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A is for Africa
Owoo, Ifr
The country of Africa is explored from A to Z. Africa has a rich culture, many customs, and hardworking people that have lasted throughout history.

A picnic in october
Bunting, Eve
Tony and his extended family celebrate the birthday of the Statue of Liberty every October. They travel out to Libery Island to have a picnic and show their appreciation to the meaning the statue brings. Tony is embarrassed by his family's dedication, but in the end realizes the meaning of the statue.

A sweet smell of roses
Johnson, Angela
One morning, after a night of rain, Minnie and her sister sneak out of the house to join many men and women to march for freedom and equality. When they arrive at the beginning of the march, the girls walk with many others keeping their eyes straight ahead and their feet steady. Despite the criticism and yells from people standing by, the girls continue to march. As the day passes, more people join the march to where Dr. Martin Luther King gives his famous speech about peace, love, and equality for all.

A visit to the country
Johnson, Herschel
A young boy named Mike lives with his grandparents near the train tracks. One day he finds a bird and takes it home. However, he realizes that the bird must be let go so it can live in the country.

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.

Ain't nobody a stranger to me
Grifalconi, Ann
As a girl and her grandfather walk to the family’s apple orchard, grandfather shares his experiences as a slave to explain how the apple orchard came to be. Her grandfather traveled north in pursuit of freedom and encountered members of the Underground Railroad who helped their family by providing food, shelter, and transportation. This allowed her grandfather, grandmother, and mother to cross the Ohio River and gain freedom, working until they had enough money to buy land and start their own apple orchard.

Alec's primer
Pitts-Walter, Mildred
Alec was a slave who wanted to be free. Ms. Josephine, one of his masters and three years older than him, told Alic if he wanted to be free he needed to learn to read. Ms. Josephine taught him to read and when Alec was old enough he couragously fights in the Civil War and obtained his freedom.

All different now: Juneteenth, the first day of freedom
Johnson, Angela
A young girl wakes up on what she believes to be a normal day, working with her family to complete the daily tasks of her work as a slave. Then, everyone is told that slavery has been abolished and that now they are finally free people. The young girl celebrates with her family and community, excited by the prospects of what their future, independent life will bring.

All-of-a-kind family hanukkah
Jenkins, Emily
Gertie, the youngest of five children, wants to help her mother cook for their family dinner on the first night of Hanukkah in New York City’s Lower East Side. After many attempts of trying to help in the busy kitchen, Gertie is sent to her room by her mother and is eventually called down for dinner by her dad. In order to get her to come downstairs, Gertie’s father asks for her helping to light the candles of the menorah for the first time and Gertie happily accepts the offer.

An ellis island christmas
Leighton, Maxine Rhea
Krysia and her family leave Poland around Christmas to meet their father, who is already living in New York. It is a long trip on land and by water, but they eventually land at Ellis Island where their father is waiting.

Aunt harriet's underground railroad in the sky
Ringgold, Faith
Cassie take a ride on the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman as her guide. She learns what steps slaves had to go through in order to reach freedom in the North.

Barefoot: Escape on the underground railroad
Edwards, Pamela Duncan
A boy runs along the pathway of the Underground Railroad until he needs to take a rest. While he is resting, his pursuers are getting closer. They get too close and the boy can not run from his hiding place. Is he bound to be captured or can someone or something help him?

Big jabe
Nolan, Jerdine
Momma Mary goes back in time and tells stories of a unique young man named Jabe, who is responsible for creating magic among the slaves of the Plenty Plantation. He is described as a hero with the strength of fifty men, a big heart, and a wondrous gift at leading slaves away to freedom.

Black cowboy, wild horses: A true story
Lester, Julius
Using his amazing tracking ability, black cowboy Bob Lemmons is accepted by a herd of wild horses allowing him to corral them. Based on a true story, the reader gets a glimpse of the struggles that faced the cowboys in the plains of the United States.

Butterfly house
Bunting, Eve
A young girl and her grandfather save a caterpillar and keep it while it goes through its changes. They build it a beautiful house and care for it until it turns into a butterfly. Although it was hard for her to let it go, she has mysterious visitors surprise her every spring, even when she grows up to be a grandmother herself.

Casper and the rainbow bird
Hyman, Robin//Hyman, Inge
One day, Casper flies all the way to town. Through a window, Casper sees Rainbow, a bright, colorful bird who lives in a cage in the city. Rainbow is afraid to leave the comfort of her cage, but Rainbow overcomes her fear and lives with Casper in the forest after Casper proves that he is a true friend.

Click, clack, splish, splash
Cronin, Doreen
While a farmer is sleeping, a long sequence of farm animals are busy. Join in the fun with 4 chickens, 5 cows, 6 goats, 7 pigs, 8 sheep, and 9 mice then repeat it backwards. Enjoy the 1 to 10 counting rhyme as the farm animals take you on the journey to release some fish at the end.

Dangerous crossing
Krensky, Stephen
Showing no signs of fear, young Johnny Adams boards a ship with his father, the future second President of the United States, for a voyage from Massachusetts to Paris to gain support for the colonies. Their journey is depicted with vivid pictures and an exciting storyline portraying the battles, harsh weather and seasickness endured along the way by two key Presidents in U.S. history.

Freedom river
Rappaort, Doreen
John Ripley shows courage and perseverence in Southern Ohio through his actions. John crosses the Ohio River into the slave state of Kentucky to help other African Americans escape to freedom. John listens to nature as he rows a slave family across the Ohio River to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

Freedom school, yes!
Littlesugar, Amy
Jolie shows courage in her community by protecting the school that will educate her and others. Jolie is afraid others will burn down the school. Jolie never gives up hope, and learns about famous African Americans who were brave and made a difference in their community, just like Jolie.

Goodbye little bird
Damjan, Mischa
Ben goes bird catching for the first time and catches a beautiful jay. Ben takes the bird home but it grows sick and lonely and Ben must set it free. The jay doesn't forget Ben and they remain life-long friends.

Hannah is my name
Yang, Belle
Hannah and her family come to America from Taiwan to gain freedom. For them to become Americans and have their freedom, they must obtain their greencards. Hannah and her family's journey of over 2 years, encompasses many trials. Hannah and her family feel relief, excitement and prode as they finally receive their greencards and are now able to call American their home.

I have heard of a land
Thomas, Joyce Carol
Moving across country must have been very hard. Pioneers often picked up their belongings and moved on toward a common goal: starting a new life!

In the time of the drums
Siegelson, Kim L.
Mentu and Twi tell the story of an African family newly arrived in the Americas. Twi never gives up on returning to her native Africa. Twi tells stories of cooking, planting, music and dancing from her native land.

Kite flier
Haseley, Dennis
A young man leaves home, marries, and begins to fly kites. He teaches his son the joy of kite flying, and with each changing event in their lives, a new kite is launched. When the son wants to travel, too, they make a very symbolic kite for both of them.

Lemon whip
Razvan
A cake and a lemon escape from a refrigerator to explore the world together. They see many things and decide to travel over land and sea together, forever.

Lift every voice and sing
Johnsson, James Weldan
Lift every voice puts pictures to the African American National Anthem. The lyrics tell the story of Black people's past struggles and the hope that Blacks will continue to have towards their future.

March on! The day my brother Martin changed the world
Farris, Christine
Christine King Farris, the sister of Martin Luther King Jr., watched her brother during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. She describes her brother’s journey from writing his “I Have a Dream” speech to joining the crowds in their demand for freedom. She was moved by her brother’s persistence and success in persuading millions to believe in and fight for a better tomorrow in which all men are created equal.

Marsupial Sue
Lithgow, John
Marsupial Sue is not a happy kangaroo. She does not enjoy the things kangaroos do. Marsupial Sue decides to go explore and find the place where she belongs. She tries to fit in with many other groups of animals. She finally discovers the place where she is happiest.

Memorial day surprise
Golding, Theresa Martin
Marco and his mother are off to see the Memorial Day parade! Today, mother is in a hurry because she has a special surprise for Marco. She is in such a hurry that they don't have time to see Marco's grandfather. Once they reach the parade, Marco sees his two best friends which he believes is the surprise. Yet, they are not the surprise his mother has in store for him. Neither is the marching band, fire engine, Statue of Liberty, or candy. Marco could never imagine the surprise in store for him at the end of the parade!

Molly bannaky
McGill, Alice
After spilling a bucket of milk and being brought before the court, Molly Walsh is sent from England to America as an indentured servant. After seven long years she gains her freedom, a farm of her own, and an African slave who becomes her husband.

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.

Overground railroad
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
One day, Ruth Ellen and her family leave North Carolina to travel North to New York City, looking for a better life and a brighter future in a society without segregation. During their travels, Ruth Ellen read a book about Frederick Douglass's journey and how his experiences compared to hers. Despite these differences, both traveled in pursuit of a common goal.

Papa's mark
Battle-Lavert, Gwendolyn
Simms teaches his father how to write. For many years, Simm's father struggled when writing his own name. However, Papa learns just in time so he can vote in the first election which gave Blacks the right to vote.

Peacebound trains
Balgassi, Haemi
Sumi, a young Korean girl, lives with her grandmother when her mother goes off to the army. Sumi watches the train go by each day, wishing her mother would come home soon. The train reminds her grandmother of the days of war when she had to leave her own husband.

Petunia, I love you
Duvoisin, Roger
Raccoon hopes to eat Petunia for a goose dinner, but while walking in the forest, they end up as good friends.

Poppy's puppet
Gauch, Patricia Lee
Poppy is an amazing puppeteer who has the magical ability to listen to wood and carve beautiful marionettes. When he comes across the unique teakwood, Clarinda, he makes the mistake of not listening to what she wants to be. He wants her to be a ballerina, but that is not her passion. Will Poppy help this special marionette achieve her dream and allow her to blossom?

Return of the shadows
Baruffi, Andrea
Free-spirited shadows leave their maker to roam the world. They eventually grow lonely and return to where they belong.

Richard wright and the library card
Miller, William
Due to segregation in the 1920s, African Americans are not allowed to check out books from the library. Richard Wright discovers his passion which becomes a road to his freedom - books.

Starring mirette and bellini
McCully, Emily Arnold
Young Mirette and the Great Bellini are high wire partners in Paris. While performing on a tour of Europe, they visit Russia where the people are not free. Bellini speaks to them about freedom during their act and is arrested. Then it is up to Mirette to be brave and rescue him from prison.

Sweet clara and the freedom quilt
Hopkinson, Deborah
Claro makes a quilt that describes the path that slaves must take to walk to freedom. She runs away with Jack and gets to freedom because of the quilt.

Tar beach
Ringgold, Faith
A young, 8 year old, African American girl dreams of flying above her Harlem home and having the many things she sees. She speaks of her wish to have money and liberation for her family and herself.

The alphabet tree
Lionni, Leo
The alphabet tree is full of letters. After the storm, all the letters grouped together because they were afraid. A bug and a caterpillar teach teamwork so the letters can say something important.

The big box
Morrison, Toni//Morrison, Slade
Patty, Mickey, and Liza Sue just can't handle their freedom. The things they do frighten the adults around them. The adults decide to put them in a big brown box because they care about the youngsters. The children will have everything they need, except their freedom. Isn't that the one thing children need?

The blues of flats brown
Myers, Walter Dean
Flats the dog loved to play the blues on his guitar, but his master, A.J. Grubbs had another idea. He wanted Flats, and his friend Caleb, to become fighting dogs. Finally tired of Grubbs' abuse, Flats and Caleb run away. They decide to pursue Flats' musical career, but everywhere they go Grubbs finds them. In the end, their owner has a change of heart about Flats playing the blues.

The bus ride
Miller, William
Sara stands up for justice on her city bus. Sara gets tired of sitting in the African American section of the bus. Sara does not undertsand why she does not have the same rights as the white Americans, so she takes a stand to change that law.

The dog who cried wolf
Kasza, Keiko
Feeling bored and trapped with his current life, Moka the dog runs away. Moka then questions his decision as he becomes homesick.

The drinking gourd
Monjo, F.N.
Tom misbehaves in church and is sent home early. He goes to play in the barn and discovers runaway slaves. He and his father help them escape and Tom learns all about freedom through the Underground Railroad.

The invisible princess
Ringgold, Faith
Mama and Papa Love are two of Captain Pepper's slaves. They are going to have a baby, but they fear for it's life. With the help of the Powers of Nature, their baby is saved. For years Mama and Papa Love live peacefully until Captain Pepper threatens their child once again. By asking for help from the Powers of Nature, the slaves are able to live happily and peacefully with out any fear of Captain Pepper.