Babies & Toddlers ❖ A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara. Board book. This ABC board book highlights community ​ values, equality, and justice. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Lullaby (For a Black Mother) by Langston Hughes, Illustrated by Sean Qualls Poet Langston ​ Hughes celebrates the love between mother and baby. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Grades K-2 ❖ Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester; illus. by Karen Barbour. Introduces concept of race as ​ ​ part of a person’s story; Introduces the idea of prejudice based on skin color. Picture book for K-2. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine; illus. by ​ ​ ​ Kadir Nelson. Excellent book about a child’s resistance to slavery. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illus. by Brian ​ Pinkney. Describes the sit-in by four college students at a Woolworth’s counter in 1960. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ❖ We March by Shane W. Evans. Picture book about 1963 March on Washington. Preschool-Grade ​ 2. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson; illus. by Eric Velasquez. A stirring yet jubilant ​ ​ glimpse of the invaluable contributions of youth in the Civil Rights movement. Ages 5-8. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ❖ Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist by Philip Dray; illus. ​ by Stephen Alcorn. The inspirational story of Ida B. Wells and her lifelong commitment to end injustice. Purchase ​ ❖ Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz, illus. by AG ​ Ford. This inspiring picture book biography celebrates a vision of freedom. Before he was known as Malcolm X he was Malcolm Little. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fights by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illus. by ​ Stephen Alcorn. This book tells the stories of African-American women Freedom Fighters. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ❖ Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Defeated Army by Art Coulson; illus. by Nick Hardcastle. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendes & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan ​ Tonatiuh The success of the Mendes family and their fight for justice eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson; illus. by Rafael López. This story reminds us that ​ when we feel like outsiders how brave it is that we go forth anyway. by Jacqueline Woodson Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged! by Jody Nyasha; illus. by Richard Rudnicki. An act of refusal ​ awakened people to the unacceptable nature of racism and began the process of bringing an end to racial segregation in Canada. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ My Hair is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera. Mackinzie realizes that her hair is beautiful despite ​ the trading she receives at school. Her wise neighbor teaches her that taking care of her hair is akin to maintaining a bountiful garden. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ The Legendary Miss Lena Horne by Carole Boston Weatherford; illus. by Elizabeth Zunion. ​ Celebrate the life of the legendary Lena Horne. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano. A white family and a black family ​ discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children's questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renee Watson; illus. by Christian ​ Robinson. A story of justice and a young black singer following her dreams. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey & Gwen Strauss; illus. by Floyd Cooper. ​ Ruth's story is fiction, but The Green Book and its role in helping a generation of African ​ ​ American travelers avoid some of the indignities of Jim Crow are historical fact. Catalog | ​ ​ Purchase ❖ We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell; illus. by Frane Lessac. The word otsaliheliga ​ ​ (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis by Jabari Asim; illus. by E. B. Lewis. ​ Learn about the young life of civil right leader John Lewis. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson; illus. by Julie Flett. A young girl learns about her ​ grandmother’s difficult life in a residential school. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston ​ Weatherford; illus. by Jamey Christoph. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange; illus. by Kadir Nelson. Learn about Scott’s vision of change ​ through nonviolent protest. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford; illus. ​ by Kadir Nelson. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Rosa by Nikki Giovanni; illus. by Bryan Collier. A tribute to Mrs. Parks and her refusal to give up ​ her seat on a city bus. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History by Walter Dean Myers; illus. by Floyd Cooper. ​ Picture book biography. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illus. by Brian Pinkney. Born into ​ slavery and escaped to freedom Sojourner shares her truth about slavery and feminist. Catalog ​ | Purchase ​ ❖ The Colors of Us by Karen Katz. A young girl learns that the color brown has many shades. ​ Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ❖ Firebird by Misty Copeland; illus. by Christopher Myers. With hard work and faith you too can ​ become a Firebird. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​

Grades 3-6 ❖ A Kids Book About Racism by Jelani Memory. An explanation of what racism is and how to ​ know when you see it. Purchase ​ ❖ Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. Through poetry, Woodson shares her experience ​ growing up African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges. Autobiography about the harrowing story of how Bridges ​ integrated a public school in New Orleans when she was 6 years old. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Three sisters visit their mother, a Black Panther ​ Party member, during a memorable summer in Oakland. Sequel P.S. Be Eleven. Libby | Catalog | ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Purchase ❖ Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan. ​ Uses primary sources (and poetry) to contrast the monetary value of a slave with the priceless value of life, dreams and dignity. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Little Rock Nine by Marshall Poe; illustrated by Ellen Lindner. Two boys in Little Rock get ​ caught up in the struggle over public school integration. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth ​ ​ Partridge (local author). A photo essay focusing on the critical role that children and teens played in the success of the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis. The Watsons’ lives are drastically ​ changed after they visit Grandma in Birmingham in the summer of 1963. Libby | Catalog | ​ ​ ​ ​ Purchase ❖ Revolution by Deborah Wiles. Twelve-year-old Sunny evolves a growing sense of justice and ​ empathy after “the invaders” arrive in her Mississippi town to integrate public facilities and register voters during “Freedom Summer.” Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford. Mr. Schombur’s ​ quest to correct history through paintings and poetry. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy. This nook tells the story of Jo ​ Ann Allen who was one of the twelve African American students who broke the color barrier to join Clinton High School. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ New Kid by Jerry Craft. This graphic novel explores what it is like to assimilate to a new school ​ where there is little diversity as a black seventh grader. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes. After twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by police when he is ​ holding a toy gun, Jerome becomes a ghost. He meets another ghost: Emmett Till. Libby | ​ ​ Catalog | Purchase ​ ​

Young Adult ❖ All American Boys by Jason Reynolds. Two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the ​ repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter witnesses the fatal shooting of ​ her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Libby | ​ ​ Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ❖ Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. this book ​ shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ March: Book One, Two, & Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. This graphic ​ novel shows the inside story of the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of one of its most iconic figures, Congressman John Lewis. ➢ March One Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ➢ March Two Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ➢ March Three Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson, Tonya Bolden, and ​ Nic Stone. This book examines five moments in American history in which America achieves milestones of progress toward full and equal black participation in democracy, only to have the systemic response of a racist backlash that rolls back those wins. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater. Sasha, a white teen, and Richard, a black teen, meet on the 57 bus. ​ One afternoon on the bus ride home, a reckless act leaves Sasha severely burned and Richard is charged with two hate crimes and life imprisonment. The media attention of the trial thrusts both teens into the spotlight. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Dear Martin by Nic Stone. Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but ​ none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. His best friend, Manny, attracts the rage of a white off-duty copy while playing music loudly from his car, leading to shots being fired and attention from the media. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. A Harlem ​ drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that Steve served as the lookout. Guilty or innocent, Steve becomes a pawn of the system. As an aspiring filmmaker, as a means to cope, he transcribes his trial into a script. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson. Jade is a teen from a poor neighborhood striving for ​ success, and has taken every opportunity possible to succeed. Through this, Jade feels as though no one in her life understands her and she must grapple with what it means to be a successful woman alone. Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan. Jasmine and Chelsea are sick of the way ​ women are treated even at their progressive NYC high school, so they decide to start a Women's Rights Club. They post everything on their blog, including Jasmine’s responses to racial microaggressions. They soon attract enough attention that they become the target of internet trolls. Catalog | Libby | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance by Bethany Morrow et. al. This anthony ​ features fictional stories—in poems, prose, and art—that reflect the varied and limitless ways that readers resist every day. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two ​ gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Slay by Brittney Morris. By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, but at ​ home, she joins hundreds of thousands of black games in the secret multiplayer online role-playing game, SLAY. No one knows that she is the developer and when the game hits the mainstream media, trolls threaten to sue her for “anti-white discrimination.” Libby | Catalog | ​ ​ ​ ​ Purchase ❖ Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. An excellent book parents and teachers can use to ​ ​ ​ ​ raise the question: Who gets to be a leader? Which Black lives matter, and who gets left out ​ when we look for just one kind of hero? Libby | Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ❖ In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives by Kenneth C. Davis. Did you know that many of America’s Founding Fathers—who ​ fought for liberty and justice for all—were slave owners? This thoroughly-researched and documented book explores the role slavery played in the founding of America. Catalog | ​ ​ Purchase ❖ The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin. The ​ ​ riveting local account of African American sailors who were charged with mutiny for refusing to work in unsafe conditions after a deadly explosion during World War II. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​ ❖ Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by ​ ​ Lynda Blackmon Lowery. The youngest person to complete the Selma to Montgomery March shares her involvement in historic Civil Rights events. Catalog | Purchase ​ ​ ​

Compiled in part by: Oakland Public Library Embracerace.org 31 Children’s Books to support conversations on race, racism, and resistance 6/1/2020