On hot summer nights in New Orleans, a boy named Louis Armstrong would peek under the big swinging doors of Economy Hall and listen to the jazz band. The best night was Friday, when Bunk Johnson would blow his cornet till the roof trembled. At moments like those, Louis could feel his toes tingle. He wanted to be like Bunk Johnson; aim his horn straight up at the night sky and set the stars spinning.
One day Louis saw a horn in a pawnshop window — a real brass cornet. The cardboard sign said $5.00. How could he ever come up with that much money? Every day Louis did what he could to earn that five dollars, and every day he practiced blowing his imaginary horn. It was a dream he would never give up. Louis Armstrong’s dynamic personality and amazing trumpet playing would cast a spell on millions of people around the world, to whom he will always be the one and only Satchmo, the Ambassador of Jazz. 3-7 years
Just a Lucky So and So
By Lesa Cline-Ransome, Illustrated by James E. Ransome
Louis Armstrong has been called the most important improviser in the history of jazz. Although his New Orleans neighborhood was poor in nearly everything, it was rich in superb music. Young Louis took it all in, especially the cornet blowing of Joe “King” Oliver. But after a run-in with the police, eleven-year-old Louis was sent away to the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys where he became a disciplined musician in the school’s revered marching band. Ultimately, he was to travel the world and transform jazz through his improvised singing (scatting) and masterful trumpet playing. 6-9 years
Who Was Louis Armstrong?
By Yona Zeldis McDonough, Illustrated by John O’Brien
If not for a stint in reform school, young Louis Armstrong might never have become a musician. It was a teacher at the Colored Waifs Home for Boys who gave him a cornet and saw talent in the kid from the tough New Orleans neighborhood called Storyville. But it was Louis’s own passion and genius that pushed jazz into a new and exciting direction with his amazing, improvisational trumpet playing. 8-12 years
A Horn for Louis: Louis Armstrong as a Kid
By Eric A. Kimmel, Illustrated by James Bernardin
How did famous New Orleans jazz trumpet player Louis Armstrong get his first horn? Seven-year-old Louis was too poor to buy a real instrument. He didn’t even go to school. To help his mother pay the rent, every day he rode a junk wagon through the streets of New Orleans, playing a tin horn and collecting stuff people didn’t want. One day, he passed a pawn shop with a gleaming brass trumpet in the window… 7-10 years
Play, Louis, Play! The Story of a Boy and His Horn
By Muriel Harris Weinstein, Illustrated by Frank Morrision
The childhood of Louis Armstrong was as fascinating as the great musician himself. This chapter book biography is written from the point of view of Louis’s closest companion throughout his youth: his horn! In an exuberant voice, this unusual narrator tells Louis’s story beginning with the small New Orleans hock shop where he bought his first trumpet for five hard-earned dollars. He goes from a street quartet to the marching band of the Colored Waif’s Home to the big sounds of New Orleans. 7-10 years
Louis Armstrong Jazz Legend
By Terry Collins, Illustrated by Richie Pope
Louis Armstrong, also known as Satchmo and Pops, became an American jazz legend in the 1920s. His voice and skill with instruments helped him become a popular musician in the racially divided country. Watch as this skilled musician learns to play, buys his first instrument, and becomes one of the best music makers ever. 8-14 years
If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong
By Roxanne Orgill, Illustrated by Leonard Jenkins
This book tells the story of Louis Armstrong who grew up to be a giant of jazz. As a poor boy in New Orleans, where music was everywhere, he longed to play a horn. 9-12 years
Louis Armstrong: King of Jazz
By Patricia and Frederick McKissack
“Music has been in my blood from the day I was born,” Louis Armstrong said. He rose from a troubled childhood and a life of poverty to set the music world on fire. Armstrong’s lively trumpet playing, trademark “scat” singing, and natural talent for showmanship dazzled audiences for more than fifty years. 6-9 years
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
The Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration is presented by the American Library Association to African American author/illustrators and illustrators for their outstanding contribution to children’s literature. These are the winners from 2012 to 2022.
2022
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
By Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa’s Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community.
News of what happened was largely suppressed, and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years. This picture book sensitively introduces young readers to this tragedy and concludes with a call for a better future.
2021
R E S P E C T: Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul
By Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
Aretha Franklin was born to sing. The daughter of a pastor and a gospel singer, her musical talent was clear from her earliest days in her father’s Detroit church where her soaring voice spanned more than three octaves.
Her string of hit songs earned her the title “the Queen of Soul,” multiple Grammy Awards, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But Aretha didn’t just raise her voice in song, she also spoke out against injustice and fought for civil rights.
This authoritative, rhythmic picture book biography will captivate young readers with Aretha’s inspiring story.
2020
Originally performed for ESPN’s The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world’s greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.
2019
The Stuff of Stars
Illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Written by Marion Dane Bauer
Before the universe was formed, before time and space existed, there was…nothing. But then…BANG! Stars caught fire and burned so long that they exploded, flinging stardust everywhere. And the ash of those stars turned into planets. Into our Earth. And into us. In a poetic text, Marion Dane Bauer takes readers from the trillionth of a second when our universe was born to the singularities that became each one of us. Vivid illustrations by Ekua Holmes capture the void before the Big Bang and the ensuing life that burst across galaxies. A seamless blend of science and art, this picture book reveals the composition of our world and beyond — and how we are all the stuff of stars.
2018
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets
Illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Written by Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley
and Marjory Wentworth
Out of gratitude for the poet’s art form, Newbery Award-winning author and poet Kwame Alexander, along with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, present original poems that pay homage to twenty famed poets who have made the author’s hearts sing and their minds wonder. Stunning mixed media images by Ekua Holmes, winner of a Caledecott Honor and a John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award, complete the celebration and invite the reader to listen, wonder, and perhaps even pick up a pen.
2017
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Written and Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe
Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. Now, award-winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe’s vivid text and bold artwork echoing Basquiat’s own introduce young readers to the powerful message that art doesn’t always have to be neat or clean — and definitely not inside the lines — to be beautiful.
2016
Trombone Shorty
Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Written by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and Bill Taylor
Hailing from the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today this Grammy-nominated artist headlines the legendary New Orleans Jazz Fest.
Along with esteemed illustrator, Bryan Collier, Andrews has created a lively picture book autobiography about how he followed his dream of becoming a musician, despite the odds, until he reached international stardom.
2015
Firebird
Illustrated by Christopher Myers
Written by Misty Copeland
In her debut picture book, Misty Copeland tells the story of a young girl — every girl — whose confidence is fragile and who is questioning her own ability to reach the heights that Misty has reached. Misty encourages this young girl’s faith in herself and shows her exactly how, through hard work and dedication, she too can become a Firebird. Lyrical and affecting text paired with bold, striking illustrations that are some of Caldecott Honoree Christopher Myer’s best work, makes Firebird perfect for aspiring ballerinas everywhere.
2014
Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me
Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Written by Daniel Beaty
Every morning, I play a game with my father.
He goes knock knock on my door
and I pretend to be asleep
till he gets right next to the bed.
And my papa, he tells me, “I love you.”
But what happens when, one day, that “knock knock” doesn’t come? This powerful and inspiring book shows the love that an absent parent can leave behind, and the strength that children find in themselves as they grow up and follow their dreams.
2013
I, Too, Am American
Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Written by Langston Hughes
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Langston Hughes was a courageous voice of his time, and his authentic call for equality still rings true today. Beautiful paintings from illustrator, Bryan Collier, accompany and reinvent the celebrated lines of the poem “I, Too,” creating a breathtaking reminder to all Americans that we are united despite our differences.
2012
Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom
Written and Illustrated by Shane E. Evans
A family silently crawls along the ground. They run barefoot through unlit woods, sleep beneath bushes, take shelter in a kind stranger’s home. Where are they heading? They are heading for freedom by way of the Underground Railroad.
The book descriptions are from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and/or leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
By Walter Dean Myers, Illustrated by Christopher Myers
There’s a crazy syncopation/and it’s tearing through the nation/and it’s bringing sweet elation/to every single tune. It’s Jazz. From bebop to New Orleans, from ragtime to boogie, and every style in between, this collection of Walter Dean Myers’s energetic and engaging poems takes readers on a musical journey from jazz’s beginnings to the present day.
A Child’s Introduction to Jazz:
The Musicians, Culture, and Roots of the World’s Coolest Music
By Jabari Asim, Illustrated by Jerrard K. Polk
Welcome to jazz! Feel the music and rhythms of all the different styles of jazz, from swing and Dixieland to the blues and bebop, with this interactive introduction to the world’s coolest music.
Author Jabari Asim will take you on the journey through the history of jazz as you discover the most important musicians and singers while hearing some really cool sounds. You’ll learn all about the roots of jazz in Africa and New Orleans and how the music traveled to different parts of the United States and around the world. Along the way you’ll meet legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong, who shaped a new form of jazz called improvisation; pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington, who helped create the big band sound of the swing era; and the singer Billie Holiday, whose songs such as “God Bless the Child,” “Don’t Explain,” and “Lady Sings the Blues” have become jazz standards. 8-12 years
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald
by Roxane Orgill, Illustrated by Sean Qualls
When Ella Fitzgerald danced the Lindy Hop on the streets of 1930s Yonkers, people passing by said goodbye to their loose change. For a girl who was orphaned and hungry, with raggedy clothes and often no place to spend the night, small change was not enough. One amateur night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, Ella made a discovery: the dancing beat in her feet could travel up and out of her mouth in powerful song — and the feeling of being listened to was like a salve to her heart.
Birth of Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound
By Kathleen Cornell Berman, Illustrated Keith Henry Brown
As a young musician, Miles Davis heard music everywhere. This biography explores the childhood and early career of a jazz legend as he finds his voice and shapes a new musical sound. Follow his progression from East St. Louis to rural Arkansas, from Julliard and NYC jazz clubs to the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival. Rhythmic free verse imbues his story with musicality and gets readers in the groove. Music teachers and jazz fans will appreciate the beats and details throughout, and Miles’ drive to constantly listen, learn, and create will inspire kids to develop their own voice.
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
By Katheryn Russell-Brown, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
Melba Doretta Liston loved the sounds of music from as far back as she could remember. As a child she daydreamed about beats and lyrics, and hummed along with the music from her family’s Majestic radio. At the age of seven, Melba fell in love with a big, shiny trombone, and soon taught herself to play the instrument. By the time she was a teenager, Melba’s extraordinary gift for music led her to the world of jazz. She joined a band led by trumpet player, Gerald Wilson, toured the country, and became famous.
Trombone Shorty
By Troy Andrews, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Hailing from the Treme neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was tall. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today he headlines the legendary New Orleans Jazz Fest.
Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane
By Carol Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Sean Qualls
Young John Coltrane was all ears. And there was a lot to hear growing up in the South in the 1930s. There were preachers praying, music on the radio, and the bustling sounds of the household. These vivid noises shaped John’s own sound as amusician. This picture book is a rich hymn to the childhood of jazz legend John Coltrane.
Who Was Louis Armstrong?
By Yona Zeldis McDonough, Illustrated by John O’Brien
If not for a stint in reform school, young Louis Armstrong might never have become a musician. A teacher at Colored Waifs Home gave him a cornet, promoted him to band leader, and recognized talent in this tough kid from the even tougher New Orleans neighborhood of Storyville. It was Louis’s own passion and genius that pushed jazz into new and exciting realms.
This Jazz Man
By Karen Ehrhardt, Illustrated by R.G. Roth
SNAP! BOMP! BEEDLE-DI-BOP! In this toe-tapping jazz tribute, the traditional “This Old Man” gets a swinging makeover, and some of the era’s best musicians take center stage. The tuneful text and vibrant illustrations bop, slide, and shimmy across the page as Satchmo plays one, Bojangeles plays two…right on down the line to Charles Mingus, who plays nine, plucking the strings that sound divine.
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker
By Patricia Hruby Powell, Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Josephine Baker worked her way up from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Her powerful story is one of struggle and triumph and is an inspiration.
Mister & Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Loved Her
By Amy Novesky, Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton
Billie Holiday—also known as Lady Day—had fame, style, a stellar voice, gardenias in her hair, and lots of dogs. She had a coat-pocket poodle, a beagle, Chihuahuas, a Great Dane, and more, but her favorite was a boxer named Mister. Mister was always there to bolster her courage, even at her legendary appearance at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Stylish illustrations keep the story focused on the bond between Holiday and her dog. An author’s note addresses the singer’s troubled life, and includes a little-known photo of Mister and Lady Day.
How Jelly Roll Morton Invented Jazz
By Jonah Winter, Illustrated by Keith Mallett
This unusual and inventive picture book riffs on the language and rhythms of old New Orleans and turns its focus to one of America’s early jazz heroes, Jelly Roll Morton.
Ella Queen of Jazz
By Helen Hancocks
Ella Fitzgerald sang the blues and she sang them well. Ella and her fellas were on the way up. It seemed like nothing could stop her, until the biggest club in town refused to let her play… and all because of her color. But when all hope seemed lost, little did Ella imagine that a Hollywood star would step in to help. This is the incredible true story of how a remarkable friendship between Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe was born – and how they worked together to overcome prejudice and adversity. 4-8 years
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of several masters before she escaped to freedom. But she knew she wouldn’t really be free unless she was helping to end injustice. That’s when she changed her name to Sojourner and began traveling across thecountry, demanding equal rights for black people and for women. Many people weren’t ready for her message, but Sojourner was brave and her truth was powerful. And slowly, but surely as Sojourner’s step-stomp stride, America began to change.
Martin and Mahalia His Words, Her Song
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and his strong voice and powerful message were joined and lifted in song by world-renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It was a moment that changed the course of history and is imprinted in minds forever.
The Red Pencil
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Shane W. Evans
Life in Amira’s peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when Janjaweed attackers arrive, unleashing unspeakable horrors. After losing nearly everything, Amira needs to find the strength to make the long journey on foot to safety at a refugee camp. She begins to lose hope, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind — and all kinds of possibilities.
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Stephen Alcorn
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped more than three hundred slaves escape the South on the Underground Railroad. Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The lives these women led are part of an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in — even when it feels like no one is listening.
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
This picture book celebrates the momentous Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement.
Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
Hand in Hand presents the stories of ten men from different eras in American history, organized chronologically to provide a scope from slavery to modern day. Profiles of: Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B DuBois, A. Phillip Randolph, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack H. Obama II.
Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Berry Gordy began Motown in 1959 with an $800 loan from his family. He converted the garage of a residential house into a studio and recruited teenagers from the neighborhood, including: Smokey Robinson, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross, to sing for his new label. The country was on the brink of a cultural revolution, and one of the most powerful agents of change in the following decade would be this group of young blackperformers from urban Detroit.
A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the
Creation of The Snowy Day
Andrea Davis Pinkney
and Illustrators Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred years ago, when Ezra Jack Keats was born in Brooklyn, New York. The family were struggling Polish immigrants. Despite Keats’ obvious talent, his father worried that Ezra’s dream of being an artist wasan unrealistic one. But Ezra was determined. For more than two decades, Ezra had kept pinned to his wall a series of photographs of an adorable African American child. In Keats’ hands, the boy morphed into Peter, a boy in a red snowsuit, out enjoying the pristine snow. The book became The Snowy Day, the first mainstream book to feature an African American child.
Andrea Davis Pinkney
The book descriptions used are primarily the publishers.
If you like this article, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
When three year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart watched his seven year old sister, Maria Anna, play a keyboard, he imitated her. His father, Leopold Mozart, an Austrian musician in Salzburg, soon recognized his son’s musical ability. Wolfgang it seemed understood music.
Leopold now tutored both Maria Anna and Wolfgang. He demanded musical perfection, but he also made his lessons fun for his children. In his book, Play, Mozart, Play, Peter Sis writes that Leopold Mozart had the children incorporate music into their play. When the children brought their toys to another room, “one of them carried the toys and the other played a march on the violin.” At age five, Wolfgang could play both the harpsichord and violin. And he composed his first piece of music. Wolfgang soon became proficient on the viola, piano, and organ.
Wolfgang and Maria Anna
When Wolfgang was only six years old, Leopold took him and Maria Anna on their first musical tour, playing for royalty in Munich. They were instantly recognized as child prodigies. Traveling to cities in England, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Austria, Wolfgang and Maria Anna showed off their musical skills in the European courts.
From Play, Mozart, Play
At age eight, Wolfgang composed his first symphony, and at age eleven, his first opera. Leopold took Wolfgang on an extended tour of Italy when he was thirteen. Maria Anna was no longer allowed to perform in public. It was not thought proper for a young woman of seventeen. In Italy, Wolfgang attended a performance in the Sistine Chapel of Miserere, by composer Gregorio Allegri. Remembering the piece later, Wolfgang wrote it down with few mistakes. Young Wolfgang soon composed operas, symphonies, sonatas, and string quartets. He especially loved composing concertos for the violin.
Over his short lifetime, only thirty-five years, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composed over six hundred pieces of music. He is considered to be one of the world’s most accomplished musicians.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and/or leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Books For Kids:
Play, Mozart, Play
by Peter Sis
For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart
Eleven books for kids by award-winning artist, author, and illustrator Kadir Nelson:
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
By Kadir Nelson
What began as a spiritual has developed into one of America’s best-known songs, and now for the first time it appears as a picture book, masterfully created by award-winning artist Kadir Nelson.Through sublime landscapes and warm images of a boy and his family, Kadir has created a dazzling, intimate interpretation, one that rejoices in the connectedness of people and nature.
Inspired by the song’s simple message, Kadir sought to capture the joy of living in and engaging with the world. Most importantly, he wished to portray the world as a child might see it—vast and beautiful.
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan In Pursuit of a Dream
by Delores Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan,
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
The mere mention of the name conjures up visions of basketball played at its absolute best. But as a child, Michael almost gave up on his hoop dreams. He feared he’d never grow tall enough to play the game that would one day make him famous. That’s when his mother and father stepped in and shared an invaluable lesson. What really goes into the making of a champion is patience, determination, and hard work.
Ellington Was Not A Street
by Ntozake Shange, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Noted poet Ntozake Shange recalls her childhood home and the close-knit group of innovators that often gathered there. These men of vision, brought to life in the majestic paintings of artist Kadir Nelson, lived at a time when the color of their skin dictated where they could live, what schools they could attend, and even where they could sit on a bus or in a movie theater. Yet in the face of this tremendous adversity, these dedicated souls and others like them not only demonstrated the importance of Black culture in America, but also helped issue in a movement that “changed the world.”
Nelson Mandela
By Kadir Nelson
It is the story of a young boy’s determination to change South Africa, and of the struggles of a man who eventually became the president of his country. Mandela believed in equality for all people, no matter the color of their skin. Readers will be inspired by Mandela’s triumph and his lifelong quest to create a more just world.
Resources in the back include an author’s note and a bibliography listing additional sources for readers who want to find out more. Perfect for sharing at home or in the classroom.
Heart and Soul: The Story of Americans and African Americans
by Kadir Nelson
The story of Americans and African Americans is a story of hope and inspiration and unwavering courage. This is the story of the men, women, and children who toiled in the hot sun picking cotton for their masters. It’s about the America ripped in two by Jim Crow laws. And about the brothers and sisters of all colors who rallied against those who would dare bar a child from an education. This is a story of discrimination and broken promises,determination, and triumphs.
The Undefeated
By Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Originally performed for ESPN’s The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world’s greatest heroes. The text includes references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Back matter provides historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.
Coretta Scott
by Ntozake Shange, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Walking many miles to school in the dusty road, young Coretta Scott knew the unfairness of life in the segregated south. A yearning for equality began to grow. Together with Martin Luther King, Jr., she gave birth to a vision of change through nonviolent protest. It was the beginning of a journey — with dreams of freedom for all.
Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
by Ellen Levine, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Henry Brown doesn’t know how old he is. 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, heknows 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.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
This poetic book is a resounding tribute to Tubman’s strength, humility, and devotion. With proper reverence, Weatherford and Nelson do justice to the woman who, long ago, earned over and over the name Moses.
Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln (Big Words)
by Doreen Rappaport, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
From the time he was a young boy roaming the forests of the unsettled Midwest, Abraham Lincoln knew in his heart that slavery was deeply wrong. A voracious reader, Lincoln spent every spare moment of his days filling his mind with knowledge, from history to literature to mathematics, preparing himself to one day lead the country he loved toward greater equality and prosperity.
A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis
by Matt De La Pena, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
On the eve of World War II, African-American boxer Joe Louis fought German Max Schmeling in a bout that had more at stake than just the world heavyweight title. For much of America, their fight came to represent America’s war with Germany. This elegant and powerful picture book biography centers on this historic fight in which the American people came together to celebrate our nation’s founding ideals.
