African American

A Chair for My Mother

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Copies: 6

Acclaimed author/illustrator Vera Williams tells of a young girl, who along with her waitress mother, saves coins in a big jar in hopes that they can someday buy a big, new, comfortable chair for their apartment, the kind of chair her mother deserves after being on her feet all day in the Blue Tile Diner. Into the jar also goes the money Grandma saves whenever she gets a bargain at the market.

Author:

Vera B. Williams

Lexile:

640L

Henry's Freedom Box

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Copies: 1

A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.

Author:

Ellen Levine

Lexile:

AD380L

Coming on Home Soon

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Copies: 1

Ada Ruth's mama must go away to Chicago to work, leaving Ada Ruth and Grandma behind. It's war time, and women are needed to fill the men's jobs. As winter sets in, Ada Ruth and her grandma keep up their daily routine, missing Mama all the time. They find strength in each other, and a stray kitten even arrives one day to keep them company, but nothing can fill the hole Mama left. Every day they wait, watching for the letter that says Mama will be coming on home soon. Set during World War II, Coming On Home Soon has a timeless quality that will appeal to all who wait and hope.

Author:

Jacqueline Woodson

Lexile:

550L

Harlem

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Copies: 1

Father and son celebrate a rich and vibrant neighborhood that has been a historic center of African-American culture in New York City. Walter Dean Myers gives poetry a jazz backbeat to tell Harlem's story. A poem celebrating the people, sights, and sounds of Harlem.

Author:

Walter Dean Myers

Working Cotton

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Copies: 1

This child’s view of the long day’s work in the cotton fields, simply expressed in a poet’s resonant language, is a fresh and stirring look at migrant family life. “With its restrained poetic text and impressionist paintings, this is a picture book for older readers, too.”--Booklist

Author:

Sherley Anne Williams

Lexile:

AD600L

Yo! Yes?

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Copies: 1

"An effective, unusual 34-word story of the beginnings of a friendship, accompanied by wild and wonderful illustrations. Against pastel backgrounds, in vibrant, colorful images, an African-American boy and a white boy meet on the street. [Their] one- and two-word exchanges on each spread lead to a tentative offer of friendship, sealed as both boys jump high in the air and yell "Yow!" With a beautifully balanced, economical style, the book illumines the peaks and pitfalls of getting acquainted, and puts in a good word for brotherhood as well." — School Library Journal, starred review

Author:

Chris Raschka

Lexile:

Tar Beach

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Copies: 1

Illus. in full color. "Ringgold recounts the dream adventure of eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies above her apartment-building rooftop, the 'tar beach' of the title, looking down on 1939 Harlem. Part autobiographical, part fictional, this allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture. The spectacular artwork resonates with color and texture. Children will delight in the universal dream of mastering one's world by flying over it. A practical and stunningly beautiful book."--(starred)Horn Book.

Author:

Faith Ringgold

Lexile:

AD790L

The Color Purple

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The unforgettable characters of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize novel populate this lyrical cinematic adaptation. At the center is Celie (movie-debuting Whoopi Goldberg), whose search for fulfillment in a world closed to her becomes a triumph of cruelty overcome by love, of pain eclipsed by joy. Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong and Akosua Busia also star in this enduring screen treasure. Rated PG-13. ***THIS PROGRAM CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR STUDENTS. TEACHER EVALUATION IS STRONGLY ADVISED PRIOR TO CLASSROOM USE.**

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Length:

02:34