Black History Month has been a tradition in the United States for the past seven decades. It was started by Dr. Carter Woodson, an African-American author and scholar, to educate non-black Americans about black American culture, and to engender pride among African-Americans.
Harlem: A Poem
By Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Christopher Myers
Father and son team up to celebrate Harlem. Harlem was a promise to those who lived there. The collage art of Christopher Myers and the words of his father, Walter Dean Myers, team up to connect readers of all ages to the real spirit of Harlem and to its everyday life and how it came to shape the lives of a people. This book is a great read aloud for the classroom as well as for the home. 1997, Scholastic Trade Books, ages four and up, $16.95. ISBN:0590543407.
Leon's Story
By Susan L. Roth, Leon Tillage
Illustrated by Susan L. Roth
Leon Tillage, the son of a sharecropper, grew up in North Carolina. His story is an often painful one, but it is also a story of a family's strong love. Leon talks about the pain of segregation with wisdom and compassion. This powerful memoir should not be missed by anyone. 1997, Farrar Straus and Giroux, ages nine and up, $14. ISBN: 0374343799
Freedom's Fruit
By William H. Hooks
Illustrated by James Ransome
Mama Marina, the main character in Hook's book, is a conjure woman in the Old South. She is also a slave who will risk anything to free her daughter Sheba. She comes up with a surprising plan. Ransome's beautiful full-page illustrations add detail and depth to this story of sorrow and power of love. 1996, Knopf, ages four to eight, $16. ISBN:0679824383.
The Blue and the Gray
By Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Ned Bittinger
This is a compelling story of how two friends, one white, one black, watch the construction of their new homes on what was once a Civil War Battlefield. The text is stated in the manner of a child's brief sentences and arranged like a poem. Ransome's full-page oils provide the perfect backdrop to this story of history and friendship. This book is a must for the primary teacher. 1996, Scholastic Trade Books, ages four to eight, $14.95. ISBN:0590601970.
The Wagon
By Tony Johnston
Paintings by James Ransome
Ransome's somber oil paintings illustrate in detail the harsh life of a twelve-year-old and his family as slaves on a plantation before and during the Civil War. He longs to run away, but his parents encourage him to be patient until the end of the war. Tony Johnston is a master storyteller and this book is no exception. 1996, William Morrow, ages four to eight, $16. ISBN:0688134572.
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