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Noodles on a bicycle
Maclear, Kyo//Zhang, Gracey
Every morning, deliverymen carry tall bowls of noodles made from buckwheat flour to customers who love to eat them. The delivery from the sobaya chef to the customers is possible by talented bike riders who balance large towers of bowls on their shoulders while their other arms steady the bikes down crowded busy streets with potholes and city pedestrians and cars. Hungry customers wait because they know they will be so happy to eat the delicious noodles. The deliverymen are exhausted by the end of the long day of cycling for a living, but they too get to join their families in the feast. In a few short hours after a hot bath and sleep, the deliverymen start their routine again and again.

Towed by toad
Awan, Jashar
Toad and his tow truck are ready to help when others need help with their cars. As soon as the words "I need help" are said, Toad moves into action to fix a car engine, a flat tire, or a crushed automobile from an accident. Everyone has places to be in their big, little, old, and new cars. Lucky, they can all be towed by Toad or rescued for other jobs.

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Wings of an eagle: The gold medal dreams of Billy Mills
Mills, Billy//Bowman, Donna Janell
Billy Mills tells his autobiographical story of being an Oglala Lakota from South Dakota and the different challenges he faced as a young boy. Billy's father tells him to dig deeper below the anger, the hurt, and self-pity after Billy's mother dies. Eventually Billy's father dies, but his father's words remain with him for the rest of his life during set backs that he experiences. After he is placed in a boarding school in Kansas, Billy takes up sports and works hard to make the track team. When Billy wins a scholarship to the University of Kansas, he faces segregation and racism as a Native American. When he joins the U.S. Marines, the doctor tells him he has borderline diabetes and hypoglycemia, but Billy perseveres and qualifies for the 1964 Olympics in the 10,000 meter race. Encouraged by what his father had once told him about having wings of an eagle, Billy goes on to win the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Billy Mills's courage and hard work continues to break barriers and to inspire others.

Home in a lunchbox
Mo, Cherry
Jun moves from Hong Kong to America and has to learn new words to start school. Her mother helps her write a few words on her hand each day so she can transition into a new life. The best moment of the day is when Jun eats her favorite meal from her lunch box, which her mother has prepared. By the end of the first week of school, Jun has lived through the terrifying moments of being alone, laughed at, and lost in school activities. The breakthrough moment is when Jun shares her food with girls at school then her Mom has Jun's new classmates come over to eat at their house.

Jimmy's rhythm & blues: The extraordinary life of James Baldwin
Meadows, Michelle
James Baldwin, or "Jimmy" as his friends and family would call him, grows up in Harlem New York and graduates from a high school in the Bronx. He writes songs, poems, plays, and stories because writing flows freely out of him, just like the dreams he imagines for his future. Jimmy loves to read and goes to church, museums, movies, and plays --- and he enjoys the encouragement of many mentors. Through the power of his words and his stories, Jimmy moves to Paris, France, but he eventually returns to America to interview southerners about the changing times known as the civil rights movement. His book, The Fire Next Time, deepens American's understanding of racism, and then Jimmy moves back to France to serve as a haven for those of all backgrounds and experiences.

Monster hands
Kane, Karen//McMillan. Jonas
When Milo reads book after book before bed, he does not expect to find a book on monsters. Milo should not have read that book because now he is afraid! Through the window, he uses a flashlight to summon his neighbor who is also his best friend, Mel. In a series of exchanges, the two discuss how to scare the monster by words and gestures. When they both make monster hands, the monster is gone! Now Milo feels braver, and the two gesture a hug from window to window.

A sleepless night
Chirif, Micaela
A little sister, Elisa, does not stop crying. Her noise is nonstop and loud. No matter which neighbors came by the apartment - with gifts and advice - Elisa keeps on crying. Her parents promise Elisa different vacations, treasures, and sweets but nothing worked. When grandma comes to help, she helps Elisa move her legs like a bicycle. Elisa expresses an amazing fart, and the whole family and neighborhood falls fast to sleep.

What's new, Daniel?
Archer, Micha
Daniel and his grandfather go for a walk in the park. Their walk begins with grandfather asking Daniel "What's new, Daniel?", and their walk ends with Daniel asking his grandfather "tell me - what's new with you?". There's a whole lot of nature, exploration, and changes that goes on in between. Bring along your curiosity!

Everywhere beauty is Harlem: The vision of photographer Roy DeCarava
Golio, Gary
Roy takes the subway home after work each night then travels on foot to do his favorite job - being an artist who takes photographs while seeking stories to show and tell. Roy takes pictures of objects and people to show beauty, truth, and life from his hometown, New York Harlem.

Coretta: The autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King
King, Coretta Scott//Reynolds, Barbara
Coretta Scott was born in Alabama but left in her college years to attend Antioch College in Yellow Spring, Ohio after a stint at Lincoln Normal School. She wanted to teach in Yellow Springs but she was not given the right to do so since there were no black teachers in the schools. Later after marrying Martin Luther King, Coretta raised money for the civil rights movement by giving concerts and speaking about peace while their four children grew up in their close-knit family. Over the years as Martin came and went to lead protest marches of nonviolence, the political changes evolved - until one day, when Martin was shot and killed. Coretta continued the mutual work that she and Martin were doing - and Coretta broadened the message of nonviolence to include human rights across the world. Coretta and her staff trained 300,000 people in South Africa for the transition of Nelson Mandela out of prison. Coretta worked tirelessly to make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a national holiday built on love with "a promise and power all its own".

Flora's very windy day
Birdsall, Jeanne
Flora's mother tells Flora to take her brother outside after he manages to spill her paints on the floor. Flora warns her mother that it is windy outside but that doesn't change her mother's mind. Flora spends the time outside on an adventure with her brother. A dragonfly, sparrow, rainbow, raindrops, eagle, and moon participate in the windy experience until the wind blows them back home.

Those shoes
Boelts, Maribeth
Jeremy 'wants' a new pair of shoes similar to the kids at school. His grandma takes him shopping but the costs are too high. Jeremy suggests that they could buy shoes at the thrift store. The shoes he buys are too small but he still wears them. One day, he gives the shoes to his classmate, Antonio, by leaving them on the front porch of his apartment. The next day Antonio is very proud of his new shoes. When it starts snowing, their teacher announces to the class "to get their boots on" so they can play outside. Now Jeremy is super happy because he puts on the new boots that his grandma bought him for winter - a pair of boots that he needs.

Kindergarten diary
Portis, Antoinette
It is September and time for Annalina to start school. On September 1, Annalina says she doesn't want to got to kindergarten. On September 2nd, Annalina has to look nice on her first day of school. On September, she meets her teacher Ms. Duffy. For each day of the month, Annalina experiences many new things in kindergarten. By September 30, the entry in Annalina's diary says "We are room 2K. We are fine!" --and too busy to write any more!

A girl like me
Johnson, Angela
Girls with African American heritage are excited to dream into their futures with visions of being themselves in different clothing, hats, and scarves in places that bring them joy and success. The happy girls are at the beach with nature, music, books, and balls empowered by their ideas and a sense of community.

My mei mei
Young, Ed
Antonia practices being a big sister before the family flies to China to get Jiang Hai, a younger sister. Antonia drew pictures of her sister while they waited for her to appear. When she did, Antonia noticed she was not walking, talking, playing, or interested in her. With time, the girls get real cats, watch movies, play board games, and music together. Within a couple years, they ask their parents for another Mei Mei.

Doctor White
Goodall, Jane
A little white dog is removed from the hospital where young children were healing from diseases and conditions. The nurse tried to explain to the health inspector why Doctor White should be allowed to stay on the hospital ward, but the health inspector wouldn't listen. One day, the inspector shows up to the hospital feeling quite sad because his daughter is ill and needs to stay at the hospital. The nurse lets Doctor White come into the hospital to help heal the little girl the way he always has with the sick children. In the end, the health inspector thanks Doctor White for helping his daughter, and from that day forward, Doctor White is welcomed at the hospital.

My daddy is a cowboy
Seales, Stephanie
Daddy gets his daughter up early to ride horses because there aren't any cars or trucks to interfere with their together time. While riding horses together, Daddy tells cowboys stories as the sun starts to rise and the town begins to wake up. They ride their horses, Clover and Power, back to the ranch and then head home on the motorcycle. The favorite part of the morning was the "just us time!".

Chooch helped
Rogers, Andrea L.
In this Cherokee family, Chooch is Sissy's younger brother who is only two years old. The family speaks Cherokee words when painting, cooking, biking, playing music, fishing, and gardening. Sissy's parents yell at her for not understanding that Chooch is just trying to help. When Sissy learns that she is one of Chooch's most important teachers, she helps him learn how to make a pot out of clay.

Nothing: John Cage and 4'33"
Day, Nicholas
An extraordinary new piano composition is released by John Cage. An extraordinary pianist, David Tudor, enters the stage to play the composition. He sits at the piano for four minutes and thirty-three seconds. Even though some people in the audience are angry, the composition becomes a classic and is performed often. And everyone basically does nothing.

Alex and the Wednesday Chess Club
Wong, Janet S.
Alex likes chess so much that he is hungry to win. But the next-door neighbor has an Uncle Hooya who is starving to win at a game of chess. Alex learns Coach B's top 10 chess tips and becomes a chess maniac. What do you think happens when Alex gets to Step 8 Think ahead? Yes! He yells Checkmate! and Alex wins against Little Hooya!

Also an octopus or a little bit of nothing
Tokuda-Hall, Maggie
To write an interesting story, an octopus is made the character of this book with a creative twist. The octopus plays the ukulele and helps to build a spaceship. Did you know that every story starts with "just a little bit of nothing"?

Most people
Leannah, Michael
When we think about the ways that most people want to live, there are examples of people helping others and being good. Sometimes people do bad things by bullying or lying or stealing. But that is not true for most people. Most people do good things, say good things, and want good things for other people.

Rosa
Giovanni, Nikki
Seamstress Rosa Parks displays her quiet strength by turning her NO into a YES for change by not getting up from the neutral section of the city bus where she sat. She recited in her mind that separate sections on the bus are "unequal" for Blacks who were supposed to ride the bus in the back. Jo Ann Robinson, a professor at Alabama State, told 25 women to meet on campus after dinner to pray then print posters to boycott the buses the next day in support of Mrs. Parks. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. became the public spokesperson for the mass meeting of the Women's Political Council, the NAACP, and churches. Black people kept walking and not riding the city buses until on November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that segregation was WRONG. One year after Mrs. Rose Parks had been arrested, blacks were no longer second-class citizens and were made equal under the law.

A star shines through
Desnitskaya, Anna
A young girl and her mother find change when they leave Russia for Israel. They leave a big city apartment during the war for a different apartment with a different language and different food. They make a cardboard star by cutting and gluing it so they can place the star in the window. When the girl returns from music lessons in the evening, she recognizes the star shining brightly.

Daughter of the light-footed people: The story of indigenous marathon champion Lorena Ramirez
Medina, Belen
Lorena Ramirez is an athlete who loves to run. Her swift footsteps echo through the copper canyons of Mexico as she runs in an ultramarathon for sixty miles. She wears a skirt sewn by her mother and rubber sandals made from tires when she runs so she can honor the Raramuri people of Chihuahua, Mexico. She wins the race against hundreds of people from other countries.

Yatandou
Whelan, Gloria
A young Mali girl, Yatandou, is eight years old and sits with women in her village for three hours to pound sticks against the millet kernels to make one day's food. Yatandou takes her goat to graze. Her brother, Madou, goes into the thickets to bring back another goat lost from the village. He gets thorns on his clothes which Yatandou pulls off. Madou and their father work the onion fields in the scorching heat and blowing red sand. Mother makes two journeys to the well each day -- morning and night. On the eve of getting a machine to grind millet in the village, a woman comes from the city to teach the girls and the women. Father complains that the women will become idle. But Madou climbs the rocks and brings home a bag of bats from the caves. Mother makes bat stew for dinner, and Father is happy.

Child of the civil rights movement
Shelton, Paula Young
As a child of the civil rights movement, a little girl recounts the story of her parents growing up with Jim Crow laws which said that black people had to sit in the back of the bus, the last car of the train, and the balcony of the movie theatre. From New York to Georgia, the girl and her family moves back home to find that restaurants would not let them come in to eat. Families gather at friends houses to eat while organizing a peaceful protest to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The people start at Brown Chapel AME Church with thousands of others - which included Jewish rabbis, Catholic priests, and Baptist ministers. It took four days to march the fifty miles as people watched them on TV. On the sixth of August, President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into the history books. The children march on to other causes.

Our children can soar: A celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the the pioneers of change
Cook, Michelle
African American history makers march across the pages as fighters, inventors, sprinters, singers, judges, and presidents. Each famous person is described by first name with their accomplishments in action. Each pioneer contributes to the higher movement of shaping the next generation of change.

My hair is a book
Oso, Maisha
The hair of Black people has many ways to describe it. You can part hair, pack hair, and call it curly, kinky, and coarse. Hair can be pinned, twisted, woven, and waved. Whether the hair is in corn rows, ponytails, or naturally long or short, the hair of black people is beautiful.

The yellow bus
Long, Loren
A yellow bus drives day after day, year after year, while getting a new driver, a new route, and new passengers. Yellow bus is filled with joy while carrying people from one place to another and when being a safe space to the homeless. Yellow bus is towed into the country side to become a shelter for goats and then fish at the bottom of the river. Yellow bus lives a good life where ever she finds herself.

The last zookeeper
Aaron Becker
A large robot acts as the world's last zookeeper when water floods earth and cause animals to be stranded everywhere. The robot feeds, protects, and cares for the zoo animals by collecting them in a modern-day ark then a helium balloon as a rainbow shines across the sky (A Wordless Book).

Remembering Rosalind Franklin: Rosalind Franklin and the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA
Tanya Lee Stone
Rosalind Franklin was a remarkable chemist who captured an image that identified the double helix of DNA in the 1950's. Her Photo 51 helped two of her male colleagues to win the Nobel Prize but Rosalind did not know this ethical overstep before she died of ovarian cancer at a young age of 37. Rosalind's life as a young woman is chronicled from England to Norway and France where she had a zest for life and demonstrated her many skills and talents. If it weren't for Rosalind, we would not know the scientific secrets of life. Her main discovery is that DNA created different patterns when it is wet versus dry. In May 1952, Rosalind's X-ray diffraction images became the important Photo 51. Let us not forget Rosalind Franklin!

Fall ball
McCarty, Peter
Bobby and his friends ride the school bus home with anticipation for playing football together at the park. The fall leaves set the tone for the girls and boys as they through, pass, and run with the ball. When it gets dark at 4:30 pm, the children go home to dinner. Because it had started snowing, they all snuggle in at their houses with good things to eat, cozy pajamas, and warm blankets to watch football on the television.

What do you do with a problem?
Yamada, Kobi
A boy realizes he has a problem that he didn't ask for or want to have. He worries about the problem. He ignores the problem. And tries to understand why the problem keeps getting bigger. He uses a new perspective by turning his worry into an opportunity. His change of thinking makes his problem go away!

What do you do with an idea?
Yamada, Kobi
An idea shows up in a child's life. The child wonders how it came to be and why it stays around. Sometimes the idea makes the child think, and sometimes it wants a lot of attention. The child worries about the idea and sometimes it needs food. The child lets the idea grow into the size of a dream. The child gains the ability to see things differently by walking on his hands. Eventually, the idea becomes part of everything, and it changes the world.

Jovita wore pants: The story of a Mexican freedom fighter
Salazar, Aida
Jovita is a brave young girl who joins the fight for religious freedom in Mexico during the Cristero War. Although girls are supposed to wear dresses and skirts, Jovita joins her brothers and father to become a revolutionary in so many ways. Jovita is a Mexican Freedom Fighter who fights dangerous battles against the government and eventually surrenders peacefully after fighting hard for six years. She is remembered by a song written in her honor.

The hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher goes to school
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Zoe Fleefenbacher is a memorable girl with one blue eye and one green eye. Her most interesting characteristic is her red hair which is able to do many amazing things and surprises. In first grade, Zoe's teacher has lots of rules to learn but Zoe's hair does not listen and follow those rules. No one can tame Zoe's hair - not even Zoe herself. Zoe tries scrunchies, barrettes, headbands, to name a few! But one day, Zoe's hair finally helps her teacher and her classmates learn about all the planets in the solar system. Zoe becomes a star student in first grade which makes her teacher very happy!

Catching the moon
Goldberg, Myla
On one night each month, there is no moon. The Man in the Moon pays a visit to the fisherwoman who likes to fish at night. The Man in the Moon leaves a trail of luminous footprints behind but returns the next month and the next month to have tea with the fisherwoman. During those moonless nights, turtle babies, dolphins, hermit crabs, salmons, and sharks know what to do in their life. And the local fishermen remain baffled as to why the fisherwoman continues to fish at night.

The youngest marcher: The story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a young civil rights activist
Levinson, Cynthia
Audrey is a very confident and brave nine-year-old girl who knows all about segregation. She sees how others treat black people, and she wants to speak up and go to places like anybody else. After a church service, Audrey volunteers to go to jail to make a statement about freedom. Jail was quite hard, and the food was awful. After five days, Audrey is released to go home. Two months later, the City of Birmingham Alabama wipes segregation laws off the books. From then on, Audrey Faye Hendricks is known as the "Civil Rights Queen" and the youngest known marcher in the Children's March in May 1963. Audrey can now enjoy her ice cream at the parlor counter like everybody else.

Papa's magical water-jug clock
Trejo, Jesus
Papa is working today so Jesus tags along to help him with planting, cutting grass, and trimming trees. The family business works on Saturdays too so Jesus is in charge of filling Papa's big water jug. The two work around the neighborhood with all the tools rattling in the work van, stopping to work in 14 yards. Does the water hold out for them even though Jesus splashes some water on his face and gives water to some animals. Even though Jesus panics when the water is gone by 10:30 am, Papa explains that Jesus is still part of the family business. At the end of the day, Papa says "Time and water are precious. We don't want to waste them".

Do you remember?
Smith, Sydney
A boy and his mother trade memories while lying together on the bed. In the darkness of the night, they remember things of their past. The move from their house to an apartment with their belongings is part of their memory making. The boy asks his mother if the moments of remembering could also be a memory.

How do you spell unfair? MacNolia Cox and the national spelling bee
Weatherford, Carole Boston
In 1936, an eighth grader becomes the first African American to win the spelling bee in Akron, Ohio. MacNolia gets a military band send off to the National Spelling Bee in Washington DC with her mother. MacNolia learns about racism and discrimination when she crosses into Maryland and arrives in Washington. She and another black girl are seated away from the other spellers and their families. MacNolia spells word after word with a calm and focused performance. The judges throw a curveball to stump her and MacNolia is determined out. Her triumph is that folks now learn that African American students are as smart as anyone.

No mirrors in my nana's house
By looking in her nana's eyes, this little girl sees beauty in ways that others may not see. When her grandmother reflects love back to the little girl, she discovers the beauty in herself and doesn't learn hate. The little girl finds beauty in everything.

The smart cookie
John, Jory//Oswald, Pete
Learn how to become a smart cookie when given a chance to be creative and make something unique just like you. When the day came to share something original at school, smart cookie read her poem out loud and everybody clapped and cheered. Smart cookie learned that you can be smart in many different ways and there is always more to learn!

Lin's uncommon life
Shackelford, Scott//Castle, Emily
Elinor Ostrom, also known as Lin, worked "little by little, bit by bit, family by family" in order that the world could become a better place. Lin wanted to study the way that people could share resources because she believed that "so much good can be done on so many levels". Lin was discouraged from going to graduate school but she did and studied hard until she earned her PhD degree in political science. She wanted to create a research center where people could work together and ask hard questions. With her husband, they established the Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at the University of Indiana. With their groundbreaking research, Elinor taught people how to share common resources around the world. She also earned the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences - the first woman to do so.

Fighting for yes! The story of disability rights activist Judith Heumann
Cocca-Leffler, Maryann
Judy Heumann always hears NO from a young age. She is not allowed to attend public school because she is in a wheelchair. Then after she goes to a special school with special education students, she attends college to become a teacher. But even the New York Board of Education says NO to her becoming a teacher after she earns her teaching degree. Judy joins several other disability rights activists to ensure Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 could be signed into federal law. Their work lays the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a living advocate for herself and others, Judy tells her story of civil rights for which she fought tirelessly. By leading and working together with others to fix problems and make changes, disabled people now have less discrimination against them.

Dancing hands: A story of friendship in filipino sign language
Que, Joanna//Marquez, Charria
The new neighbors do not use their voices to speak. Their hands move in a rhythm to express their thoughts and feelings. Mai teaches her friend to communicate using her "hands to dance". The girls share their dreams and their aspirations for careers. Sam and Mai become best friends.

An American story
Alexander, Kwame
An African American story is an American story of slavery, brutal conditions, struggle, and oppression. Remember the American story of hard work, pride, and strength in the fight for liberty as Black people stand up and speak out while "holding history in one hand and clenching hope in the other".

We are here
Charles, Tami
In a journey of progress, love and, possibilities, this prose shows the music, art, speakers, and food that have celebrated African Americans and their impact in society. With the big hands and small hands that built the Black legacy, there are countless steps of heroes who have made a contribution to the world.