Great African Americans: Books for Beginning Readers

Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra

by Andrea Davis Pinkney Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

The story of one of America's greatest composers, Duke Ellington, is lavishly told here in jazz-inspired prose.

Great Black Heroes: Five Brilliant Scientists

Series: Hello Reader

by Lynda Jones

Follow the lives of five great scientists: Susan McKinney Steward, George Washington Carver, Ernest Everett Just, Percy Lavon Julian, and Shirley Ann Jackson.

Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales

by Virginia Hamilton Illustrated by Diane Dillon , Leo Dillon

This collection of twenty-five African-American folktales focuses on strong female characters and includes "Little Girl and Buh Rabby," "Catskinella," and "Annie Christmas."

I Have Heard of a Land

by Joyce Carol Thomas Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

I have heard of a land Where the imagination has no fences Where what is dreamed one night Is accomplished the next day In the late 1880s, signs went up all around America - land was free in the Oklahoma territory. And it was free to everyone: Whites, Blacks, men and women alike.

Langston's Train Ride

by Robert Burleigh

Perfect for classroom poetry unit use and to celebrate Black History Month!

Robert Burleigh's inspiring story captures the magical moment when Langston Hughes came to believe in himself as a writer, as he first wrote "The Negro Speaks of Rivers."

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

by Doreen Rappaport Illustrated by Bryan Collier

Martin Luther King, Jr., grew up in a place where people used words that made him feel bad. This beautifully illustrated, award-winning book shows how Martin used words to fight for equal rights for black people.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

by Carole Boston Weatherford Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Lyrical text describes Harriet Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her North to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of slavery.

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth

by Anne F. Rockwell Illustrated by Gregory Christie

A powerful picture book biography of one of the abolitionist movement's most compelling voices. Sojourner Truth traveled the country in the latter half of the 19th century, speaking out against slavery.

The Story of Ruby Bridges

by Robert Coles Illustrated by George C Ford

This beautiful picture book, illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award-illustrator George Ford, and written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Coles, tells the true story of six-year-old Ruby Bridges. In 1960, Ruby, a young African-American girl, entered a whites-only school in New Orleans.

Richard Wright and the Library Card

by William Miller Illustrated by Gregory Christie

Many years before author Richard Wright achieved international acclaim for his classic novel, Native Son, he lived in Memphis and worked for an optical company where he swept floors and ran errands for his white employers.