane pitched a crazy idea: how about gathering a group of beloved jazz musicians and photographing them? He didn't own a good camera, didn't know if any musicians would show up, and insisted on setting up the shoot in front of a Harlem brownstone. Could he pull it off? In a captivating collection of poems, Roxane Orgill steps into the frame of Harlem 1958, bringing to life the musicians' mischief and quirks, their memorable style, and the vivacious atmosphere of a Harlem block full of kids on a hot summer's day. Francis Vallejo's vibrant, detailed, and wonderfully expressive paintings do loving justice to the larger-than-life quality of jazz musicians of the era. Includes bios of several of the fifty-seven musicians, an author's note, sources, a bibliography, and a foldout of Art Kane's famous photograph.
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The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop
Presents the history of hip-hop including, how it evolved from folktales, spirituals, and poetry, to the showmanship of James Brown, to the culture of graffiti art and breakdancing that formed around the art form.
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Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina
Also available in Overdrive. Determination meets dance in this middle grade adaptation of the New York Times bestselling memoir by the first African-American principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre history, Misty Copeland. Life in Motion is a story for all the kids who dare to be different, dream bigger, and want to break stereotypes in whatever they do.
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Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina
"The memoir of Michaela DePrince, who lived the first few years of her live in war-torn Sierra Leone until being adopted by an American family. Now seventeen, she is one of the premiere ballerinas in the United States"--
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Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. A portrait of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine's powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself.
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42 Is Not Just a Number: The Odyssey of Jackie Robinson, American Hero
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. An eye-opening look at the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball and became an American hero.
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Brown Girl Dreaming
Also available in Overdrive. "Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson's eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become."--
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The Undefeated
Also available in Overdrive. "The Newbery Award-winning author of The Crossover pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree"--
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Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is black, present paired poems about topics including family dinners, sports, recess, and much more. This relatable collection explores different experiences of race in America.
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Martin Rising: Requiem for a King
Also available in Hoopla. In a rich embroidery of visions, musical cadence, and deep emotion, Andrea and Brian Pinkney convey the final months of Martin Luther King's life -- and of his assassination -- through metaphor, spirituality, and multilayers of meaning.
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The Fierce 44: Black Americans Who Shook Up the World
"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, written by ESPN's TheUndefeated.com and illustrated with dazzling portraits by Rob Ball."
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Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes From Past and Present
"Join us on a journey across borders, through time and even through space to meet 52 icons of color from the past and present in a celebration of achievement. Meet figureheads, leaders, and pioneers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and sporting heroes, including Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey, and Serena Williams. Discover how their childhood dreams and experiences influenced their adult achievements. This book will help the next generation to chase their own dream ... whatever it may be"--Publisher.
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Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
Also available in Overdrive. Based on her popular Instagram posts, debut author/illustrator Vashti Harrison shares the stories of 40 bold African American women who shaped history.
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Brave, Black, First: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World
An illustrated biographical compilation of over fifty African American women from the 1700s through to the present day.
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The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights
Presents an account of the 1944 civil rights protest involving hundreds of African-American Navy servicemen who were unjustly charged with mutiny for refusing to work in unsafe conditions after the deadly Port Chicago explosion.
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A Child's Introduction to African American History: The Experience, People, and Events That Shaped Our Country
"Critically acclaimed writer Jabari Asim guides readers ages 9-12 through the history of African Americans, from the slave trade to the Black Lives Matter movement, in the latest volume in Black Dog's bestselling, award-winning Child's Introduction series. This illustrated introduction to African American history goes beyond what's taught in the classroom giving young readers a more comprehensive look at this timely and important topic. Author Jabari Asim chronicles the story of African Americans from the slave trader through the American Revolution and the Civil War to the Tuskegee experiments, the Civil Rights movement, the election of Barack Obama. Sections throughout highlight the contribution of African Americans to the arts, music, literature, culture, sports and more. Lives of inspiring African American artists, inventors, and politicians including Harriet Tubman, Langston Hughes, Oprah Winfrey, Louis Armstrong, Serena Williams, are featured as well. Following in the tradition of Black Dog's best-selling Child's Introduction books, which include The Story of the Orchestra and A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky, A Child's Introduction to African American History includes 120 charming illustrations that bring the people and events to life. The book also features interactive projects that kids can do on their own or with their guardians including recipes and crafts"--
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28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World
Also available in Overdrive. "A picture book look at many of the men and women who revolutionized life for African Americans throughout history"--
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Dream Big Dreams: Photographs from Barack Obama's Inspiring and Historic Presidency
"Pete Souza served as Chief Official White House Photographer for President Obama's full two terms. He was with the President during more crucial moments than anyone else - and he photographed them all, capturing scenes both classified and candid."--
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