Written by: Brigita Orel Illustrated by: Jennie Poh For ages: 3 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Friendship, Social-Emotional Learning, Immigration, Imagination, African Culture & Identity, Girls Outdoors, Global Community. Summary: This is a sweet book about friendship told from the perspective of a tree that some children are playing on. Agu has just moved to where the tree is…
Tag: African culture
Nya’s Long Walk
Written by: Linda Sue Park Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney For ages: 4-9 years Language: English Topics Covered: Global Community, Africa, African Culture, Sudan, Sudanese Life, Water, Medicine, Family, Siblings, Love, Lived Experiences, POC-Centric Narratives. Summary: Nya and her sister Akeer live in Sudan and must walk a long way to get water. One day when making the journey, Akeer falls…
Maisie’s Scrapbook
Written by: Samuel Narh Illustrated by: Jo Loring-Fisher For ages: 3-7 years Language: English and some Ghanian Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Family, Biracial Family, Love, Imagination. Summary: This is a really cute story about a young girl named Maisie and her parents. Her father is African, and while the ethnicity of her mother is not specifically mentioned, she appears to be of…
grandpa cacao: a tale of chocolate, from farm to family
summary: This story follows tangential plot-lines of a little girl making her favorite chocolate birthday cake recipe for herself, and also learning about her grandfather who is a farmer, owning a cacao farm. The book is set up to show the parallels between the main character and her grandfather, because they have never met. As…
Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George
Written by: Lesa Cline-Ransome Illustrated by: James E. Ransome For ages: 5-9 years Language: English Topics Covered: Enslavement, Music, POC-Centric Narratives, Historical Figure, Historic Events, Musician, Activism, Abolition, Racism, Trailblazer. Summary: This is an interesting and historic tale of a gifted musician, which begins on a West Indies sugar plantation in 1739. The plantation owner Guillame-Pierre is awaiting the birth of…
The Banana-Leaf Ball: How Play Can Change the World
Written by: Katie Smith Milway Illustrated by: Shane Evans For ages: 8 years and up Language: English & Kirundi Topics Covered: Refugee Narratives, POC-Centric Narratives, Sportsmanship, Teamwork, Empowerment, Global Community, Friendship, Historical Fiction, Historical Figure. Summary: Deo is a young boy when his village is attacked. He and his family flee into the night with only what they can carry. Deo can’t…
Moses “Fleet” Walker: The First African-American to play Major League Baseball
Hello there! Today is opening day for the Boston Red Sox, and around here, everyone can’t wait for the start of the season! Fenway Park was once again open, and the reminder of Boston baseball led yours truly (Lee) to do a little deep dive into baseball history that doesn’t always get covered-the leagues that…
Introducing: Colours of Us
Happy Saturday! Today we are featuring Colours of Us, a beautiful website run by Svenja. This website is a catch-all for insightful blog posts, multicultural books, toys, and clothing. After you finish reading our interview with Svenja, hop on over to her website and explore all that she has to offer! TTA:…
Introducing: Aminata Jalloh of Readers Inspired!
Hello everyone! We hope you have been enjoying this series as much as we have, it’s been great to connect with others in the children’s literature community. This week, Readers Inspired! Aminata’s answers are so thoughtful, and we hope you head over to the links to her website and social media below to check out…
Imani’s Moon
Written by: JaNay Brown-Wood Illustrated by: Hazel Mitchell For ages: 6-9 years Language: English & Maa (Maasai) Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, African Culture & Traditions, Maasai People, Self-Esteem, Community, Bravery, Perseverance. Summary: Imani is the smallest in her village, and gets teased relentlessly for it. To make Imani feel better, her mother tells her stories. One night in particular, Imani learns about…