Browse Items · Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

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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.

Tags

african american, book, community, comparison, competition, discrimination, emotions, epilogue, feelings, foreword, hard work, history, homework, learning, letters, multicultural, newspaper, parents, performance, racism, respect, school, spelling, travel

That flag

Brown, Tameka Fryer

Tags

anger, author's note, bias, change, clothing, comparisons, conversation, differences, family, feelings, flag, friendship, games, hatred, history, illustrator's note, jump rope, learning, museum, neighbors, parents, quiet, racism, reading, recess, respect, sadness, school, technology, television, war

Ida B. Wells, voice of truth

Duster, Michelle

Ira B. Wells was an educator, feminist, and anti-lynching civil rights leader who founded many important clubs for African Americans. Even when faced with threats and criticisms, Ida B. Wells still kept writing, speaking, and traveling to challenge the racist and sexist norms of her time and leading the fight for justice and equality as a leader who made a difference for us all.

Tags

african american, author's note, careers, change, children, correspondence, courage, education, equality, justice, leadership, loss, marriage, multicultural, newspaper, organizations, photograph, politics, racism, slavery, suffrage, teaching, technology, train, transportation, travel, truth

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.

Tags

author's note, bodies of water, celebration, community, depression, discrimination, farm, five senses, freedom, illustrator's note, ocean, picnic, prejudice, racism, slavery, storytelling, vocabulary

Sister Anne's hands

Lorbiecki, Mary Beth

Anna begins her second year of school in the early '60's. Her new teacher, Sister Anne, is different from other teachers because she has a different skin color. She inspires students all around her and overcomes challenges. Students learn what respect and tolerance are, and everyone learns from one another.

Tags

acceptance, african american, appearance, art, beach, bedtime, body parts, challenges, change, colors, community, counting, differences, discrimination, diversity, garden, god, history, learning, library, map, memories, moving, multicultural, numbers, prejudice, racism, religion, rhythm, school, singing, stereotypes, storytelling, teaching

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.

Grey mouse

de Vries, Anke

Grey Mouse is feeling lonely, so she decides to change her color in order to feel better about herself. However, all of the other animals laugh at her each time she does this. She finally realizes that she is happiest with her natural grey color when she finds other mice friends that look like her.

Tags

acceptance, amphibians, animals, appearance, art, bee, birds, body image, boredom, change, colors, critical thinking, differences, feelings, flowers, frog, goal setting, goose, happiness, identity, images, insects, insecurity, ladybug, loneliness, mouse, nonverbal communication, racism, sadness, self confidence, self esteem, zebra

Candy shop

Wahl, Jan

A young boy, Daniel, and his aunt Thelma take a trip to the market with money that he has earned. The boy is looking forward to visiting the candy shop but when they arrive they see a crowd and are faced with prejudice acts toward the owner of the store. Daniel and his aunt help comfort the owner and show true friendship.

Tags

african american, asian, challenges, conflict, conflict resolution, coping, culture, discrimination, feelings, helping, kindness, market, money, multicultural, nonverbal communication, problem solving, racism, respect, sadness

Teammates

Golenbock, Peter

Jackie Robinson becomes the first black player in the major leagues. He has to endure humiliation and prejudice from his own teammates, other players, and fans. Pee Wee Reese, a white player, comes to Jackie's support in a game at Crosley Field in Cincinnati which shocks the fans.

Tags

african american, baseball, conflict resolution, exercise, multicultural, peer resistance, prejudice, racism, sports

Squids will be squids: Fresh morsels,beastly fables

Scieszka, Jon//Smith, Lane

The moral of the story changes with every page depending upon the fable, the ani keeping his talent to himself, he decides to go out into the forest to sing. What he finds is no one believes a frog can sing, so frog has to keep going until someone gives him a chance.

Tags

amphibians, challenges, dreams, fear, feelings, frog, frustration, persistence, racism, stereotypes

The frog who wanted to be a singer

Goss, Linda

Frog wants to do something no frog has ever done before; sing!He practices and practices until he gets so tired of keeping his talent to himself, he decides to go out into the forest to sing. What he finds is no one believes a frog can sing, so frog has to keep going until someone gives him a chance.

Tags

amphibians, challenges, dreams, fear, feelings, frog, frustration, music, persistence, practice, racism, stereotypes

Born in the gravy

Cazet, Denys

Margouita starts her first day of kindergarten. She tells papa all about her big day over an ice cream cone. She has one question that papa knows just how to answer.

Tags

food, friendship, mexican, nutrition, racism, responsibilities, school, self esteem, song, stress management, verbal communication

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

The butterfly

Polacco, Patricia

When a little girls meets a ghost which turns out to be a girl that is hiding in the cellar with the rest of her family from the Nazi's. They form a friendship that is strong. But the friendship is broken up by the sudden movement of her and her family. But butterflies show that everything is fine even though they are apart.

Tags

animals, author's note, bedtime, butterfly, decision making, family, feelings, french, hanukkah, happiness, hiding, holidays, Jewish, language, multicultural, parents, prejudice, racism, religion, sadness, self esteem, separation, stress management, verbal communication, war

The dragon wore pink

Hope, Christopher

Tarquin is a dinosaur and his fellow dragon disowned him. After settling a quarrel between the dragons and people. Tarquin is criticized again. He and Ellio fly away.

Tags

conflict resolution, decision making, dinosaur, dragons, friendship, magic, nonverbal communication, racism, verbal communication

Black like kyra, white like me

Vigna, Judith

A young girl finds out about racial discrimination when it rears its ugly head in her neighborhood.

Tags

african american, assertiveness, conflict resolution, critical thinking, decision making, differences, discrimination, friendship, learning, multicultural, nonverbal communication, peer resistance, prejudice, racism, refusal skills, self esteem, stress management, understanding, verbal communication

Bright april

De Angeli, Marguerite

April Bright's family encounters all sorts of racism as African Americans. April ends up making a new friend when prejudices are overcome.

Tags

birthday, celebration, conflict, conflict resolution, family, parents, prejudice, racism, self esteem, siblings

The great shaking

Carson, Jo

A bear tells the story of the great earthquake of 1811 In its own unique way, the bear describes the possible reasons for the earthquake and the changes that are made by the earthquake.

Tags

bear, change, critical thinking, earthquake, nature, racism, shelter, survival

Peace crane

Hamanaka, Sheila

A young African American girl learns about the Peace Crane, created by Sadako Sasaki, survivor of Hiroshima. The girl wishes the Peace Crane would take her away from the violence in her own world to a place without racism and violence.

Tags

african american, author's note, birds, crane, death, dreams, feelings, hope, japanese, love, multicultural, nonverbal communication, peace, prejudice, racism, sadness, self esteem, verbal communication, violence, war

Birthday

Steptoe, John

A little girl's family moves to Africa from America because of racism. The little girl's birthday is celebrated by the whole town.

Tags

african american, birthday, celebration, community, conflict resolution, family, holidays, racism

Dinner at aunt connie's house

Ringgold, Faith

While Melody and her aunt's adopted son, Lonnie, are playing hide-and-seek, they stumble upon something magical. They discover that her aunt's paintings can speak. Each of the paintings is a portrait of a famous African-American woman, who tells Melody and Lonnie of their accomplishments.

Tags

accomplishment, african american, art, assertiveness, conflict resolution, discovery, family, food, goal setting, history, magic, multicultural, nutrition, pride, progress, racism, self esteem

Something beautiful

Wyeth, Sharon Dennis

A little girl looks out her window only to see broken glass and trash in the court yard. She remembers her mother once told her everyone should have something beautiful. She sets out to look for something beautiful in her neighborhood.

White wash

Shange, Ntozake

Helene-Angel is the only person in her class to have to wait for her brother, Mauricio to walk her home. On their walk home, a group of boys decide to pick on her. Her brother is out-numbered so the boys paint her white. She is devastated and refuses to leave her room. Find out how her grandma helps her overcome her fears.

Tags

acceptance, african, aggression, american, apathy, appreciation, awareness, behavior, beliefs, bravery, challenges, chaos, family, feelings, frustration, mischief, multicultural, persistence, racism, resentment, stereotypes, support, uniqueness

Hidden child

Millman, Isaac

Over fifty years have passed, and Isaac finally tells his story. He is one of the few survivors of the Holocaust. Isaac experiences many tragedies during the war including losing both parents, friends, and being left to strangers, but finally, was adopted into a home. Although he changes his name, he is adopted in a home where people grow to love him.

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