H is for Harlem

Illustrated by April Harrison Written by Dinah Johnson  This richly informative and gorgeously illustrated book celebrates Harlem’s vibrant traditions, past and present. A is for Apollo Theatre L is for Liberation Bookstore U is for Uptown  Discover the Harlem icons that have defined generations of American culture. Harlem is full of remarkable treasures, including museums,…

The Queen of Kindergarten

Written by Derrick Barnes Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton A confident little Black girl has a fantastic first day of school in this companion to the New York Times bestseller The King of Kindergarten.MJ is more than ready for her first day of kindergarten! With her hair freshly braided and her mom’s special tiara on her head, she knows she’s…

The Mystical Backpacker

By Hannah Papp Part memoir, part guidebook, The Mystical Backpacker invites you to explore your inner terrain and learn how to create your own unique version of a modern day vision quest or walk-about. Tired of living a life based on other’s expectations, Hannah Papp quit her job, bought a EuroRail ticket and a map, notified her…

Love Double Dutch!

By Doreen Spicer-Dannelly From the creator of the popular Disney Channel original movie, “Jump In!” comes a double Dutch novel perfect for fans of stories about sports, summer, and friendship. Brooklyn middle-schooler MaKayla can only think about one thing–taking her double Dutch team all the way to the National Jump-off at Madison Square Garden. That…

I Can Write the World

Illustrated by Charly Palmer Written by Joshunda Sanders Eight-year-old Ava Murray wants to know why there’s a difference between the warm, friendly Bronx neighborhood filled with music and art in which she lives and the Bronx she sees in news stories on TV and on the Internet. When her mother explains that the power of…

Red Thread Sisters

By Carol Antoinette Peacock When a girl is adopted from a Chinese orphanage, everything she knew about family, best friends, and sisterhood must change. Wen has spent the first eleven years of her life at an orphanage in rural China, and the only person she would call family is her best friend, Shu Ling. When…

Between Us Baxters

By Bethany Hegedus It’s hard to be a “Black Sheep Baxter,” at least for 12-year-old Polly. From a poor white family, Polly’s best friend, Timbre Ann Biggs, is black, making them the only “salt-and-pepper” friends in town. But in that fall of 1959, life in quiet Holcolm County starts to heat up as one by…

Truth with a Capital T

By Bethany Hegedus Lots of families have secrets. Little-Known Fact: My family has an antebellum house with a locked wing—and I’ve got a secret of my own.I thought getting kicked out of the Gifted & Talented program—or not being “pegged,” as Mama said—­was the worst thing that could happen to me. W-r-o-n-g, wrong.I arrived in Tweedle, Georgia,…

Grandfather Gandhi

Written by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus Illustrated by Evan Turk Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson tells the story of how his grandfather taught him to turn darkness into light in this uniquely personal and vibrantly illustrated tale that carries a message of peace. How could he–a Gandhi–be so easy to anger? One thick, hot day, Arun…

Get Your Crochet On!

By Afya Ibomu Celebrities such as Erykah Badu, Dennis Rodman, Common, and Lauryn Hill are huge fans of Afya Ibomu’s colorful hats and caps. In Get Your Crochet On!: Hip Hats and Cool Caps, Afya presents 20 step-by-step patterns of her most popular designs for women, men, and children. Chock-full of designs that are simple…