Rhyming text celebrates the Harlem neighborhood that successful African Americans first called home during the 1920s. Includes brief biographies of jazz greats Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Sonny Rollins, and Miles Davis; artists Aaron Douglas and Faith Ringgold; entertainers Lena Horne and the Nicholas Brothers; writer Zora Neale Hurston; civil rights leader W. E. B. DuBois; and lawyer Thurgood Marshall. Ages 4-8

Step into the shoes of thirteen men and women of color, and discover how the American Revolution rattled the chains of slavery. Woelfle examines the death-defying attempts of black Americans to gain the inalienable rights promised in the Declaration of Independence. By doing so they expanded the boundaries of freedom beyond the Founding Fathers’ intentions. Ages 9-12

Lyrical text explores how Blues have been part of everyday life throughout history, from its origins in the sounds of the earth, through slaves’ voices singing of freedom, to today’s greatest performers–and listeners. Ages 9-12

Six days a week, slaves labor from sunup to sundown and beyond, but on Sunday afternoons, they gather with free blacks at Congo Square outside New Orleans, free from oppression. Includes foreword about Congo Square by Freddi Williams Evans, glossary, and historical notes. Ages 5-9

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. Ages 7-11

A picture book biography of Muhammad Ali, this work traces Ali’s boxing career. Showing him in the ring with many of his famous opponents, it also explains how he got interested in boxing. Ages 7-12

Told by a banker that he should sell fried chicken rather than books, since “Negroes don’t read”, Lewis Michaux defies the odds to build Harlem’s National Memorial African Bookstore, an intellectual center and gathering place from 1939 to 1975. Ages 12-18

Retells the life of Bass Reeves, a former slave who became a deputy U.S. Marshal in the Indian Territory and was exceptional at tracking down fugitives and bringing them to justice. Ages 6-12

A small boy joins with his mother to find a creative way to save his older brother from the dangers of gang violence. Includes a list of organizations and websites dealing with gang prevention. Ages 5-8

Dyamonde is angry at her mother for not buying her the shoes she wants, but when she finds out that a classmate is in a worse situation, she is determined to help. Ages 5-9

Eight-year-old Garang, orphaned by a civil war in Sudan, finds the inner strength to help lead other boys as they trek hundreds of miles seeking safety in Ethiopia, then Kenya, and finally in the United States. Ages 7-11

In moving verse, Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis gives new voice to seventeen heroes of civil rights. Exquisitely illustrated by five extraordinary artists, this commanding collection of poems invites the reader to hear in each verse the thunder that lies in every voice, no matter how small. Ages 8-12

Baby and his family make some jazzy music. Ages 2-7

Young Ovella rejoices as her community comes together to raise money and build a much-needed school in the 1920s, with matching funds from the president of Sears, Roebuck, and Company and support from Professor James of the Normal School. Ages 5-10

Honest, wise, and inspiring, each of the twenty poems in this dazzling collection resounds with the unique rhythms of life, as seen through the eyes of African American children. Ages 6-11

A poem of African American history enhanced by illustrations. Ages 4-8

A young boy ponders a variety of emotions and how different members of his family experience them, from his own blues to his father’s grays and his grandmother’s yellows. Ages 4-8

A biography of twentieth-century African American folk artist Bill Traylor, a former slave who at the age of eighty-five began to draw pictures based on his memories and observations of rural and urban life in Alabama. Includes an afterword, author’s note, and sources. Ages 6-11

Lee, a jazz pianist, has to leave his band when he begins losing his hearing, but he meets a deaf saxophone player in a sign language class and together they form a snazzy new band. Ages 5-9

Presents a biography of the woman who was born a slave with no status and became one of the most powerful voices in the abolitionist movement. Ages 5-12

Tells in verse how, despite having been threatened with punishment by her elders, a girl just cannot help herself when it comes to climbing and so ventures to the top of the branch in order to demonstrate the special skills she has. Ages 4-8

The story of the bronze statue set atop of the dome of the United States Capitol Building in 1863 and the slave who played an integral role in seeing the statue through to completion. Ages 4-7

Based on the author’s own experiences as a child growing up in the projects, a delightful picture book follows DeShawn Williams, who wants to be a rap star and who is terrified that the graffiti in his neighborhood will come alive. Ages 6-11

In this update of the classic fable, City Mouse and his cousin, Country Mouse, exchange visits and, although they find many things to like in each other’s homes, they quickly learn that each prefers his own. Ages 4-8