Celebrate Black History Month
Created by the historian Carter G. Woodson and the minister Jesse E. Moorland, Black History Month began as Negro History Week, first celebrated in 1926 on the second week of February; a meaningful week to its founders as it corresponded with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In the 1960s, in response to the Civil Rights Movement and active college campuses, Negro History Week morphed into Black History Month. And in 1976 Gerald Ford became the first president to official recognize this observance, a tradition that every president has continued each year. Canada also observes Black History Month in February and in the United Kingdom it occurs in October.
In the U.S. this year's theme is African Americans and the Civil War, which seeks to honor "the efforts of people of African descent to destroy slavery and inaugurate universal freedom in the United Sates." The books highlighted in this feature fit this year's theme in particular: Heart and Soul, which has a chapter on black soldiers in the Civil War, and Walking Home to Rosie Lee, which takes place during the Reconstruction Era, when freed slaves are looking for their family members.
The potential for diversity within this unit of study is astounding. While often books will focus on famous African Americans or significant historical events, many featured here are fictional narratives of families and everyday life for slaves or those living in the Civil Rights era. We want to offer you the tools and resources to create powerful programs in your classroom or library; try searching CLCD for all Coretta Scott King award books, which include direct links to curriculum tools. Also available on our site are features about African American authors and illustrators such as Walter Dean Myers, Jerry Pinkney, Floyd Cooper, Leo Dillon, Patricia McKissack, and Sharon Draper.
For more information about Black History Month visit:
http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history-month
http://www.biography.com/tv/classroom/about-black-history-month
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/black/index.asp
http://www.timeforkids.com/minisite/black-history-month
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/
Contributor: Emily Griffin
Reviews
The African American Experience
Sandy Donovan
The author highlights the contributions that African Americans have made and are making to America. It starts with an introduction of how and why Africans came to the United States and how they were used as slaves for landowners on plantations. Since most came from different parts of Africa they were unable to communicate with one another. They were forced to give up their traditions and learn a new language. They did manage to maintain some of their traditions and customs through storytelling. After the Civil War things began to change for African Americans. They were free and able to move away from plantations, mostly to northern cities. They have made contributions to the United States through the arts, literature, music, stage and screen, painting, sculpture and photography. Articles from USA Today are included highlighting various aspects of African American life. Contributions of athletes, Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson, Serena and Venus Williams, Chuck Cooper and Debi Thomas are covered. Religion played a significant part in African American culture and it still does today. Their singing is mixed with Christian and African traditions. Food, particularly at holidays is a celebratory event. Additional famous African Americans are included at the end of the book along with resources for further cultural exploration. 2011, Twenty-First Century Books, Ages 8 to 12, $33.26. Reviewer: Leila Toledo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780761340843
Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrated by James Ransome
Joseph Boulogne is born on a sugar plantation on Guadeloupe in 1739, the son of the white plantation owner and his black slave. Joseph enjoys privileges other slaves do not have, walking the land with his father and traveling to town with his mother. He learns to play the violin. When he is nine, his now wealthy father returns to Paris with the family. His mother, now free, lives on the outskirts of the city, while Joseph continues his studies living with his father. Although as a mulatto he cannot inherit his father's title and is frequently taunted, Joseph enjoys the life of the son of a duke. He becomes a champion fencer. But at twenty-one, Joseph is given an Amati violin and decides to devote his life to music. He becomes first violin of an orchestra. He also composes operas, quartets, and concerti. Mozart attends one of his concerts. Finally, as the midwife had predicted at his birth, he performs for the king and queen of France. Ransome uses mixed media to cover double pages with naturalistic pictures of the landscapes and cityscapes of both Guadeloupe and Paris. Attention is given, as in the jacket/cover portrait, to details of dress as well. Notable is the scene of his arrival at the palace by coach with the setting sun illuminating the royal courtyard. A note adds factual information to that conveyed in the illustrations. This is an important addition to African American history. 2011, Schwartz & Wade Books/Random House Children's Books, Ages 6 to 9, $17.99. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780375836008
Belle, the Last Mule at Gee's Bend
Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Bettye Stroud
Illustrated by John Holyfield
In a Civil Rights story that is unique, young readers will share with Alex his introduction to what it really meant to be a black person who voted in the south during the early years of the movement. The setting is contemporary; a bench outside a store in Gee's Bend, Alabama, where Alex is watching a mule munches on collard greens in a garden. An old woman, Miz Pettway, sits next to him and from her he learns the story of how the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., came to Gee's Bend and through his preaching urged the people to register to vote. They did and when Election Day arrived, the ferry that would transport them to the mainland was suddenly closed. Undeterred they spent half a day using cars and mule driven wagons to go to the polls. When Reverend King was assonated, he had left wishes that his wagon/hearse be drawn by mules and so the people of Gee's Bend were asked to provide two. One was Bella, the mule munching on collards in Miz Pettway's garden. There is more to the story which is quite moving and there is a reference to the Gee's Bend quilts, many of which this reviewer say when they were on display at a museum in Washington DC. The illustrations have interesting perspectives which emphasize points made in the text. The spread of Gee's Bend residents heading out to vote is wonderful and the women quilting supports the reference and really why Alex and his mother are in town. One of my personal favorites is the picture of the police and their attempt to stop the mules from reaching Atlanta for Reverend King's funeral. Alex and other readers should come away with a better understanding of what life was like in the 1960s and the resilience of the folks who lived in Gee's Bend. 2011, Candlewick, Ages 6 to 10, $15.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780763640583
Freedom's a-Callin Me
Ntozake Shange
Paintings by Rod Brown
The story of slavery and the almost unbearable life of those who worked in the cotton fields are the focus of this poetic account. The message reflects the burning desire of many enslaved Africans to escape north to freedom where they would be treated as human beings. The preparations required stealth, and the actual escape required strength and great courage. Those who took the risk knew that they could be hunted down by trackers using ferocious dogs, and once caught be beaten and then sent back to their owners. They could also face death in the swamps, either accidently or by getting caught in a trap laid by the slave hunters. But those who were undeterred, fought the odds, and did whatever it took to make the try for a better life. Along the way there were white people who also believed slavery was wrong and risked their lives to help many succeed in escaping. This story is told in poetic form using the language of the slaves which makes it even more compelling. You have the feeling that you are inside the mind of the individuals and that you share their hopes and fears. The paintings vary in size from a full page to 3/4 of a spread to a full spread. They too tell the story and often are dark in color until the end where the slaves are shown as they finally escape in a wagon and while others struggle against the cold and snow to walk to freedom in Michigan. 2012, Amistad/HarperCollins, Ages 8 to 12, $16.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780061337413
Freedom Song: The Story of Henry "Box" Brown
Sally M. Walker
Illustrated by Sean Qualls
Henry "Box" Brown was a slave from southern Virginia who escaped to Philadelphia as an adult by shipping himself in a box. This remarkable true story, explained fully in an author's note, is beautifully told in this picture book by Sally M. Walker and illustrator Sean Qualls. Walker uses lyrical, and at sometimes colloquial, language to show Henry Brown grow from a newborn baby to an adult man with a wife and children of his own, emphasizing his love of song to help him and those around him preserver and find moments of joy in their plantation lives. Qualls, who won a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for Before John Was a Jazz Giant, uses mixed media illustrations (textured paintings and collage), predominantly in tones of blues and browns, to capture the joy and suffering in Brown's life. A good selection for Black History Month or to use in discussions about slavery. 2012, Harper/HarperCollins, Ages 4 to 8, $17.99. Reviewer: Emily Griffin (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780060583101
The Great Migration: Journey to the North
Eloise Greenfield
Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Between 1915 and 1930, more than a million African Americans left the poverty and soul-crushing bigotry of the south to move to northern cities. Eloise Greenfield's family was part of this "Great Migration" and she documents, in free verse, the vastly mixed emotions of leaving a cruel land that is nonetheless the place of family and memories, and the fear and anticipation of going to a new place–a Promised Land–where the expectation of prosperity and the lack of fear beckon. Greenfield writes eloquently and emotionally, revealing the phases of each person's journey: the news of leaving, the sad goodbyes, the long trip, the questions about the choice to leave, and the reunion of families up north. Each poem is assigned "speakers," so it is a natural that this book will be used as a performance piece for choral readings and readers' theater. Illustrations by Jan Spivey Gilchrist are evocative, showing in collage the emotional tearing of leaving home and the piecing together of new lives. A particularly reflective illustration shows a woman on a train, appearing to be asleep but also prayerful while the young girl next to her shoots her eyes warily out the train windows. All in all, this is a perfect blend of illustration and poetry to document an historical journey that is part of so many American families' experience. 2011, Amistad/HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 3 to 10, $16.99. Reviewer: Lois Rubin Gross (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780061259210
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans
Kadir Nelson
Taking on the history of African Americans can seem a daunting task, but Nelson does so succinctly, informatively, and clearly. He conveys that African Americans have not been on the periphery of American history, but rather, have been an integral and important part of it. The reader learns the history through the voice of an elderly woman. Each chapter comes alive through stories of her family members and other individuals. They are intertwined with the painful difficulties and the achievements gained since the 1600s. The twelve chapter headings and quotes were carefully chosen. They provide a preview of the chapter and can even be sources of discussion. Among the chapters are: "Declaration of Independence," "Lincoln's War," "Black Innovation," and the final chapter called "Revolution." The Prologue and Epilogue round out the book and provide cohesion. Using the large format of WE ARE THE SHIP, every turn of the page offers a dramatic illustration. Nelson is a master of portraiture. Here, portraits of individuals and groups give insights into the character of the individuals and beg to be studied. The final illustration in the book is entitled "Voting poll, Chicago, 2008" and shows strong black hands holding a pin that reads, "I VOTED." It sums up the history and pride that unfolds here, beckons the reader to pause and contemplate, and captures the title of the book. Inviting in both text and illustration, this is a must for every library, and would also make a beautiful gift. 2011, Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, Ages 9 to adult, $19.99. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Coretta Scott King Book Award, 2012 Honor Book Illustrator, United States
Coretta Scott King Book Award, 2012 Winner Author, United States
ISBN: 9780061730740
ISBN: 9780061730764
The Little Plant Doctor: A Story About George Washington Carver
Jean Marzollo
Illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
If you have ever eaten Chinese food chances are that it was cooked using peanut oil. The development of peanut oil and several hundred other uses for peanuts represent just a part of the work of George Washington Carver. The brief story of his early years is recounted by Marzollo in this picture book. She has used a tree to relate the story and for young readers it is an interesting approach. Trees live for hundreds of years and this tree is still around even though Carver passed away almost seventy years ago. He was a bright, inquisitive young boy who was raised by a white family. He was born a slave, but grew up after slavery was abolished. He was taught to read and write, and thus he was able to attend school and was the first black student to graduate from what is now Iowa State University. Carver loved to teach and he never got rich from his research because he believed in giving away all the inventions and shared what he learned to make life better for farmers. His life, his thirst for learning and his dedication to improve the lives of people serves as a model for any child no matter what their race. Wilson-Max has created bright and bold illustration that show a young boy growing into a young man and in almost every scene the tree that saw it all and is still standing in the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond Missouri. 2011, Holiday House, Ages 4 to 8, $16.95. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780823423255
A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis
Matt de la Pena
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
We are back in Yankee Stadium on June 22, 1938, for "the most important match in boxing history" between African American Joe Louis, son of a sharecropper, and Max Schmeling, of Hitler's "master race." Terse sentences build the drama of the event. As a quiet youth, Louis had taken up boxing to become a hero in black neighborhoods. But Schmeling had knocked him out in a previous bout. Louis has vowed to battle back as Nazi power grows. All America sets the color bar aside as it needs a hero, and Louis gives what they require with his triumph. On the cover, a commanding portrait of the boxer spills over the frame. Nelson's realistic double-page oil paintings exploit emotional power. Settings are dramatic, some even melodramatic: close-ups of sweaty boxing gloves and the boxer flat on his back; the square of light surrounded by extended areas of black; an African American family listening intently to a radio. The visuals expand significantly on the emotional content of the brief text. Note the reversal on the jacket and cover. 2011, Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Young Readers Group, Ages 6 to 8, $17.99. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books, 2011 United States
ISBN: 9780803731677
Roots and Blues: A Celebration
Arnold Adoff
Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
This book is a beautiful, poignant look at the history of the blues, an American form of music created from the stories and experiences of African-Americans throughout their history in the United States. Through what Adoff calls the "shaped speech" style, the reader is presented with a narrative prose/poetry form that follows the history of the origins of this important musical form. The poetry-prose is, in and of itself, beautifully wrought; the addition of Christie's paintings, dramatic one- and two-page works that illustrate Adoff's words, make this work even more vibrant and human. Not only is history cited, but some of the specific singers of this musical style are highlighted: Ma Rainey, Robert Johnson, W. C. Handy, Muddy Waters, and Johnny Lee Turner. This is a beautiful book that should be in every upper elementary and middle school classroom, if not for the simply enjoyment of reading it, then to make students aware of the various approaches a poet or songwriter can take in sharing ideas. 2011, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Ages 10 to 14, $17.99. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780547235547
Today the World is Watching You: The Little Rock Nine and the Fight for School Integration, 1957
Kekla Magoon
This informative nonfiction work follows the history of the integration of Little Rock High School in 1957. The introduction presents a general overview of the day and the actions, but chapter one begins with an objective historical perspective on the segregation of American schools. Magoon lays out the situation, how Jim Crowe laws reinforced segregation and how the NCAAP's growth and development leads to major steps towards desegregating schools. By 1951, a lawsuit from the state of Kansas makes its way to the Supreme Court. The Court actually pools lawsuits from several states together and finally rules that segregation has a detrimental effect on children. While people debated the issue, schools begin putting together their plans to desegregate; these plans would take years to complete. Arkansas argues that the issue is states' rights and that their state laws apply over and above the federal law. After a fight in the courts, ten young African American high school students are accepted through an application process and the desegregation of the school is set for opening day. The violence and harassment that follow lead first to the National Guard keeping them out and then to the US Army protecting them inside. It is a year of amazing upheaval, of courage and perseverance, of setbacks and inroads. This carefully structured and detailed discussion of the issue, the people, the events, and the outcomes is one that should be on library shelves in every middle and high school. It provides a powerful chronology of 1957, reminding all readers that education is a civil right no one should take for granted. 2011, Twenty-First Century Books, Ages 12 up, $38.60. Reviewer: Janis Flint-Ferguson (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780761357674
Walking Home to Rosie Lee
A. LaFaye
Illustrated by Keith D. Shepherd
The Civil War has ended, the slaves have been freed, and now family members who were separated and sold are now trying to find one another. Young Gabe takes to the road with nothing but hope and the memories of his mama. For months he walks and he is helped and befriended by former slaves and freedmen. The rhythm of the text, the use of a repetitive phrase, and terms such as "Miss Dawn" and "Mr. Dark," all draw from the storytelling tradition. The result is a read aloud that feels as if Gabe were sittin' on a porch telling how he found his mama. The story is strengthened by Shepherd's illustrations. Strong brushstrokes in the artwork reflect Gabe's determination. The colors and tones used on each double-page spread reflect Gabe's up-and-down feelings. The golds surrounding Gabe and his mother on the last page complement the warmth of the text. While this is specific to a time period, it is also universal for anyone who has been separated from loved ones due to war. Many classroom units will be well-served by this book. Parents and children will cry and cheer together. 2011, Cinco Puntos Press, Ages 6 to 10, $16.95. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781933693972
We March
Shane W. Evans
The issue of discrimination, lack of voting rights, and access to jobs may be a hard concept for today's children. They do not have segregated facilities, schools, and lives where they have little interaction with people of other races. The simple text describes an event that took place on August 28, 1963 when more than 250,000 people gathered at the nation's capital to participate in the march on Washington. It was predominately African Americans, but they were joined by others as the pictures clearly show. It was the day that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his most famous speech "I Have a Dream." He was promoting racial harmony and freedom for all. The text is straight forward and the illustrations are equally simple, but eloquently deliver the message. Young readers and those who have the text read to them should be able to understand the significance of that important day. An endnote by the author/illustrator explains what happened afterward–the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the National Voting Rights Act of 1965 which together opened up public facilities and made discriminatory voting practices illegal. Those practices had been successful in denying African Americans the right to vote. After the hard won struggles, young children should and young adults should be reminded of the importance of voting and how peaceful action can indeed change the world. 2012, A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press, Ages 4 to 8, $16.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781596435391
We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
Cynthia Y. Levinson
If you have ever doubted that one person can make a difference then Levinson's book will certainly convince readers that they and others who are like-minded can make changes in the world. It really is sad that so little of the details of American history are taught in our schools. Yes, we hear about the Civil Rights Movement and the National Voting Rights Act and sometimes about significant Supreme Court cases such as Plessy versus Ferguson, but it is all so abstract. Levinson has succeeded in bringing the tumultuous times in Birmingham and the 1963 Birmingham Children's March down to a personal level that is truly riveting. What really happened to the four students featured in the book and thousands of other children was really unknown by this reviewer. Yes, I had heard of the marches, the brutality of the police force and the bombing at the Sixteenth Baptist Church and other deaths, but it was always a bit abstract. Reading this book–you are there, you feel the frustration of the leaders like Fred Shuttleworth and Martin Luther King Jr. You realize that there were struggles within the black community as to the best way to achieve their goal of freedom and full integration and the fear an ambivalence of moderate whites. It also shows how many other black leaders were involved and how important their roles were in sustaining the movement. Could I as a teenager have ever done what Audrey, Wash, James, and Arnetta did–I am not so sure, that I would be brave enough. This is a book that every student should read. It is also a book that should make African Americas of today realize what it took to achieve what they take for granted--freedom to go to integrated public schools, enter any public place or conveyance, work anywhere, and live anywhere they choose. These freedoms were won at a great price as the details of these struggles in Birmingham reveal and they should not be squandered. The photographs, layout with subheadings, and call outs to emphasize a point or put things in perspective all help make this rich text eminently readable. For those undertaking research there are extensive source note, a bibliography and very detailed index. A must have for a school or classroom library. 2012, Peachtree, Ages 10 up, $19.95. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781561456277
When Grandmama Sings
Margaree King Mitchell
Illustrated by James E. Ransome
Eight-year-old Belle, adores her Grandmama. Their family lives in the small and segregated town of Pecan Flats, Mississippi. Though her Grandmama cannot read she sings–while cooking, in the garden, cleaning, at church, and parties. Everyone in Pecan Flats loves to hear Belle's Grandmama sing. When Grandmama is given the opportunity to leave their town for the first time and go on a small tour with a jazz band, Belle goes along to help out. As the group travels the South, they see firsthand how things are everywhere, and not just in their home, for African-Americans during Jim Crow. The power of music is evident as they play for audiences of all sizes. The final show is a sell-out in a large theater with a big and enthusiastic crowd; with white people on the main floor and blacks in the balcony. After, Grandmama tells Belle that though the night was special she hopes one day to sing in a place where black and white people are not kept apart. Ransome, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor winner for Uncle Ted's Barbershop, reinforces the gentle tone of the book with his warm art. Not only a good fit for Black History Month but an excellent choice for exposing young children to this intense period in history through fiction. A wonderful story of family, love, and following your passion. 2012, Amistad/HarperCollins, Ages 5 to 9, $16.99. Reviewer: Emily Griffin (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780688175634
With the Might of Angels: The Diary of Dawnie Rae Johnson
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Part of the "Dear America" series, this novel is set in Hadley, Virginia in 1954 immediately after the United States Supreme Court banned school segregation. Written as a series of diary entries by eleven-year-old Dawnie Rae Johnson, this story begins when her parents make the difficult decision to send her to the nearby white school, even though she will be the only black student in attendance. Dawnie is scared, but her parents believe that they are doing the right thing. They teach Dawnie to be proud and to work hard and show she is worthy of attending the school. Life at the new school is difficult for Dawnie. She has no friends, and she is put-down and bullied by many students and even a few teachers. Life at home is not much better; Dawnie's father loses his job as a result of sending Dawnie to the white school. But the family remains courageous and believes that their lives will improve. Filled with facts and historical figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson, this novel addresses the harsh realities, the anger, and the frustrations of the era of school and community integration. This is a well-written, thorough and fascinating novel for elementary and middle school students. 2011, Scholastic, Ages 8 to 14, $12.99. Ages 8 to 14. Reviewer: Jody Little (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780545297059
To view the Black History Month feature from a previous year, click here
Updated 1/26/12
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