Ackerman, Karen. BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT. (1994) The author narrates a story familiar to many families: Rachel and her younger brother, Josh, stay at home with their grandmother while their mother goes to work to a factory at night. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/ACK)

Altman, Linda Jacobs. THE LEGEND OF FREEDOM HILL. (2000) During the California Gold Rush Rosabel, an African-American, and Sophie, a Jew, team up and search for gold to buy Rosabel's mother her freedom from a slave catcher. Grades PreS-5. (jPICTURE/ALT)

Barber, Barbara E. ALLIE'S BASKETBALL DREAM. (1996) Having always liked basketball, determined in her effort to play basketball, Allie, a young African-American girl gives it one more shot with thesupport of a special friend. Grades PreS-5. (jPICTURE/BAR)

Barnwell, Ysaye M. NO MIRRORS IN MY NANA'S HOUSE. (1998) This is the story of a African-American girl growing up in her nana's house. Because there are no mirrors there, she discovers the beauty in her by looking into her Nana's eyes. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/BAR)

Barrett, Mary Brigid. SING TO THE STARS. (1994) When Ephram becomes friends with a blind man in his neighborhood who hasn't touched a piano for a long time, he resolves to get the man back on stage. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/BAR)

Battle-Lavert, Gwendolyn. THE MUSIC IN DERRICK'S HEART (2000) Uncle Booker T., who makes magic by playing his harmonica music from his heart, spends the summer teaching Derrick how to play. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/BAT)

Bradby, Marie. MOMMA, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? (2000) Momma describes the special people and surroundings of her childhood, in a place where the edge of town met the countryside, in a time when all the children at school were brown. Grades PreS-2. (jPICTURE/BRA)

Burleigh, Robert. LOOKIN' FOR BIRD IN THE BIG CITY. (2001) A fictionalized account of the time when, as a teen-age music student, trumpeter Miles Davis spent many hours trying to find Charlie Parker in New York City. Grades K-4. (jPICTURE/BUR)

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Caines, Jeannette Franklin. JUST US WOMEN. (1982) This is a cheerful illustration about a young black girl and her favorite aunt sharing the excitement of planning a very special car trip for just the two of them. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/CAI)

Carter, Dorothy. WILHE'MINA MILES AFTER THE STORK NIGHT. (1999) Since her father is out of town working, eight-year-old Wilhe'mina must go for help when the stork visits her mother to bring her a new baby brother. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/CAR)

Chocolate, Deborah M. Newton. THE PIANO MAN. (1998) This is a heartening slice of African-American family history in which a young girl recalls the life story of her grandfather who performed in vaudeville and played piano for the silent movies. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/CHO)

Collier, Bryan. UPTOWN. (2000) A tour of the sights of Harlem, including the Metro-North Train, brownstones, shopping on 125th Street, a barber shop, summer basketball, the Boy's Choir, and sunset over the Harlem River. Grades K-4. (jPICTURE/COL)

Cosby, Bill. THE DAY I SAW MY FATHER CRY. (2000) Although Little Bill is sad when a friend of the family dies, he remembers the friend's lesson of saying "Merry Christmas" to get people to stop fighting. Grades K-3. (jEASY FICTION/COS)

Cosby, Bill. MONEY TROUBLES. (1998) While trying to raise enough money for a telescope, Little Bill makes a discovery about generosity and the needs of others. Delight yourselves with Little Bill's moneymaking escapades. Grades 2-3. (jEASY FICTION/COS)

Cosby, Bill. MY BIG LIE. (1999)
In continuing with his Little Bill series, in this story within a story, the author retells 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' when Little Bill gets in big trouble for telling a fib to explain why he has come home late for dinner. Grades 2-3. (jEASY FICTION/COS)

Cosby, Bill. SHIPWRECK SATURDAY. (1998) Little Bill is very proud of the toy boat he built but suffers a big disappointment when it is wrecked the first time he puts it in the water. Grades PreS-2. (jEASY FICTION/COS)

Curtis, Gavin. THE BAT BOY & HIS VIOLIN. (1998, 2001) Reginald is not in his father's job with the Negro Leagues. When Papa makes him the bat boy and his violin music leads the team to victory, Papa realizes the value of his son's passion. Grades 1-4. (jPICTURE/CUR)

Duncan, Alice Faye. MISS VIOLA AND UNCLE ED LEE. (1999) A young boy helps his two neighbors, one as neat as a pin and the other as junky as a pack rat, become friends. This story proves the opposites do attract. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/DUN)

Flournoy, Valerie. THE PATCHWORK QUILT. (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. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/FLO)

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Greenfield, Eloise. NATHANIEL TALKING. (1988) Nathaniel, is a spunky, spirited nine-year-old poet who raps and rhymes about his world, about what it's like to be nine, his education, and his family life. Grades K-5. (jPICTURE/GRE)

Grifalconi, Ann. TINY'S HAT. (1999)n a story about love and loneliness, this is a story of a young girl who misses her father, a traveling blues musician, but lifts her spirits by wearing his hat and singing his songs. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/GRI)

Hood, Susan. LOOK! I CAN READ! (2000) A young girl demonstrates to her mother and father how well she has learned to read. This rhyming easy-to-read story will delight children. Grades PreS-3. (jEASY FICTION/HOO)

Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald. LULU'S BIRTHDAY. (2001) An intergenerational story about an extended family and an unforgettable birthday surprise for Lulu; a party surrounded by friends and family. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/HOW)

Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald. THE TRAIN TO LULU'S. (1988) A nostalgic look at the experiences of two young sisters traveling alone on the train to their grandmothers house. Grades K-2. (jPICTURE/HOW)

Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald. VIRGIE GOES TO SCHOOL WITH US BOYS. (1999) In the post-Civil War South, a young African-American girl is determined to prove that she can go to school just like her older brothers. Grades 1-4. (jPICTURE/HOW)

Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald. WHEN WILL SARAH COME? (1999) A little boy waits and listens all day for his older sister to come home from school. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/HOW)

Johnson. Angela. DOWN THE WINDING ROAD. (2000)
The annual summer visit to the country home of the Old Ones, the uncles and aunts who raised Daddy, brings joy and good times. A tribute to family, history, and to the continuity of life. Grades PreS-1. (jPICTURE/JOH)

Johnson, Angela. TELL ME A STORY, MAMA. (1988) A young girl and her mother remember together all the girl's favorite stories about her mother's childhood. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/JOH)

Johnson, Angela. THE WEDDING. (1999) In this story, Daisy describes the preparations leading up to her older sister's wedding and the joyous and bittersweet feelings surrounding the event itself. Grades PreS-2. (jPICTURE/JOH)

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Johnson, Dinah. QUINNIE BLUE. (2000) Hattie wonders about the activities of her grandmother Quinnie Blue when she was little. This is a lyrical portrayal of a special relationship between a young girl and her grandmother. Grades PreS-2. (jPICTURE/JOH)

Johnson, Dinah. SUNDAY WEEK. (1999) Describes the day-by-day activities that a community of people engages in all week long as they wait for Sunday, the best day of all. Grades PreS-2. (jPICTURE/JOH)

Johnson, Dolores. GRANDMA'S HANDS. (1998) While staying on his grandmother's farm, an African-American boy learns that every child needs a home where there's love, even though that love may be rough and scratchy. Grades 1-4. (jPICTURE/JOH)

Keats, Ezra Jack. HI, CAT. (1970) Archie's day would have been great if he hadn't started it by greeting the new cat on the block. This story expresses the energy and rough edges of the inner city streetscape. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/KEA)

Keats, Ezra Jack. THE SNOWY DAY. (1962) Narrates the wonder and pure pleasure a child experiences when the world is blanketed in snow. Grades PreS-3. (jCALDECOT/KEA)

King, Martin Luther, Jr. I HAVE A DREAM. (1997) Dr. King's moving speech is rendered here by a special group of artists. Each artist whose work appears in this book has received the Coretta Scott King Award. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/KIN)

Kurtz, Jane. FARAWAY HOME. (2000) Desta's father, who needs to return briefly to his Ethiopian homeland, describes what it was like for him to grow up there. Grades 1-5. (jPICTURE/KUR)

Leonard, Marcia. MY CAMP-OUT. (1999) A young girl camps out in her bedroom and is joined by her mother. Grades PreS-1. (jEASY FICTION/LEO)

Lester, Julius. BLACK COWBOY, WILD HORSES: A TRUE STORY. (1998) A black cowboy is so in tune with wild mustangs that they accept him into the herd, thus enabling him single-handedly to take them to the corral. Grades 2-4. (jPICTURE/LES)

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Lieurance, Suzanne. SHOELACES. (2000) An African-American girl describes the joys of different kinds of shoelaces. Grades 1-2. (jEASY FICTION/LIE)

Littlesugar, Amy. FREEDOM SCHOOL, YES! (2001) When their house is attacked because the white woman who has come to teach black children is staying there, Jolie is afraid, but she overcomes her fear after learning the value of education. Grades 1-4. (jPICTURE/LIT)

Littlesugar, Amy. TREE OF HOPE. (1999) Florrie's daddy was actor before the Depression forced the Lafayette Theater to close, but he gets a chance to act again when Orson Welles reopens the theater to stage an all-black version of MacBeth. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/LIT)

McKissack, Pat. GOIN' SOMEPLACE SPECIAL. (2001) In segregated 1950s Nashville, a young African-American girl braves a series of indignities and obstacles to get to one of the few integrated places in town: the public library. Grades 3-5. (jPICTURE/MCK)

McKissck, Pat. THE HONEST-TO-GOODNESS TRUTH. (2000) After promising never to lie, Libby learns that it's not always necessary to blurt out the whole truth either. It's a story about honesty and consideration. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/MCK)

McKissack, Pat. MIAMI GETS IT STRAIGHT. (2000) With only five more days of school remaining before summer vacation, nine-year-old Miami still faces several hurdles, such as how to get along with Destinee Tate, his nemesis. Grades 4-7. (jEASY FICTION/MCK)

McKissack, Pat. MIRANDY AND BROTHER WIND. (1988) To win first prize in the junior Cakewalk, Mirandy tries to capture the wind for her partner. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/MCK)

Medearis, Michael L. DAISY AND THE DOLL. (2000) Daisy is given a black doll by her teacher and becomes uncomfortable that her skin is a different color from that of her classmates, until she finds the courage to speak from her heart. Grades 1-5. (jPICTURE/MED)

Miller, William. NIGHT GOLF. (1999) Despite being banned from his town's only golf course, James becomes a caddy and is befriended by an older man who teaches him to play on the course at night. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/MIL)

Miller, William. THE PIANO. (2000) A young black girl's love of music leads her to a job in the home of an older white woman who not only teaches her to play the piano but also about caring for others. Grades 2-5. (jPICTURE/MIL)

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Pinkney, Brian. THE ADVENTURES OF SPARROWBOY. 1997 After an encounter with a sparrow, Henry finds he is able to fly just like his favorite comic book hero HawkMan. Grades PreS-4. (jPICTURE/PIN)

Price, Hope Lynne. THESE HANDS. (1999) Illustrations and simple text describe some of the many things the hands of a young African-American girl and her family can do. Grades PreS-2. (jPICTURE/PRI)

Sayre, April Pulley. IT'S MY CITY! : A SINGING MAP. (2001) As a brother and sister head for the market for birthday party supplies, they sing a song describing the city sights, sounds, and smells they pass along the way. PreS-1. (jPICTURE/SAY)

Schroeder, Alan. RAGTIME TURNPIE. (1989) Tumpie, a young black girl who will later become famous as the dancer Josephine Baker, longs to find the opportunity to dance amid the poverty and vivacious street life of St. Louis in the early 1900s. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/SCH)

Scruggs, Afi. JUMP ROPE MAGIC. (1999) Shameka and her jump rope rhymes bring joy to everyone, even Miss Minnie, the meanest person in the neighborhood. Grades PreS-4. (jPICTURE/SCRU)

Simon, Charnan. I LIKE TO WIN! (1999) Trouble arises between a brother and sister because she always wins the games they play, but then she discovers that she does not have to brag or win all the time. Grades PreS-3. (jEASY FICTION/SIM)

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Smalls-Hector, Irene. A STRAWBEATER'S THANKSGIVING. (1998) Determined to be the strawbeater during the corn shucking party, Jess, a small young slave boy, wrestles a bigger, stronger boy for the honor. Grades 2-5. (jPICTURE/SMA)

Smith, Charles R. BROWN SUGAR BABIES. (2000) Illustrations and rhyming text describe babies in terms of different sweet and tasty brown treats. PreS-1. (jPICTURE/SMI)

Smith, Charles R. LOKI & ALEX: THE ADVENTURES OF A DOG AND HIS BEST FRIEND. (2001) Photographs and text from the points of view of both a young African-American boy and his dog tell the story of their trip to the park. (jPICTURE/SMI)

Tarpley, Natasha. I LOVE MY HAIR! (1998) A young African-American girl describes the different, wonderful ways she can wear her hair. Grades PreS-1. (jPICTURE/TAR)

Turner, Ann Warren. NETTIE'S TRIP SOUTH. (1987) A ten-year-old northern girl encounters the ugly realities of slavery when she visits Richmond, Virginia, and sees a slave auction. Grades K-4. (jPICTURE/TUR)

Wiles, Debbie. FREEDOM SUMMER. (2001) In 1964, Joe is pleased that a new law will allow his best friend John Henry, who is colored, to share the town pool and other public places with him, but he is dismayed to find that prejudice still exists. Grades K-3. (jPICTURE/WIL)

Woodson, Jacqueline. SWEET, SWEET MEMORY. (2000) A child and her grandmother feel sad when Grandpa dies, but as time passes, funny memories of him make them laugh and feel better. Grades 1-4. (jPICTURE/WOO)

Wyeth, Sharon Dennis. SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL. (1998) When she goes looking for "something beautiful" in her city neighborhood, a young girl finds beauty in many different forms. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/WYE)

Zemach, Margot. JAKE AND THE HONEYBUNCH GO TO HEAVEN. (1982) The exuberance of a man and his mule newly arrived in heaven causes so much furor that God gives them one last chance before He throws them out. Grades PreS-3. (jPICTURE/ZEM)

Zolotow, Charlotte. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'LL DO? (2000) A little girl delights her brother with a series of promises about all the wonderful things that she'll do to make him happy as they both grow up. Grades PreS-1. (jPICTURE/ZOL)

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