Children's Literature
that Reflects
African American Culture
 
This website is maintained by
Pam Petty
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These books are alphabetized by author's last name.  Each book is linked to Amazon.com where you may read reviews or order the books. The books contained in this list represent children's literature currently available and are not necessarily recommended by the author of this site for multicultural studies.  If you find books on this page that you feel do not accurately represent African Americans, please email me and let me know your objections.  Thank you.
 

A
The Fortune-Tellers
                     by Lloyd Alexander, Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback - 32 pages Reprint edition (October 1997)
                     Puffin; ISBN: 0140562338

Kofi and His Magic
                     by Maya Angelou, Margaret Courtney-Clarke (Photographer), marga Courtney-Clarke, Margaret
                     Courtney-Clark (Photographer)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 44 pages (November 1996)
                     Clarkson Potter; ISBN: 0517704536

Life Doesn't Frighten Me
                     by Maya Angelou, Jean Michel Basquiat (Illustrator), Sara Jane Boyers (Editor), Jean Michael
                     Basquiat (Photographer)
                     Reading level: All Ages
                     Hardcover (September 1998)
                     Stewart Tabori & Chang; ISBN: 1556702884

My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me
                     by Maya Angelou, Margaret Courtney-Clarke (Photographer), marga Courtney-Clarke
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 1 pages 1 Ed edition (November 1994)
                     Crown Pub; ISBN: 0517596679

B
Samuel's Choice
                     by Richard J. Berleth, James Watling (Illustrator), Judith Mathews (Editor)
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     School & Library Binding - 40 pages (June 1990)
                     Albert Whitman & Co; ISBN: 0807572187

More Than Anything Else
                     by Marie Bradby, Chris K. Soentpiet (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Library Binding (September 1995)
                     Orchard Books; ISBN: 0531087646

Smoky Night
                     by Eve Bunting, David Diaz (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback - 36 pages Reprint edition (April 1999)
                     Harcourt Brace; ISBN: 0152018840

Black Stars in Orbit : Nasa's African American Astronauts
                     by Khephra Burns, William Miles
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     Paperback - 72 pages 1 Ed edition (January 1995)
                     Gulliver Books; ISBN: 0152002766

C
Masai and I
                     by Nancy Carpenter (Illustrator), Virginia L. Kroll
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding - 32 pages (September 1992)
                     Simon & Schuster (Juv); ISBN: 0027511650

Mandela : From the Life of the South African Statesman
                     by Floyd Cooper
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     School & Library Binding - 34 pages (September 1996)
                     Philomel Books; ISBN: 0399229426

F
The Patchwork Quilt
                     by Valerie Flournoy, Jerry Pinkey (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding - 32 pages (April 1985)
                     E P Dutton; ISBN: 0803700970
 
G
Teammates
                     by Peter Golenbock, Paul Bacon (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 32 pages (March 1990)
                     Harcourt Brace; ISBN: 0152006036

Amazing Grace : The Story of the Hymn
                     by Linda Granfield, Janet Wilson (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 32 pages (March 1997)
                     Tundra Books; ISBN: 0887763898

For the Love of the Game : Michael Jordan and Me
                     by Eloise Greenfield, Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Library Binding - 32 pages (January 1997)
                     HarperCollins Children's Books; ISBN: 0060272996

Grandpa's Face
                     by Eloise Greenfield, Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding - 30 pages (November 1988)
                     Philomel Books; ISBN: 0399215255

Honey, I Love (Let's Read Aloud)
                     by Eloise Greenfield, Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Baby-Preschool
                     Hardcover (January 1995)
                     Harperfestival; ISBN: 0694005797

Meet Danitra Brown
                     by Nikki Grimes, Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 1 pages (April 1994)
                     Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books; ISBN: 0688120733

H
Her Stories : African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales
                     by Virginia Hamilton, Leo Dillon (Illustrator), Diane Dillon (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     School & Library Binding - 112 pages (October 1995)
                     Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0590473700

Many Thousand Gone : African Americans from Slavery to Freedom
                     by Virginia Hamilton, Leo Dillon (Illustrator), Diane Dillon (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     Paperback (December 1995)
                     Knopf; ISBN: 0679879366

The People Could Fly : American Black Folktales
                     by Virginia Hamilton, Leo Dillon (Illustrator), Diane Dillon (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     Paperback Reprint edition (January 1993)
                     Knopf; ISBN: 0679843361

Amazing Grace
                     by Mary Hoffman, Caroline Binch (Illustrator)
                    Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 1 pages (September 1991)
                     Dial Books for Young Readers; ISBN: 0803710402

Boundless Grace : Sequel to Amazing Grace
                     by Mary Hoffman, Caroline Binch (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 1 pages (May 1995)
                     Dial Books for Young Readers; ISBN: 0803717156

Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad?
                     by Sandy Lynne Holman, Lela Kometiani (Illustrator), Sandy Holman Lynne
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Library Binding (June 1998)
                     Culture Co Op; ISBN: 0964465507

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
                     by Deborah Hopkinson, James Ransome (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback 1 edition (August 1995)
                     Random House (Merchandising); ISBN: 0679874720
J

The Leaving Morning (Orchard Paperbacks)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback 1 edition (March 1996)
                     Orchard Books; ISBN: 0531070727

When I Am Old With You
                     by Angela Johnson, David Soman (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback - 32 pages Reprint edition (March 1993)
                     Orchard Books; ISBN: 0531070352

Lift Ev'Ry Voice and Sing
                     by James Weldon Johnson, Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: All Ages
                     School & Library Binding (January 1995)
                     Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0590469827

K
Goggles
                     by Ezra Jack Keats
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding - 40 pages Reprint edition
                     (November 1998)
                     Viking Childrens Books; ISBN: 0670880620

Peter's Chair
                     by Ezra Jack Keats
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding - 40 pages Reprint edition
                     (August 1998)
                     Viking Childrens Books; ISBN: 0670880647

Wilma Unlimited : How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman
                     by Kathleen Krull, David Diaz (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     Hardcover - 40 pages (May 1996)
                     Harcourt Brace; ISBN: 0152012672

L
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses : A True Story
                     by Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 40 pages 1 Ed edition (May 1998)
                     Dial Books for Young Readers; ISBN: 0803717873

John Henry (Caldecott Honor Book)
                     by Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 1 pages Caldec hon edition (October 1994)
                     Dial Books for Young Readers; ISBN: 0803716060

Sam and the Tigers : A New Telling of Little Black Sambo
                     by Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator), Helen Story of littl Bannerman
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 1 pages (September 1996)
                     Dial Books for Young Readers; ISBN: 0803720289

M
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King
                     by Jean Marzollo, J. Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding - 1 pages (January 1993)
                     Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0590440659

Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters
                     by Pat McKissack, John Thompson, Patricia McKissack, Fredrick L. McKissack (Contributor),
                     Frederick L. McKissack
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     School & Library Binding - 68 pages (October 1994)
                     Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0590430270

Ma Dear's Aprons
                     by Pat McKissack, Floyd Cooper (Illustrator), Patricia McKissack
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding (April 1997)
                     Atheneum; ISBN: 0689810512

A House by the River
                     by William Miller, Cornelius Van Wright (Illustrator), Ying-Hwa Hu (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 32 pages (April 1997)
                     Lee & Low Books; ISBN: 1880000482

Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree (Reading Rainbow Book)
                     by William Miller, Cornelius Van Wright (Illustrator), Ying-Hwa Hu (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback 1 edition (April 1996)
                     Lee & Low Books; ISBN: 1880000334

The Black Snowman
                     by Phil Mendez, Carole Byard (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback Reprint edition (October 1991)
                     Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0590448730

I Want to Be (Picture Puffins)
                     by Thylias Moss, Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback - 32 pages Reprint edition (February 1998)
                     Puffin; ISBN: 0140562869

Harlem : A Poem (Caldecott Honor Book)
                     by Walter Dean Myers, Christopher Myers (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding - 32 pages (March 1997)
                     Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0590543407

P
Chicken Sunday
                     by Patricia Polacco, Edward Miller (Illustrator), Stuart J. Murphy
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback - 32 pages Reprint edition (January 1998)
                     Paper Star; ISBN: 0698116151
R
Secret Signs : Along the Underground Railroad
                     by Anita Riggio (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding - 32 pages (January 1997)
                     Boyds Mills Pr; ISBN: 1563975556

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
                     by Faith Ringgold, J. Davis (Editor)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback 1 edition (December 1995)
                     Crown Pub; ISBN: 0517885433

Dinner at Aunt Connie's House
                     by Faith Ringgold (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback 1 edition (September 1996)
                     Hyperion Press; ISBN: 0786811501

Tar Beach
                     by Faith Ringgold
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 32 pages (January 1991)
                     Crown Pub; ISBN: 0517580306
S
The Faithful Friend (Caldecott Honor Book, Y1996, No 3)
                     by Robert D. San Souci, Brian Pinkney (Illustrator), J. Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding (March 1995)
                     Simon & Schuster (Juv); ISBN: 0027861317

A Place Called Freedom
                     by Scott Russell Sanders, Thomas B. Allen (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding (June 1997)
                     Atheneum; ISBN: 0689804709

Sam (Paperstar)
                     by Ann Herbert Scott, Symeon Shimin (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback Reprint edition (June 1996)
                     Paper Star; ISBN: 069811387X

The Day Gogo Went to Vote : South Africa, 1994
                     by Elinor Batezat Sisulu, Sharon R. Wilson (Illustrator),
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 32 pages (April 1996)
                     Little Brown & Co (Juv Trd); ISBN: 0316702676
 

In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall : African Americans Celebrating Fathers
                     by Javaka Steptoe (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     Hardcover - 32 pages 1 Ed edition (November 1997)
                     Lee & Low Books; ISBN: 1880000318

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters : An African Tale
                     by John Steptoe, Clarita Kohen (Translator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Hardcover - 32 pages (May 1987)
                     Lothrop Lee & Shepard; ISBN: 0688040454
 

Y
Cornrows
                     by Camille Yarbrough, Carole Byard (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     Paperback - 48 pages (February 1997)
                     Paper Star; ISBN: 0698114361

Little Tree Growin' in the Shade
                     by Camille Yarbrough, Camille Yarbough, Tyrone Geter (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 9-12
                     Hardcover (January 1996)
                     Putnam Publishing Group; ISBN: 0399212043

Miz Berlin Walks
                     by Jane Yolen, Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)
                     Reading level: Ages 4-8
                     School & Library Binding - 32 pages (September 1997)
                     Philomel Books; ISBN: 0399229388
 

Related Readings:

Rosa Lee : A Mother and Her Family in Urban America
                     by Leon Dash
                     Paperback - 288 pages (September 1997)
                     Plume; ISBN: 0452278961

There Are No Children Here : The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America
                     by Alex Kotlowitz
                     Paperback - 323 pages Reissue edition (February 1992)
                     Anchor; ISBN: 0385265565

The Ditchdigger's Daughters : A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story
                     by Yvonne S. Thornton, Jo Coudert
                     Paperback (May 1996)
                     Plume; ISBN: 0452276195

When We Were Colored
                     by Clifton L. Taulbert
                     Paperback - 153 pages Reprint edition (May 1995)
                     Penguin USA (Paper); ISBN: 0140244778

Internet Sites relating to African American cultures:

A LINK TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE (7-12)
The Afro-American Almanac: "The Afro-American Almanac is an on-line presentation of the African in America. A historical perspective of a nation, its people, and its cultural evolution." You'll find games, folktales, trivia, biographies, books, links and more.
http://www.toptags.com/aama/

   

No attempt has been made to evaluate the literary quality of each work nor its appropriateness in terms of cultural content. It is left to teachers to determine each book's appropriateness/relevance to his/her children and curriculum.

 

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