Barnwell, Ysaye M.
No Mirrors in My Nana's House
. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1998. The author is a member of the singing group, "Sweet Honey in the Rock," an acapella quintet comprised of African women. Not only did she write the text, but she reads and helps to sing the song on a CD that is enclosed with the book. The book challenges young people to look for beauty even though their surroundings may be less than ideal.
Bryan, Ashley.
Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry
. New York: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 1997. A beautiful collection of African poetry. Bryan took complete poems and fragments from others, capturing many feelings from the African American culture. She includes one African American spiritual.
Brooks, Gwendolyn.
Bronzeville Boys and Girls
. New York: Harper and Row, Inc., 1956. A book of poetry written about life's familiar experiences of inner-city children.
Gillerlain, Gayle.
The Reverend Thomas's False Teeth
. Mahwah: BridgeWater Books, 1995. Gillerlain writes about a warm-hearted community by the Chesapeake Bay where everyone has an idea of how to rescue the Reverend's false teeth when they fall into the Bay.
Giovanni, Nikki.
Spin a Soft Black Song
. New York: Hill and Wang, 1985. A beautiful book of poetry written about common experiences shared by the African American child.
Giovanni, Nikki.
The Sun is so Quiet
. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1996. A book of poetry where Nikki Giovanni writes about riding rainbows, licking chocolaty fingers, snuggling under covers and many other childhood memories.
Giovanni, Nikki.
Vacation Time
. New York: William Morrow and Co., 1980. A beautiful book of poetry for the young child.
Greenfield, Eloise.
Africa Dream
. New York: Harper Collins, 1977. Written in Poetic style, Greenfield takes the reader on a journey to Africa.
Greenfield, Eloise.
Daydreamers Tom Feelings
. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1981. Greenfield's poems express feelings of young people as they grow and blossom toward womanhood and manhood.
Greenfield, Eloise.
Grandpa's Face
. New York: The Putman and Grosset Group, 1986. A lovely story about a little girl named Tamika who adores her grandfather until she sees him rehearsing for a play. Tamika is frightened as she sees a different face, one that causes her to question Grandfather's love.
Greenfield, Eloise.
Honey, I Love
. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1986. A delightful book of 16 poems describing everyday life as seen through the eyes of a young elementary school age child.
Greenfield, Eloise.
Night on Neighborhood Street
. New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1996. A delightful book of poems written by Greenfield in memory of her mother who lived on Neighborhood Street.
Greenfield, Eloise.
She Comes Bringing Me that Little Baby Girl
. New York: Harper Collins, 1974. A story of love about an African American family and a little boy who wanted a baby brother rather than a sister.
Havill, Juanita.
Jamaica and Brianna
. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.,1993. A beautiful story of how two girls became friends after a misunderstanding about boots.
Lawrence, Jacob.
Harriet and the Promised Land
. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993. This writing in prose is done in poetic style. It tells the story of Harriet Tubman and her perilous journeys to help slaves reach their freedom.
Mendez, Phil.
The Black Snowman
. New York: Scholastic, 1989. In the story, Jacob hates to be black. Through a black snowman and the kente cloth, Jacob becomes proud of who he is.
Ringgold, Faith.
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1992. Ringgold writes in poetic style as she tells the story of Harriet Tubman through Cassie and Be Be. The book gives an account of the chilling realities of slavery and the joyful celebrations of freedom.
Ringgold, Faith.
If a Bus Could Talk
. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1999. Ringgold's book tells the story of Rosa Parks through Marcie's magical ride on a talking bus, the Rosa Parks bus. At the end of the story,
Marcie meets Rosa Parks at a birthday party. In this story the reader discovers why Rosa Parks is the mother of the Civil Rights Movement. Ringgold weaves a Black Spiritual into the story.
Rochelle, Belinda.
Words with Wings
. Harper Collins Publishers, 2001. A beautiful book of African American poetry and art. Art is bright and beautiful, appealing to young children.
Strickland, Dorothy S.
Families: Poems Celebrating the African American Experience
. A book of beautiful poetry written by famous African American poets such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, Eloise Greenfield, Langston Hughes, and others.
