Have You Thanked An Inventor Today? (Patrice McLaurin)

 

Great book for Black History Month! Every inventory is a black person.  Also good timing for our science project where students have to invent a toy.

Goodreads says:

Have You Thanked an Inventor Today is an Amazon Best Seller and is recognized by Microsoft as a book that informs and inspires STEM . It takes its reader on a unique journey into the often overlooked contributions of African-American inventors, and highlights their lasting impact on our daily lives. This book follows the day of a little boy, demonstrating with each page, how African-American minds have greatly enriched our nation's landscape.
Have You Thanked an Inventor Today comes complete with brief biographies about each inventor, as well as fun activities that help encourage reading comprehension and retention. It's also aligned with Common Core and STEM standards. This book is an essential addition to any home or classroom library.
Have You Thanked an Inventor Today is perfect for readers of all ages who are looking to learn and be inspired.

I Absolutely, Positively Love My Spots

 

I don't know if I'd read this one in class....I'm trying to get my students to understand that we don't comment on people's bodies. Then again, when they get teased about something, it's good to find the confident aspect of it.

Goodreads says:

"Highly recommended." —School Library Journal

A young girl with vitiligo celebrates her skin in this joyful picture book by debut author Lid’ya C. Rivera and illustrated by #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Niña Mata!

This lyrical celebration of self-esteem, perseverance, and loving the skin you're in will inspire all children to appreciate their spots or what makes them different. Perfect for pairing with I Am Enough by Grace Byers, Remarkably You by Pat Zietlow Miller, and I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes.

Includes a personal letter from the author and facts about vitiligo.

My Hair Is Magic (ML Marroquin)

 

This is me. I always worried about having big hair after having some adults laugh at my hair. May I never do that to a child! 

Goodreads says:

This little girl knows her hair is great just as it is. When people ask, “Why is your hair so BIG?” she answers, “Why isn’t yours?” Her hair is soft, it protects her, it’s both gentle and fierce. While some might worry about how it’s different and try to contain it, she gives it the freedom to be so extraordinary it almost has a life of its own.

Told in bold verse and vivid, fantastical illustrations, these critical questions will ring familiar, and the proud, confident answers show that what really matters is how readers see themselves.

The Proudest Color (Sheila Modir and Jeff Kashou)

 

Love this one. Great for Black History Month.

Goodreads says:

For me, brown is more than feeling proud. 
It’s the color I see when I see me.

Zahra sees the world in vivid color. When she’s happy, she feels a razzle-dazzle pink in her hands. When she’s sad, she feels a deep blue behind her eyes. But she isn’t quite sure how to feel about the color of her skin. Kids at school tell her she is different, but her mother tells her to be proud! From a diverse team and based on extensive research, The Proudest Color is a timely, sensitive introduction to race, racism, and racial pride.

How Do You Spell Unfair? (Carole Boston Weatherford)

 

This story will be a great one to accompany our study of the story of Jackie Robinson. It's always shocking to read about the racism of the past. May it always stay in the past!

Goodreads says:

Family Picture Book Read-Aloud Afternoon: A Nine-Book Pile!

An interesting tidbit from history of the first Black American to make it to the final round of the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in 1936 despite segregation and blatant racism.

I'm grateful for the introduction to MacNolia Cox, but the prose is a bit too flat for a picture book, reading more like a book report than a story. I also found it odd that everyone in the book got full names except for MacNolia's mother and teacher: Alberta Key and Cornelia Greve, respectively. And I would have liked to know more about the other Black girl, Elizabeth Kenney, who was in the contest with MacNolia and fared quite well also.

John Henry - An American Legend (Ezra Jack Keats)

 

This one surprised us because he dies in the story! Died of working so hard!! Everyone was very captivated by the story, however. Quite a book for Ezra Jack Keats. His website says:

Long before multicultural characters and themes were fashionable, Ezra Jack Keats crossed social boundaries by being the first American picture-book maker to give the black child a central place in children’s literature.

In the books that Keats wrote and illustrated, he used his special artistic techniques to portray his subjects in a unique manner. One of these was his blending of gouache with collage. Gouache is an opaque watercolor mixed with a gum that produces an oil-like glaze.

The characters in Keats’ books come from the community around him. Many of his stories illustrate family life, the simple pleasures and more complex problems, that a child often encounters in his daily routine. To create his books, Keats drew upon his own childhood experiences, from having to flee from bullies to taking a ribbing from his pals for liking girls. But these are also the experiences of almost all children growing up in neighborhoods and communities in many parts of the world. This commonality explains the continuing popularity of Keats’ books and characters.

By the time of Keats’ death following a heart attack in 1983, Keats had illustrated over eighty-five books for children, and written and illustrated twenty-four children’s classics.

Goodreads says:

Illus. in full color. The Caldecott Medalist's powerful classic is now reissued in a handsome paperback edition, as well as a library edition. 

(Goodreads doesn't say a lot!)