Book picks similar to
Dear Black Boy by Martellus Bennett


picture-books
childrens
children-s-books
teaching

Something Beautiful


Sharon Dennis Wyeth - 1998
    Lee's "beautiful" fruit store, and the "beautiful" smooth stone Old Mr. Sims always carries. The girl soon understands that beautiful means "that when you have it, your heart is happy." Young readers will enjoy appreciating the beauty of friendship and the power of hope in this encouraging story.

Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein


Linda Bailey - 2018
    Mary is one such dreamer, a little girl who learns to read by tracing the letters on her mother's tombstone and whose only escape from her strict father and overbearing stepmother is through the stories she reads and imagines. Unhappy at home, she seeks independence, and at the age of seventeen runs away with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, another dreamer. She travels to Europe and surrounds herself with more poets and writers, including Lord Byron and John Polidori. On a stormy summer evening, Byron suggests a contest to see who can create the best ghost story. After nine months of daydreaming, 21-year-old Mary Shelley's terrifying tale is published, a novel that goes on to become a very well-known monster story.

The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust


Karen Gray Ruelle - 2009
    Few Parisians were willing to risk their own lives to help. Yet during that perilous time, many Jews found refuge in an unlikely place--the sprawling complex of the Grand Mosque of Paris. Not just a place of worship but a community center, this hive of activity was an ideal temporary hiding place for escaped prisoners of war and Jews of all ages, especially children.Beautifully illustrated and thoroughly researched (both authors speak French and conducted first-person interviews and research at archives and libraries), this hopeful, non-fiction book introduces children to a little-known part of history. Perfect for children studying World War II or those seeking a heart-warming, inspiring read that highlights extraordinary heroism across faiths.Includes a bibliography, a recommended list of books and films, and afterword from the authors that gives more details behind the story.

Look What Brown Can Do! (An everyday modern Black History book for children ages 5-7)


T. Marie Harris - 2015
     Best suited for early readers, though younger children will adore the illustrations and inspirational message found in "Look What Brown Can Do!" This book is a perfect conversational tool for parents, teachers, caretakers, and anyone looking to help lovely Brown children understand the greatness that can be achieved in every shade of Brown. No matter the child's interest's, be it painting, dancing, science, music, writing, athletics ... "Look What Brown Can Do!" captures an array of accomplishments from yesterday's and today's Black heroes.Encourage our little Brown 'heroes in the making' to LOVE the skin they're in today by purchasing "Look What Brown Can Do!"

The Secret of the King


Rachel Ann Nunes - 2005
    But there are many ways to wear the King's armor; ways not even Javan and Lia understand until the King reveals a secret that makes the two young villagers the real heroes.

The Patchwork Quilt


Valerie Flournoy - 1985
    Using scraps cut from the family's old clothing, Tanya helps her grandmother and mother make a beautiful quilt that tells the story of her family's life.

The Little Cockroach


Susie Violet - 2020
    He loves Mexico but wants to explore the world. Amazing things happen to Pedro and his friend Enrico when they decide to leave their home in search of adventure. The Little Cockroach is a delightful bedtime story about determination, travel and adventure.

John Henry: An American Legend


Ezra Jack Keats - 1965
    in full color. The Caldecott Medalist's powerful classic is now reissued in a handsome paperback edition, as well as a library edition.

A History of Me


Adrea Theodore - 2022
    When the teacher talks about slavery, she can feel all of her classmates staring at her. When they talk about civil rights, she is the one that other kids whisper about on the playground. In those moments, she wants to slip away or seep into the ground; and she wonders, is that all you see when you look at me?What really matters is what she sees when she looks at herself. She is a reflection of the courage, strength, intelligence and creativity that's been passed down from generation to generation through her ancestors.Inspired by the author's daughter's experience in school as well as her own.

Visiting Langston


Willie Perdomo - 2002
    A wonderful picture book introduction to a legendary American writer."Today I'm going to wearMy favorite pink blouseI'm going with my daddyTo visit Langston's house."It's a special day when a little girl and her father go to visit the house where the great poet Langston Hughes lived-especially when the little girl is a poet herself!This rhythmic tale is a wonderful introduction to the work and world of Langston Hughes, who was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and an American cultural hero.

Cinnamon


Neil Gaiman - 1995
    Cinnamon had pearls for eyes. Cinnamon did not talk.Her father and mother offered many riches to anyone who could get Cinnamon to speak. One day a tiger came to the palace, armed with knowledge of the world, and everything changed.

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad


Ellen Levine - 2007
    Nobody keeps records of slaves' birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday -- his first day of freedom.

Guji Guji


Chih-Yuan Chen - 1999
    In this engaging story about identity, loyalty and what it really means to be a family, Guji, Guji makes some pretty big decisions about who he is, what he is, and what it all means, anyway. Ages 4 and up.

The White Swan Express: A Story about Adoption


Jean Davies Okimoto - 2002
    Far away in North America, the sun rises over four homes as the people who live there get ready to start a long, exciting journey. This lovely story of people who travel to China to be united with their daughters describes the adoption process step by step and the anxiety, suspense, and delight of becoming a family. Told with tenderness and humor, and enlivened by joyous illustrations, The White Swan Express will go straight to readers’ hearts. Afterword.

Buffalo Woman


Paul Goble - 1984
    His relatives send her away and she becomes a buffalo. Her husband follows and undergoes the Buffalo chief's tests to take on buffalo form thus strengthening the relationship between the people and the buffalo.