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Celebrating Black History Month
Heroes don't have to wear capes and wield superpowers --- they come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they use typewriters, needles and thread, or even baseball bats and dancing shoes to change laws and open the minds of millions. From soldiers who fought during World War I to a woman who simply kept her seat on a public bus, you'll meet a multitude of amazing individuals from all walks of life in this list of titles we've assembled to commemorate Black History Month in February. We hope these books, steeped in their grand deeds and rich cultural history, will inspire you to become a hero in your own way.
 BESSIE SMITH AND THE NIGHT RIDERS
Sue Stauffacher
illustrated by John Holyfield
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0399242376
Ages 5-up
32 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Even though she can't afford a ticket to see the great blues singer Bessie Smith perform, Emmarene listens outside Bessie's tent --- that is, until she bursts into the show to warn the crowd: The Night Riders have come! Bessie marches right outside and confronts the Night Riders by giving one of her famous low moans that says, "I may be down and out, but I ain't gonna take it no more." But will that be enough to scare them off?
Based on a true incident, BESSIE SMITH AND THE NIGHT RIDERS is a powerful story of facing down danger and standing up for what's right.
 THE FORBIDDEN SCHOOLHOUSE: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students
Suzanne Jurmain
Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: 0618473025
Ages 10-up
160 pages
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When brave Ms. Crandall opened her own schoolhouse in 1831, how did the citizens of Canterbury, CT react to the news? They threw rocks at the windows, refused to sell her groceries, attempted to set the building on fire, and even sent her to jail and tried to put her on trial. What made Ms. Crandall and her schoolhouse so different? She was running one of the first African American schools in America.
In this exciting and inspiring account, readers will discover just how hard it can be to make a difference when it seems like the whole world is against you.
 HAPPY FEET: The Savoy Ballroom Lindy Hoppers and Me
Richard Michelson
illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN: 0152050574
Ages 5-8
32 pages
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In a shoeshine shop in Harlem, Happy Feet listens as his father recounts the night he was born. His birth date fell on the very same evening the legendary Savoy Ballroom opened its doors in 1926. On this memorable night, blacks and whites, the rich and poor, all came together --- to dance! Now it's Happy Feet's biggest dream to one day swing dance in this famous club, because with some hard work and a little Savoy magic, anything can happen.
 THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS: When Pride Met Courage
Walter Dean Myers and Bill Miles
Amistad
ISBN: 0060011378
Ages 9-12
144 pages
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The "Harlem Hellfighters" were a group of African-American soldiers in the 369th Infantry Regiment who fought during World War I. In this compelling narrative, Walter Dean Myers and Bill Miles describe how these brave men, in the face of racism and bigotry, sacrificed their lives for the sake of democracy.
 JACKIE'S BAT
Marybeth Lorbiecki
illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ISBN: 0689841027
Ages 5-8
40 pages
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Joey, the Dodgers' new batboy, is not the only rookie on the team --- this season, a player from the Negro Leagues was asked to join the Dodgers as well. Because Joey's father had taught him that it's wrong to "serve" a black man, he ignores this new player and only helps everyone else. But as he gets to know this player, Jackie Robinson, his prejudices slowly break away and he begins to understand just how great Robinson really is, both on and off the field.
 JOE LOUIS: AMERICA'S FIGHTER
David A. Adler
illustrated by Terry Widener
Gulliver Books/Harcourt
ISBN: 0152164804
Ages 6-9
32 pages
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Joe Louis was a fighter, a world champion boxer, a "punching machine." But more importantly, he was a hero and a symbol of hope to African Americans. Later, he became a hero to all Americans, uniting boxing fans of all colors in their hatred of the Nazis and their desire for him to beat the German fighter Max Schmeling.
The award-winning picture-book team of David A. Adler and Terry Widener has brought to life the true story of a determined individual who overcame racism and poverty...and inspired a nation.
 PORTRAITS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HEROES
Tonya Bolden, paintings by Ansel Pitcairn
Puffin
ISBN: 014240473X
Ages 7-up
96 pages
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This stunning book offers both word and picture portraits of twenty remarkable African Americans from the past two centuries. Readers will be inspired by these biographies of their heroes and will most certainly discover new ones from all walks of life, such as dancer Judith Jamison, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, writer Gwendolyn Brooks, and activist Martin Luther King, Jr.
 ROSA
Nikki Giovanni
illustrated by Bryan Collier
Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 0805071067
Ages 5-up
40 pages
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Fifty years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is still one of the most important figures in the American civil rights movement. This picture-book tribute to Mrs. Parks is a celebration of her courageous action and the events that followed.
 SHOW WAY
Jacqueline Woodson
illustrated by Hudson Talbott
G. P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0399237496
Ages 4-8
48 pages
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When Soonie's great-grandmother was sold to a plantation at the age of seven, all she could take with her was a piece of fabric, a few needles, and some thread. She learned to sew secret messages and directions into quilt patterns --- called Show Ways --- to help lead slaves to freedom. Now, generations later, Soonie teaches her own daughter how to make these beautiful quilts --- not as maps to freedom, but as a tribute to the past and to celebrate the possibilities of the future.
 THIS IS THE DREAM
Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander
illustrated by James Ransome
Amistad
ISBN: 006055519X
Ages 4-8
40 pages
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Pivotal moments in America's history are described in simple rhymes to honor the hardships and achievements African Americans experienced before, during, and after the Civil Rights movement. Complete with inspiring text and beautiful illustrations, readers can see how far we've come in securing freedom and equality for people of all backgrounds.
 VISITING LANGSTON
Willie Perdomo
illustrated by Brian Collier
Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 0805078819
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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It's a special day when a little girl and her father go to visit the house where the great poet Langston Hughes lived --- especially when the little girl is a poet herself! This rhythmic tale is a wonderful introduction to the work and world of Langston Hughes, who was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and an American cultural hero.
 A VOICE OF HER OWN: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet
Kathryn Lasky
illustrated by Paul Lee
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763628786
Ages 8-12
40 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Phillis, a slave girl from Africa, was shipped to America and sold to the Wheatley family in 1761. But she was an extraordinary child with a thirst for knowledge. The Wheatleys broke unwritten rules in New England by encouraging Phillis to learn at a time when slaves were purposely kept illiterate. In the midst of the chaos and turmoil of the Revolutionary War, she succeeded in publishing a volume of poetry, making her the first African American woman poet in the United States.
--- Compiled and written by Marisa Emralino
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