![Justice Rising: 12 Amazing Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/justice-rising.jpeg?itok=7sfi9jlx)
You’ve heard the names Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, but what about the many other women who were crucial to the Civil Rights Movement? Told through twelve short biographies, this book celebrates just some of the many Black women — each of whom has been largely underrepresented until now — who were instrumental to the nation’s fight for civil rights and the contributions they made in driving the movement forward.
Justice Rising: 12 Amazing Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement
![You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce!](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/you-gotta-meet-mr-pierce.jpeg?itok=UrhcTsYV)
A picture book biography about the barber shop of woodcarver Elijah Pierce, recipient of the highest folk art honor in the United States. “Creeeeak!” goes the screen door to self-taught artist Elijah Pierce’s barbershop art studio. A young boy walks in for an ordinary haircut and walks out having discovered a lifetime of art. Mr. Pierce’s wood carvings are in every corner of the small studio. There are animals, scenes from his life, and those detailing the socio-political world around him. Based on the true story of Elijah Pierce and his community barber shop in Columbus, Ohio, this picture book includes informative backmatter about his life.
You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce!
![Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/rock-rosetta-rock.jpeg?itok=kKAH6SK8)
Before there was Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Johnny Cash, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The godmother of rock & roll started as a little girl from Arkansas with music in her air, in her hair, in her bones, wiggling her toes. With a big guitar in hand and a big voice in her soul, she grew into a rock & roll trailblazer in a time when women were rarely seen rocking out. Includes a timeline of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s life, author’s note, and a list of sources.
Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!
![Brown Sugar Baby](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/brown-sugar-baby.jpg?itok=s8A1x1nV)
“Brown sugar baby, dark eyes spark bright with glee … Pie of my eye, stay right here with me.” This lyrical first book in the Brown Sugar Baby series is a celebration of the powerful love and protective, comforting instincts of a mother for her child.
Brown Sugar Baby
![The World’s Most Ridiculous Animals](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/worlds-most-ridiculous-animals.jpeg?itok=YXUIXSBo)
Meet an exploding ant, the flamboyant cuttlefish, and the star-nosed mole in this lighthearted look at animals. The real but unusual creatures are illustrated with humor while providing a glimpse at their distinguishing features. The author’s first volume, The World’s Most Pointless Wonderful Animals (opens in a new window), is equally engaging.
The World’s Most Ridiculous Animals
![The Tryout](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/the-tryout.jpeg?itok=uQJ8_eBo)
It’s hard starting middle school and being an outsider, but training for the cheerleading squad is fun when Christina and her best friend Megan work together. The fun stops when the 6th graders are supposed to try out for the cheerleading squad in front of the entire school! Based on the author’s experience, the ups and downs of friendship and middle school are both heartbreaking and heartwarming in this attractive graphic novel.
The Tryout
![Superheroes of Nature: Incredible Skills to Survive and Thrive](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/superheroes-of-nature.jpeg?itok=ZixHOTOx)
Dramatic photographs combine with facts to amaze and delight with their “acrobatic moves, their ability to dodge enemies deftly, [and] their skill at disappearing using camouflage.” Together with a similarly formatted companion book, Superpowers of Nature: Wild Wonders of the World (opens in a new window), readers will surely want to protect nature’s heroes.
Superheroes of Nature: Incredible Skills to Survive and Thrive
![A Rover’s Story](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/a-rovers-story.jpeg?itok=PH5fjmLG)
Resilience, or Res, is a small rover created to explore Mars. By listening, Res comes to know humans, friendship, and emotions. Inspired by the actual Mars rovers, the author has “use[d] fiction to take something true and bring it to life in a unique and exciting way.” This unforgettable book, narrated by Res, is wholly plausible and emotionally powerful.
A Rover’s Story
![Odder](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/odder.jpeg?itok=nn-W9ARI)
Even though her mother taught her offspring to avoid dangers of the sea, the young otter encounters all of them. Follow Odder’s experiences in this moving novel in verse, which is loosely based on rehabilitated otters in the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The story, from the 2013 Newbery Medalist, is sure to engage as well as educate. Glossary and additional information are appended.
Odder
![""](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/2023-06/mayas-song.jpg?itok=bzDc9lwn)
Maya Angelou was the first Black poet and the first woman to recite poetry at a Presidential Inauguration. Her life is introduced in free verse and realistic collage to evoke the poet and her work. A timeline and notes from the award-winning author and illustrator conclude this memorable portrait.
Maya’s Song
![Manatee Summer](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/manatee-summer.jpeg?itok=Ky6149nt)
Two best friends, Peter and Tommy, spend their summer finishing their Discovery Journal, a chronicle of all the wildlife they’ve come across in their native Florida. Can Peter help the manatee they discover in a nearby canal as well as help take care of his grandfather like he promised? The poignant story is both fast-paced and believable, with likeable and relatable characters.
Manatee Summer
![The Last Beekeeper](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/the-last-beekeeper.jpeg?itok=5jGQntKK)
Yolanda (aka Yoly) and her sister Cami live in a world that has been dramatically altered by climate change and run by an authoritarian government. Can they find the solution before it’s too late? A fast pace and smart characters will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the hopeful conclusion.
The Last Beekeeper
![Freestyle](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/freestyle.jpeg?itok=A1_fGp-a)
Middle school is passing far too quickly, as the dance crew prepares for its final competition. But then Cory discovers a new passion he shares with a classmate. Learn how trick yoyo, dance routines, and friendships work together in this warm and lively graphic novel.
Freestyle
![The Flamingo](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/the-flamingo.jpg?itok=T4RwoHO4)
Lush illustrations in a nearly wordless graphic novel narrate a child’s vacation with Lao Lao, her much-loved grandmother. The story Lao Lao tells the girl about a flamingo connects them in a fantastic and a totally fulfilling conclusion after the girl returns home.
The Flamingo
![Duet: Our Journey in Song with the Northern Mockingbird](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/duet.jpeg?itok=1I2OSPGh)
This handsome presentation for sophisticated readers about the Northern Mockingbird combines history and science along with traditional beliefs about the birds and their role with humans. Readable and fully sourced, this is sure to intrigue budding naturalists and historians.
Duet: Our Journey in Song with the Northern Mockingbird
![Cultured Donuts: Take a Bite Out of Art History](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/cultured-donuts.jpg?itok=aEydPqlt)
Throughout history, artists have influenced other artists. From Michelangelo to Basquiat, the author/illustrator suggests how each artist might have uniquely presented an everyday subject — a donut. Open this informative book for a tasty look at different styles, techniques, and artists.
Cultured Donuts: Take a Bite Out of Art History
![Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/choosing-brave.jpeg?itok=hM64IoZN)
Emmett Till was only 14 years old when he was murdered in 1955 in the South. His mother demanded her son be sent home to Chicago. “It was the braver thing that changed everything.” Mamie became an activist for social justice that helped launch the Civil Rights Movement. Lyrical text and expressive cut-paper illustrations convey the haunting story made accessible to sophisticated younger readers.
Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement
![Chester Keene Cracks the Code](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/chester-keene-cracks-the-code.jpeg?itok=YNbsV0UG)
Chester likes his routines, but his new friend is the complete opposite. Nonetheless, the pair work together to solve the riddle behind the mysterious notes that Chester thinks are from his father — all while dealing with a bully and trying to prevent his mother from worrying. Likeable characters and an engaging mystery fill this satisfying novel.
Chester Keene Cracks the Code
![Attack of the Black Rectangles](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/attack-of-black-rectangles.jpeg?itok=CdiiDkEc)
When Mac opens his copy of a book by Jane Yolen, he discovers that there are words that have been blacked out with a permanent marker. When he and his friends set out to find out what and who don’t want them to read these words, it begins a journey of true self-discovery and activism. Based on actual events experienced by the author’s son, this remarkable novel is sure to generate important discussion.
Attack of the Black Rectangles
![Where in the World Are You?](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/where-in-the-world-are-you.jpeg?itok=es0vBqOf)
Where is the black cat? The cat starts and ends under the wobbly table as the reader follows the cat from the specific to the truly universal. Uncluttered, simple illustrations provide visual information to the expanding scenes. A brilliant way to initiate discussions about our place in the world.
Where in the World Are You?
![Warrior Princess: The Story of Khutulun](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/warrior-princess.jpeg?itok=mRLWQjCL)
Handsome, animated illustrations combine with straightforward language to tell the story of the great-great-granddaughter of the Mongolian warlord, Genghis Khan, who trained and succeeded as a warrior. Backmatter reveals how her story was pieced together from various sources and legend.
Warrior Princess: The Story of Khutulun
![There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/there-is-a-flower-at-tip-of-my-nose.jpg?itok=xg6aRxaA)
Illustration and words paint a portrait of the natural world and a child’s connection to it, until “There is a poem/In the cradle of my Soul/Rocking me.” It continues until the narrator writes, telling her own story.
There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me
![The Sea in the Way](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/sea-in-the-way.jpeg?itok=Z-JbmUuh)
Badger and Bear are separated by the salty, wet sea. Being apart is hard, until Badger looks more closely and sees all the beauty — and all the connections to Bear — around her. Delicately textured watercolors add depth to the unusual look at friends separated by time and distance.
The Sea in the Way
![Pizza My Heart](/sites/default/files/styles/book_cover_mobile_1x/public/book/pizza-my-heart.jpeg?itok=bGni2kDE)
When squirrels Norma and Belly grow tired of acorns, they decide to try pizza from the new shop in town. As with their other food adventures (Donut Feed the Squirrels (opens in a new window) and Apple of My Pie (opens in a new window)), success is always questionable. Jaunty illustrations in a lively, easy graphic format make each escapade a tasty treat.