A young narrator tells readers about her friend Maya, who absolutely loves to dance. In this rhyming picture book, Maya attends a lively dance class. She can’t get enough of dance: the costumes, the grand entrances, the pirouettes, the music, the final bow, and the magic of recitals. She even loves the hard work of practice. But why doesn’t her friend dance, too?The pages themselves seem to dance, thanks to the charming verse of Cheryl Willis Hudson and the vibrant colors ...

A little girl loves the gorgeous freckles that adorn her face and make her special. no matter what anyone else says, in this fresh, lively picture book perfect for fans of I Am Enough and Skin Like Mine.Pecosita has the most magnificent face full of freckles. Her abuela says they make her shine as bright as the estrellas in the sky! Sometimes, kids make fun and say Pecosita’s face looks like it’s full of spots. But Pecosita knows hers are as stunn...

**Newbery Honoree Carole Boston Weatherford and award-winning illustrator Eric Velasquez—the team behind Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library—reunite to take full measure of an iconic performer and political activist.Paul Robeson rose to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance, known for his extraordinary vocal, dramatic, and oratory skills. But he was a true Renaissance man: an accomplished athlete, a bright intellect, and a passionate supporter for humanitari...

Coretta Scott King and John Steptoe New Talent Award winner Eric Velasquez shines in the perfect picture book to read with grandparents.Every summer, Eric goes to live with his grandmother in El Barrio (Spanish Harlem) while his parents work. Through the long hot days, Grandma fills her apartment with the blaring horns and conga drums of Bomba y Plena, salsa, and merengue-the music she grew up with in Puerto Rico-sharing her memories and passions with Eric....

Perfect for common core, this story based on the true events of a young girl's transition from the poverty of Ethiopia to life in America will be an inspiration for young readersAlemitu lives with her mother in a poor village in Ethiopia, where she must walk miles for water and hunger roars in her belly. Even though life is difficult, she dreams of someday knowing more about the world. When her mother has no choice but to leave her at an orphanage to give her a chance at a better l...

New York City’s desegregated Palladium Ballroom springs to life with a diverse 1940s cast in this jazzy picture-book tribute to the history of mambo and Latin jazz.Millie danced to jazz in her Italian neighborhood. Pedro danced to Latin songs in his Puerto Rican neighborhood. It was the 1940s in New York City, and they were forbidden to dance together . . . until first a band and then a ballroom broke the rules. Machito and His Afro-Cubans hit the ...

“A must-read for a deeper understanding of a well-connected genius who enriched the cultural road map for African Americans and books about them.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro–Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk’s passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and bring to light the achievements of people of ...

“Has no equal. Evocative and haunting.” (School Library Journal starred review)The bestselling classic set in South Africa during the apartheid era, in which two siblings must face the dangers of their divided country.Mma lives and works in Johannesburg, far from the village thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother, Tiro, call home. When their baby sister suddenly becomes very sick, Naledi and Tiro know that they need to br...

A wise man named Brulla Roberts once said. "Drummer man's magic doesn't come from the drum. The magic comes from the drummer man. "Undoubtedly true, but, as six-year-old David knows only too well, without that drum there is no drummer man! Ever since he can remember. David's "felt the itch in his fingers and the rhythm in his wrists." He's tried keeping time with anything and everything , including spoons. knives. and shoes. To Mom's dismay, he's even taken apart the legs of a kitchen chai...

Strong Voices: Fifteen American Speeches Worth Knowingis a collection of significant speeches, made both by those who held the reins of power and those who didn’t, at significant times in American history. Read the original words—sometimes abridged and sometimes in their entirety—that have shaped our cultural fabric. A Chicago Public Library Best Book!"A wide-ranging collection of speeches and a worthwhile resource...

Rosa sat soMartin could march.Martin marched soBarack could run.Barack ran soOur children can soar.This is the seed of a unique and inspirational picture book text, that is part historical, part poetry, and entirely inspirational. It symbolically takes the reader through the cumulative story of the US Civil Rights Movement, showing how select pioneers' achievements led up to this landmark moment, when we have elected our first black President.Eac...

"I am the greatest! I am the king!"Muhammad Ali was one of the most electrifying, inspiring, and confrontational athletes of his generation. At the height of his boxing career, Ali was as despised as he was adored. Loud and aggressive as well as confident and dedicated, he was the quintessential showman, the undeniable champion of his sport, and one of the most recognizable faces in the world. He was challenged at every turn: faced with racial discrimination in his everyday life, m...