Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

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.

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.

Even though they do not get to spend a lot of time together, a mom and her daughter write to communicate with each other using sticky notes left around their house. Right now, the girl does not want to go to sleepaway camp and she is trying to find every reason not to go. Whether it’s her cat, Lester, needing her too much or her short haircut, she really does not want to go camping. In the end, she finally does, and she loves it!

Lupe lives with her mother who cannot speak English. Lupe helps her mother by translating what people are saying. Lupe's mother fears she may lose her job. She decides to try to learn English so she can get a better job.