In honor of MLK Weekend, I secured permission to reprint an excellent list of books compiled by Laura Scott of Farmington Community Library through the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) list-serv. Please feel free to add more suggestions in the comments section. Thanks, Laura and ALSC!
Illustrated Books with African American Characters Published in 2009
Cook, Michelle. Illus. Bryan Collier. Our Children Can Soar: a Celebration of Rosa, Barack and the Pioneers of Change. Bloomsbury.
Blue, Rose and Corinne J. Naden Illus. by Don Tate. Ron’s Big Mission. Dutton.
Grimes, Nikki. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel. Putnam.
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. Illus. Sean Qualls. Who Will I Be, Lord? Random House.
Paul, Chris. Illus. Frank Morrison. Long Shot: Never too Small to Dream Big. Simon and Schuster.
Illustrated Books with African American Characters Published in 2009
Bryan, Ashley. Ashley Bryan: Words to My Life’s Song. Atheneum.
Greenfield, Eloise. Illus. George Ford. Paul Robeson. Lee and Low.
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. Illus. R. Gregory Christie. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bess Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall. CarolRhoda.
Shange, Ntozak. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Coretta Scott. Katherine Tegen Books.
Hoose, Phillip M. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Melanie Kroupa Books.
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Illus. Brian Pinkney. Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp-Stride. Hyperion.
Rockwell, Anne. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Open The door To Liberty! A Biography of Toussaint L'Ouverture. Houghton Mifflin.
Rockwell, Anne. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Open The door To Liberty! A Biography of Toussaint L'Ouverture. Houghton Mifflin.
Shelton, Paula Young. Child of the Civil Rights Movement. Schwartz and Wade.
Non-Fiction
Cook, Michelle. Illus. Bryan Collier. Our Children Can Soar: a Celebration of Rosa, Barack and the Pioneers of Change. Bloomsbury.
Hughes, Langston. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. The Negro Speaks of Rivers. Hyperion.
Hughes, Langston.Photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr. My People. Atheneum.
Isadora, Rachel and Grimm Bros. Hansel and Gretel. Putnam.
Moore, Clement. Illus. Rachel Isadora. The Night Before Christmas. Putnam.
Myers, Walter Dean. Illustrated by Christopher Myers. Looking Like Me. Egmont.
Obama, Barack. illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Change Has Come: An Artist Celebrates Our American Spirit. Simon and Schuster.
Nelson, Marilyn. Illus. Jerry Pinkney. Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story of The Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in The World. Dial.
Picture Books
Blue, Rose and Corinne J. Naden Illus. by Don Tate. Ron’s Big Mission. Dutton.
Cherie, Tonya. Illus. Cozbi A. Cabrera Most Loved in All the World. Houghton Mifflin. (December 2008).
Demas, Corinne. Illus. by Noah. Z. Jones. Always in Trouble. Scholastic.
Evans, Shane. Olu’s Dream. Katherine Tegen Books.
Grimes, Nikki. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel. Putnam.
Malaspina, Ann. Illus.Colin Bootman. Finding Lincoln. Albert Whitman.
Morrison, Toni and Slade. Illus. by Joe Cepeda. Peeny Butter Fudge. Simon and Schuster.
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. Illus. Sean Qualls. Who Will I Be, Lord? Random House.
Paul, Chris. Illus. Frank Morrison. Long Shot: Never too Small to Dream Big. Simon and Schuster.
Slate, Joseph. Illustrated E.B. Lewis. I Want to Be Free. Putnam.
Turner-Denstaedt, Melanie. Illus. Frank Morrison. The Hat That Wore Clara B. FSG.
Suggested Web sites:
ALSC-L suggestions compiled by Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, December 2009