English Middle Graders Black Culture & Identity summary Both of these books are beautiful collections of badass historical figures, many of whom are still alive and continuing to make history! If you’re in the market for nonfiction anthologies about historical figures (like I am 100% of the time) make sure you check these out from…
Tag: Sports
Making Tracks: Mountain
Written & Illustrated by: Abi Hall For Ages: Infant & Up (board book) Language: English Topics Covered: Nature, Sports, Disability, STEM. Summary: This board book has both flaps and textured cut-outs shaped like different footprints, and I really like that all the tracks we see aren’t on the same mountain (but mountains all over the…
Be Your Best Self: Life Skills for Unstoppable Kids
Written By: Danielle Brown MBE & Nathan Kai Illustrated by: Joanna Kerr For Ages: 8-12 years Language: English Topics Covered: Social-Emotional Growth, Growing Up, Goals, Habits, Self-Esteem, Confidence. Summary: When I heard that a gold medal Paralympian and a child MENSA member had teamed up to write a book about life skills, I obviously had…
Amazing Athletes: 40 Inspiring Icons
Written By: Jean-Michel Billioud Illustrated by: Gonoh For Ages: 7 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Sports, Feminism, History, Activism, Indigenous Voices, Global Community, Paralympics, Olympics. Summary: This is another book in the same series of another book I shared a couple of weeks ago, Black Music Greats. You know I’m a sucker for…
Sunny
Written by: Jason Reynolds Cover Art by: Vanessa Brantley Newton For ages: YA Middle Grades (mention of maternal death) Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Growing Up, Sports, Black Culture & Identity, Track & Field, Dance, Single Parenthood, Friendship, Homeschooling, Resilience, Own Voices. Summary: This is the third in Jason Reynolds’ Track series, this time about team member Sunny. We find out that…
Muslim Girls Rise
Written by: Saira Mir Illustrated by: Aaliya Jaleel For ages: 8-13 years Language: English Topics Covered: Muslim Women, Trailblazers, Historical Figures, Self-Empowerment, Feminism, Sports, Culture & Identity, Global Community, Own Voices. Summary: This book is a lovely book, almost anthology-like, of 18 Muslim girls (and women) that are changing the world and blazing trails. Some are well-known public figures like…
Enough! 20 Protestors Who Changed America
Written by: Emily Easton Illustrated by: Ziyue Chen For ages: 4 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: American History, Activism, Historical Figures, Courage, Segregation, Enslavement, Sports, Environmentalism. Summary: This book opens with an Author’s Note talking about her inspiration to write the book. Emily’s young cousins had been in a school shooting a few weeks before the devastating event…
Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-of-Foot Girl
Written by: Megan Reid Illustrated by: Laura Freeman For ages: 4-8 years Language: English Topics Covered: Historical Figure, Women in Sports, Segregation, Trailblazer, Black Culture & Identity. Summary: Althea Gibson was the first Black person to win a Wimbledon trophy! This book talks about how sporty she was as a child, and how Althea could never stop moving. When Althea found…
I Am Native
Written & Illustrated by: Violet Duncan For ages: 3 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Indigenous Voices, Own Voices, Lived Experience, Growing Up, Culture & Identity, Hoop Dancing, Sports, Family, Love, Native Experience. Summary: This lovely book is all about the lived experiences of an Indigenous family, comparing their traditional Native activities with other things the family does such…
The Brave Cyclist: The True Story of a Holocaust Hero
Written by: Amalia Hoffman Illustrated by: Chiara Fedele For ages: 8-12 years old Language: English and some Italian Topics Covered: Judaism, WWII, Holocaust, Activism, Global Community, Historical Events, Historic Figure, Sports, Cycling. Summary: Gino Bartali was a small and sickly child, but he loved riding a bicycle more than anything else. He got a part-time job at a bike shop to learn…