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Search: African American books

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Count on your fingers African style

Zaslavsky, Claudia

This beautifully illustrated four color picture book takes children through the markets, showing traditional finger counting of various African people - the Maasai, the Kamba, and the Taita in Kenya, the Zulu of South Africa, and the Mende of Sierra Leone. This book examines the role that numbers play in creating a common language across cultural boundaries.

Tags

africa, african, author's note, body parts, cattle, chicken, counting, cow, food, fruit, games, language, learning, market, multicultural, nonverbal communication, numbers, parents, play, school, siblings, verbal communication

Gorilla doctors: Saving endangered great apes

Turner, Pamela

African mountain gorillas are fascinating creatures that have been studied for many years. African gorillas are presently endangered due to disease and human interaction. Join the journey as scientists race against time to save these gentle giants.

Meet Kofi, Maria and Sunita: Family life in Ghana, Peru and India

Simmons, Lesley Anne

Kofi, Maria, and Sunita come from Ghana, Peru, and India. They tell about traditions of their country, their school, and their family.

Tags

africa, african, birthday, books, careers, Days of The Week, food, garden, ghana, grandparents, hygiene, illness, india, language, maps, multicultural, parents, poverty, south american, traditions, verbal communication

In the time of the drums

Siegelson, K.

Raised by his grandmother Twi, a young boy named Mentu learns of the toils and tragedies of slavery and how one day he too will have to be strong in the cotton fields. As Mentu grows, Twi shares her talks of living in Africa through the use of drums. When Twi's spirit calls her home to Africa, Mentu's day to be strong arrives.

Tags

africa, african, aging, author's note, beliefs, boat, bodies of water, customs, escape, family, fear, garden, grandparents, hard work, history, island, language, memories, mischief, music, running away, ship, slavery, spanish, storytelling, transportation, travel, verbal communication, water

Welcome dede!: An African naming ceremony

Onyefulu, Ifeoma

Amarlai has a new baby cousin and he can't wait for her to be given a name. A tradtional African name will tell people where she comes from and which child she is in the family.

Tags

africa, african, baby, birth, celebration, ceremony, clothing, community, cooking, family, feelings, food, geography, giving, grandparents, happiness, hard work, language, maps, market, multicultural, parents, photograph, prayer, presents, traditions, village

My rows and piles of coins

Mollel, Tololwa M.

What would you buy if your mother gave you some money? Saruni wants a bicycle- a bicycle of his very own! Saruni saves his coins and works hard to help his mother. Unfortunately, Saruni is disappointed because he does not have enough to buy his very own bicycle. Where there is a will, there is a way, so Saruni finally gets a bicycle to help his mother to the Tanzanian market.

A child's day in a Ghanaian city

Provencal, Francis & McNamara, Catherine

Nii Kwei gets up with the sun, and at half past five, he's already hard at work chasing the chickens and sweeping the compound clean with his straw broom. As the city begins to wake up, he washes, changes into his school uniform, and sits down to chocolate milk and sandwiches for breakfast. Photographs capture the lively rhythms of West African daily life, and this delightful dawn-to-dusk journal will encourage young readers, wherever they live, to compare and contrast Nii Kwei's day with their own.

Tags

africa, african, author's note, band, bath, bodies of water, chores, cooking, family, ghana, hygiene, language, math, multicultural, music, parents, play, school, sea, siblings, soccer, sports

Grandpa, is everything black bad?

Holman, Sandy Lynne

Montsho struggles with the dark color of his skin. Everything around him that is black is considered bad. Thankfully, Muntsho's grandfather teaches him to appreciate his black skin by telling him stories about his African heritage.

Tags

activities, africa, african, african american, animals, bedtime, colors, confusion, death, discrimination, egypt, emotions, friendship, glasses, grandparents, greek, history, identity, instruments, inventions, language, playing, pride, relationship, rhythm, royalty, self esteem, sounds, storytelling, television, traditions, understanding, witches

Lazy lion

Hadithi, Mwenye & Kennaway, Adrienne

Lazy lion orders everyone to build him a house, but he is not satisfied with it. When a big rain comes, all the other animals go into the house that was built for the lion to keep dry. This is why lions must roam the earth.

Tags

aardvark, african, animals, ant, assertiveness, badger, bee, birds, conflict resolution, critical thinking, crocodile, decision making, folktale, geography, goal setting, insects, laziness, lion, rain, refusal skills, reptiles, shelter, teamwork, weather

Jamela's dress

Daly, Niki

Jamela's mama has just bought some beautiful fabric for a new dress. While she's watching it dry outside in the South African air, Jamela wraps it around herself and starts parading down the street. Everyone is watching her, she is so proud. When she gets home, Jamela finds her mama very upset because her fabric is ruined. With the help of a friend, Jamela buys her mama more fabric. At this South African wedding, both Jamela and her mama are beautiful in their new dresses.

Tags

african, animals, birds, celebration, chicken, clothing, conflict resolution, critical thinking, dog, forgiveness, friendship, games, helping, language, love, market, money, multicultural, parents, photograph, pretend, sewing, shopping, verbal communication, wedding

For you are a Kenyan child

Cunnane, Kelly

Follow a little Kenyan boy through his village on a typical but eventful day in Kenya. He learns an important lesson about listening to his elders as he visits with the neighbors in his village.

Tags

africa, african, animals, beetle, butterfly, chicken, cow, dog, dove, family, forgetful, forgiveness, friendship, games, goat, grandparents, hunting, insects, kenyan, lion, lizard, monkey, moth, multicultural, parents, pride, respect, siblings, sleep, traditions, tree, village

One child, one seed: A south african counting book

Cave, Kathryn

Play a simple counting game. Watch a pumpkin grow. Follow young Nothando and discover the rhythms of her daily life in her South African village.

Tags

africa, african, cattle, chicken, cleanliness, cooking, counting, cow, dog, family, farm, friendship, games, garden, hard work, home, language, numbers, parents, photograph, plants, play, preparation, siblings, summer, walking

Molasses man

May, Kathy L.

A young boy and his family make molasses every summer. This summer the sourghum turns into a recipe that the boy's Grandfather has perfected. The boy spends his summer days helping his family make molasses and playing outside during the cooking process. While some molasses is cooling, Mama and her sisters pour it into glass jars and set up a stand near the road for passers-by.

Tags

african american, animals, author's note, books, community, cooking, family, farm, five senses, food, games, generations, glasses, grandparents, happiness, hard work, horse, moving, mule, neighbors, noise, observation, parents, plants, playing, pretend, recreation, sequence, smell, teamwork, traditions

Poppleton everyday

Rylant, Cynthia

Poppleton has several adventures. First, he looks at the stars at night with his friend, Hudson. Next Poppleton buys a new bed to replace the one he has had since he was a boy. Then Fillmore takes Poppleton sailing for the first time.

Tags

accidents, adventures, animals, boat, books, fear, feelings, friendship, helping, pig, planet, relaxation, shopping, sky, sleep, stars, storm, technology, television, transportation, verbal communication, weather

Panther's dream: A story of the African rainforest

Weir, Bob//Weir, Wendy

Lokuli lives in the rainforest. His village will soon starve if they do not find meat. Even though the rainforest is supposedly full of evil spirits, Lokuli is brave enough to go inside. Amidst the splendor of the jungle animals, he meets a panther who teaches him an important lesson.

Tags

african, animals, bravery, environment, food, hunger, jungle, multicultural, panther, teaching

Thank you, mr. falker

Polacco, Patricia

Trisha loves being read to and loves being at school because she can draw there. When it is Trisha's time to read, she is teased and feels dumb. Thanks to Mr. Falker, one of her teachers, she gains confidence and learns how to read.

Tags

books, conflict resolution, emotions, family, feelings, frustration, grandparents, helping, learning, nonverbal communication, reading, sadness, school, teaching, teamwork, teasing

A. lincoln and me

Borden, Louise

A young boy discovers that he shares a birthday on the same day as Abraham Lincoln's. Learn how many other common characteristics a boy shares with a past president.

Tags

appearance, appreciation, baseball, birthday, body parts, books, bus, calendar, celebration, freedom, friendship, history, individuality, learning, money, monuments, music, playground, president, reading, running, school, self confidence, self esteem, slavery, sports, teaching, transportation

Window music

Suen, Anastasia

The train trip of a little girl and her family is described through colorful illustrations and rhyming words. She travels over streets, past horses at play, around growing fruit trees, and through a city to the final stop.

Tags

adventures, american, animals, car, family, food, grandparents, horse, ocean, plants, rhyme, sounds, train, transportation, travel, tree

Bug in a rug

Cole, Joanna//Calmenson, Stephanie

Come learn the alphabet, match words with pictures, and tell silly stories. Bright, colorful pictures and clever rhymes help capture and hold your attention.

Tags

airplane, alphabet, animals, assertiveness, bear, bicycle, books, bus, cat, concepts, critical thinking, dog, elephant, food, fox, frog, goat, kangaroo, monkey, pig, poetry, reading, rhyme, transportation, truck, verbal communication

Together in pinecone patch

Yezerski, Thomas

Keara and Stefan are from Ireland and Poland, respectively, and each tell the stories of their families. They meet in the United States in Pinecone Patch, PA. They overcome deep stereotypes and prejudices to be married and bring two families together.

Jungle walk

Tafuri, Nancy

After reading a book on jungle animals, a little boy falls asleep and dreams of the animals he read about.

Tags

animals, bedtime, books, dreams, jungle, reading, sleep

A bedtime story

Fox, Mem

Polly has a room filled with books but does not know how to read. With her stuffed animal, Bed Rabbit, Polly interrupts her parents' reading time for a bedtime story.

Tags

affection, bedtime, books, family, hygiene, love, nonverbal communication, parents, reading, routine, teeth, toys

The day the tv blew up

West, Dan

A young boy named Ralph uses his television too much for entertainment. Ralph soon discovers that there are other ways to have fun too. Ralph learns what a library is, how to use a library, and how much fun reading a book can be.

Tags

books, entertainment, fun, library, play, reading, technology, television

Popcorn at the palace

McCully, Emily Arnold

Based on real events, Maisie Ferris, a girl from the mid-1800s, and her family don't really fit in with their neighbors in the small town of Galesburg, Illinois with their new ideas. They take one of their American creations, popcorn, to England and impress everyone with their corn that turns to snow.

Tags

american, animals, assertiveness, author's note, boat, carriage, cow, creativity, dolls, english, family, farm, food, garden, history, horse, imagination, multicultural, neighbors, nutrition, pioneers, royalty, self esteem, snow, spiritual, transportation, travel

What dads can't do

Wood, Douglas

Throughout the day, a dad shows his love for his son by showing him things that he can't do alone such as pitching a baseball very fast, reading a book to himself, fishing alone, and winning at cards.

Tags

activities, baseball, bedtime, books, camping, car, careers, caring, cooking, family, fear, feelings, fishing, food, games, hygiene, love, nonverbal communication, parents, reading, recreation, sleep, sports, transportation

The rotten book

Rodgers, Mary

As Simon and his family are having breakfast one morning, Simon's parents talk about a horrible child they know. Simon begins to wonder what this horrible child could have done. He imagines all kinds of trouble the boy could have caused. Simon begins to appreciate the delicious breakfast he is eating instead of complaining about it.

Tags

books, curiosity, family, food, imagination, mischief, nutrition, parents, siblings

We hide, you seek

Aruego, Jose//Dewey, Ariane

Take an active part in playing hide-and-seek with the pictures in this book! (A Wordless Book)

Tags

african, animals, chameleon, desert, geography, giraffe, leopard, multicultural, rhinoceros, swamp

Shoes, shoes, shoes

Morris, Ann

A rhyme about shoes from all over the world ranges from new shoes to work shoes, game shoes to fun shoes.

Tags

american, bolivian, british, canadian, clothing, columbian, dancing, dutch, exercise, geography, guatemalan, italian, japanese, kenyan, mexican, moroccan, mountains, multicultural, native american, rain, romanian, russian, seasons, snow, soccer, spanish, sports, swedish, swimming, transportation, walking, weather

Africa calling

Adlerman, Dan

A young girl dreams of all the animals in Africa. The animals seem to capture her attention through their actions. The animals frolick in the dusk of beautiful Africa.

Tags

african, animals, dreams, elephant, hippopotamus, imagination, lion, monkey, multicultural, nature, night, rhinoceros, rhyme, sleep, snake, survival, zebra

Moving is hard

Prestine, Joan Singleton

A young girl is sad that she has to move from her house. She must leave her friends, her school, and all of her favorite things, like playing baseball and running in the fields with her dog. She soon makes new friends, though, and learns her new apartment is not much different from her old neighborhood and begins to like it.

Tags

acceptance, animals, baseball, books, bus, change, coping, dog, exercise, feelings, friendship, loneliness, loss, moving, neighbors, park, refusal skills, running, sadness, school, sports, transportation

Gifts

Bogart, Jo Ellen

Whenever Grandma goes on a trip, she brings back a present. Sometimes it's something tangible and other times it's just a memory. No matter what Grandma brings, it's always special and can be shared.

Tags

african, australian, british, chinese, family, giving, grandparents, hawaiian, indian, memories, mexican, multicultural, presents, travel, verbal communication

Treed by a pride of irate lions

Zimelman, Nathan

An animal likes his Mother but not his Father -- so off he goes to Africa where he hopes to find some loving animals. In the end, the Dad returns home, telling his family that no animal will ever be like him. Dad is happy that his family still loves him.

Tags

african, animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, goal setting, love, peer resistance, refusal skills, self esteem, stress management, travel, verbal communication

Where does it go?

Miller, Margaret

Various children learn where different objects are supposed to go. After four tries, the correct answer is given.

Tags

bicycle, books, clothing, decision making, dolls, food, goal setting, learning, nonverbal communication, nutrition, responsibilities, teeth, toys, transportation

A very important day

Herold, Maggie Rugg

A snowstorm adds to the wonder and excitement of this very important day during which 219 people become U.S. citizens.

Jazper

Egielski, Richard

Jazper's dad breaks three legs at work, so Jazper must find a job to pay the rent. He begins watching a house for menacing moths and while at the house, he learns how to transform himself into various things by reading. When the moths find out, Jazper must use his new talent to save himself.

Tags

books, family, helping, insects, magic, money, moth, reading, work

Andy and the lion

Daugherty, James

A boy named Andy reads a book about a lion. After reading it, his imagination goes wild and he dreams about saving a lion.

Tags

animals, books, conflict resolution, decision making, imagination, lion, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, reading

Grandmother and the runaway shadow

Rosenberg, Liz

A young girl escapes alone to America and finds companionship in a runaway shadow. They experience their new world together.

Tags

american, author's note, boat, careers, clothing, dancing, differences, exercise, family, feelings, friendship, grandparents, imagination, immigrants, loneliness, running away, shadows, transportation, travel

Armien's fishing trip

Stock, Catherine

A boy struggles to find his own place among the hard working people of Kalk Bay in Southern Africa.

Tags

african, assertiveness, bodies of water, careers, decision making, hard work, multicultural, ocean, peer resistance

Hopscotch around the world

Lankford, Mary D.

Nineteen different ways of playing hopscotch from around the world are presented along with directions, drawings of the different patterns, and a brief history of the game.

Tags

american, bolivian, chinese, czech, english, exercise, french, games, geography, german, honduran, indian, italian, jumping, multicultural, nigerian, polish, russian

What's in aunt mary's room

Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald

Susan and Sarah love to play what's in Aunt Mary's room? All great Aunt Flossie will say is: It's full of things to save, things to keep. One day the girls get to find out what's in Aunt Mary's room, and they get to learn about their ancestors in the process.

Tags

african american, books, death, family, games, imagination, multicultural, spiritual, surprises, traditions

How my parents learned to eat

Friedman, Ina R.

An American sailor meets a Japanese school girl. Neither of them know how to eat in the same manner as the other.

Tags

american, conflict resolution, customs, decision making, family, food, goal setting, japanese, learning, marriage, multicultural, nonverbal communication, nutrition, parents, relationship

Rosie's fiddle

Root, Phyllis

Rosie O'Grady loves being by herself, but people can't stay away when she plays her fiddle. She is so good that they say she could out-fiddle the devil himself!One day, the devil shows up to challenge Rosie to a contest, the devil's golden fiddle for Rosie's soul!

Faraway drums

Kroll, Virginia

Jamila has the important responsibility of watching her little sister when their mom goes to work. While trying to ignore unfamiliar creepy sounds, Jamila comforts her sister and herself by recalling their grandmother's stories about their native homeland, Africa.

And if the moon could talk

Banks, Kate

A young child gets ready for bed. Her father reads her a book, and her mother tucks her into bed. Soon, she is fast asleep and dreaming. The moon watches from outside as the world prepares for nightfall.

Tags

animals, beach, bedtime, boat, books, crab, desert, donkey, dreams, family, fire, five senses, lion, lizard, moon, night, parents, rabbit, reading, sleep, stars, storytelling, wind

When Africa was home

Williams, Karen Lynn

A home is a place of security and happiness. Peter finds Africa to be more of a home than America. In Africa, Peter is treated with respect, politeness, and care. After learning more about the world, Peter gets to go home again.

Sammy and the dinosaurs

Whybrow, Jan

While helping his grandmother clean out the attic, Sammy uncovers a dusty, old box. He opens the lid and finds that the box is filled with dinosaurs!Sammy proceeds to care for the dinosaurs. He fixes the broken ones, washes them in the sink, and gives them all names. In reply to Sammy's care, the dinosaurs whisper back, Thank you. Sammy does not let his new friends out of his sight, until one day he left them on a train. Sammy and his grandma go down to the train station to find his dinosaurs. He calls them all by their names and Sammy's dinosaur friends come running back.

When jessie came across the sea

Hest, Amy

Jessie and her Grandmother are very close family to each other because there are no other relatives. Grandmother teachers Jessie to sew and Jessie teaches Grandmother to read. One day, Jessie is requested to travel to America by the rabbi. Her journey by ship is hard, but she meets a young man, Low, who she finds again in America and marries. Grandmother travels to America on the money that Jessie earned sewing lace for three years.

Tags

american, challenges, communication, correspondence, decision making, english, family, friendship, illness, immigrants, Jewish, language, marriage, money, monuments, multicultural, religion, school, sewing, ship, spiritual, stress management, transportation, travel, work

Virgie goes to school with us boys

Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald

After President Lincoln frees the slaves a man opens up a school for African Americans. All boys attend the school. Five boys that go to this school have a little sister that badly wants to go also. They tell her the hourney is too treacherous. After asking to go all summer, her parents finally allow her to go to school with her brothers.

A hanukkah treasury

Kimmel, Eric

Hanukkah is to me the time for lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidel, and remembering heros from the past. Poetry, music, and recipes help keep the Hanukkah tradition alive!

Tags

acceptance, accomplishment, adventures, ambition, american, animals, anticipation, appreciation, assertiveness, beliefs, bias, bravery, celebration, ceremony, challenges, change, charity, closeness, communication, conflict, conflict resolution, cooking, courage, critical thinking, culture, customs, decision making, destruction, determination, discrimination, elephant, family, feelings, folktale, food, freedom, games, goal setting, god, grandparents, grief, hanukkah, happiness, hebrew, heroism, history, holidays, hope, immigrants, independence, individuality, israelian, Jewish, kindness, language, love, loyalty, memories, miracle, moose, moving, multicultural, music, parents, peace, pilgrims, poetry, polish, politics, poverty, prayer, prejudice, presents, racism, religion, russian, sadness, secrets, siblings, snow, song, spiritual, storytelling, toys, traditions, war, weather

More than anything else

Bradby, Marie

Booker and all the other African Americans have been set free. Money is tight and food is scarce, but the one thing that Booker cares most about is learning to read. His mother gives him an alphabet book, so he seeks the help of a man who knows how to read.

Tags

african american, amphibians, assertiveness, books, critical thinking, decision making, exercise, family, feelings, food, freedom, frog, frustration, happiness, hunger, learning, multicultural, nutrition, parents, reading, siblings, walking

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