Sam and the Lucky Money
There is a garbage-filled, vacant lot on the street where Marcy lives. Instead of growing flowers in coffee cans like they usually do each spring, she and her friend Miss Rosa decide to plant a garden there. Their enthusiasm and energy spread and everyone in the neighborhood joins together to create an urban oasis. (From School Library Journal)
City Green
This is the true story of a brave six-year-old child who found the strength to walk through protesters and enter a whites-only school in New Orleans in 1960. The sepia watercolors capture the warmth of Ruby’s family and community.
The Story of Ruby Bridges
The life of early voting rights advocate, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, is presented in a compelling text and engaging watercolor illustrations.
Elizabeth Leads the Way
Martin Luther King, Jr. prepared diligently for his now famous “I have a dream” speech given on August 28, 1963 during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was King’s unshakable belief in nonviolence and the power of words that galvanized the country. This informal account is both personal and satisfying as revealed by Martin’s older sister who watched it on television with their parents in Atlanta. Full-color illustrations and expressive typography highlight words and enhance the tone.
March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World
In spite of growing up in the 1940s before the United States was integrated, in a segregated Mobile, Alabama, Henry Aaron dreamed of playing baseball. His perseverance and courage paid off; he was to become one of the most talented and revered players, whose major league career spanned from 1954 through 1976. He was also a vocal spokesperson for equality between white and black players. Aaron’s early life, his career, and his impact on the game are revealed in an honest, sometimes difficult text and richly colored paintings.
Henry Aaron’s Dream
The youngest daughter of civil rights leader Andrew Young shares a time when she and her two older sisters moved from New York to Atlanta to protest and ultimately change unfair laws. The narration is innocent and child-like — effectively describing what Jim Crow was and giving glimpse of the leaders of the period (including Martin Luther King, Jr.). Soft lined, textured illustrations evoke the time and its tenor while portraying people in a recognizable way. An end note provides additional information about the people depicted.
Child of the Civil Rights Movement
The words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inspired four students to protest in a way that ultimately changed the United States. Their peaceful dissent at the segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, would “combine black with white to make sweet justice.” The “Greensboro Four” began their sit-in on February 1, 1960 and contributed to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The text suggests storytelling and is accompanied by light-lined but evocative illustrations; back matter completes this compelling portrait.
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
When Nettie and her family travel to the South, they see enslaved people. Nettie is literally sickened by it and realizes how wrong slavery is. This fictional story is both realistic and heart wrenching. Readers sense that Nettie will grow into an Abolitionist much like Louisa May Alcott became.
Nettie’s Trip South
When Dorothy and Henry see a notice that the city of Boston cannot afford to buy three trained elephants, they begin city-wide campaign to raise the needed $6,000. Working together, the children are successful and present the pachyderms to the mayor for the zoo. Inspired by actual events in 1914, this can-do tale will empower, engage and perhaps inspire.
Pennies for Elephants
This fictionalized story of Kojo, a boy from Ghana, who changes his world with a small loan and one hen, is based on a real person. Kwabena Darko lives in West Africa and started a system of micro-loans in villages that would not otherwise have access. Additional resources and sources for further information allow readers to find out more.
One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference
A girl and her mom want to have a sweet treat on a hot day but cannot sit at the soda fountain simply because they are “colored.” Impressionistic paintings soften the harshness of the story of segregation in the South during a turbulent time.
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins
A 10 year old girl narrates this fictionalized story, based on real events and people, of how her rural southern town builds a new school for African American children with the help of Julius Rosenwald (then president of Sears Roebuck).
Dear Mr. Rosenwald
Wangari Maathai’s native Kenya was a changed land, literally blowing away because its trees and growth had been destroyed. Rather than complain, she started a reforestation effort for which she was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Handsome illustrations combine with crisp text to tell the story of one person’s impact.
Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangara Maathai
Rosa Parks was an ordinary woman who became a hero because she “was not going to give in to that which was wrong.” A catalyst for the famous Montgomery Bus boycott in Alabama, she turned the nation’s attention to a glaring injustice in our society. Powerful illustrations evoke a time before the Civil Rights era and give the reader a glimpse at a person, her impact, and a period in American history.
Rosa
This beautifully written book, illustrated by four-time Caldecott Honor recipient Jerry Pinkney, makes the story of Harriet Tubman’s childhood accessible to very young readers. As a young slave nicknamed Minty, Harriet Tubman was a feisty and stubborn girl with a dream of escape, and a rebellious spirit that often got her into trouble. Pinkney’s expressive illustrations bring every emotion to brilliant life – from troubled sorrow to spirited hope for freedom.
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
Martin Luther King Jr. grew up fascinated by big words. He would later go on to use these words to inspire a nation and call people to action. In this award-winning book, powerful portraits of King show how he used words, not weapons, to fight injustice.
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The famous civil rights activist Rosa Parks has simplified her autobiography for young readers in this Puffin Easy to Read book. She describes how she was arrested for not giving up her bus seat and shows that her personal role was part of a wider political struggle.
I Am Rosa Parks
Six-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first African American to integrate an elementary school. Her memories of that year, when so much hatred was directed at her, makes for a powerful memoir. A 1999 Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner.
Through My Eyes
Clara is born into slavery but learns an important skill when she becomes a seamstress. Her quilting ability allows Clara to put together directions to escape north to freedom when she overhears a conversation about a route to Canada.
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Readers learn of Mexican migrant workers’ difficult lives in this photo-documentary. Despite backbreaking labor in poor conditions, the workers take pride in what they do and struggle to help their families get ahead.