The First Days of School

My mentor teacher told me this is a must read for all teachers -- novice or veteran. I'm reading right now and finding it extremely practical. The premise is that the success of your teaching year hinges on what takes place the first few days of class. Though one of many topics, I was thrilled to see SEVERAL chapters on classroom management.  The Wongs know their stuff! This book is a gold mine for all instructors, particularly pre-service teachers.

Promising Practices for Urban Literacy Instruction

This is probably the best text on reading instruction that I've come across. The editors compiled several studies on said topic, many which focus specifically on the African American community. One chapter offers a rubric for selecting culturally authentic African American children's literature. It is accompanied by a list of recommended texts. Promising Practices also describes effective ways to maximize our literacy-rich environment, as well as how to effectively incorporate parents into the general classroom. It's a must read!

A Pet for Pat

What does owning a pet entail? Lots of high frequency words and phonics practice. This is an early reader from the Rookie Reader series.

Multicultural Folk Tales

As the cover lists, this text is a resource for literature based instruction. Some of the Social Studies info is out of date, but the folk tales do provide context for teaching across the content areas. Visual learners will appreciate the graphic organizers galore! On the flip side, teachers who despise creating the former will really appreciate this text.

Just Jump

Mabel E. Singletary is a seasoned elementary school teacher who writes authentic children's fiction. The premiere book in the Double Dutch series introduces six friends: Tanya, Ming, Rachel, Carla, Lindsey, and Nancy. The girls enter pursue their favorite passtime by entering the statewide Double Dutch competition. Forming a winning team challenges the girls to unite. These elementary students learn to appreciate their strength in diversity, working towards a common goal.

The Road To Mephis

It's 1941 and prejudice is alive in well in Mississippi. The racial tension has not changed, but the Logan children have grown into men and women. This final novel in Roll of Thunder trilogy is a thrilling man-against-society narrative. Cassie is nearly grown up, and finishing school. Stacey is a working man with his own car. When a lazy afternoon goes terribly wrong, Cassie and Stacey find themselves whisking away a dear friend on a whirlwind journey to Memphis, desperately attempting to save his life. The long journey only takes a matter of hours, but the travelers find themselves altered forever once they reach their destination. In this Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel, World War II, unplanned pregnancy, and substance abuse collide against to backdrop of deeply divided South.

Let the Circle Be Unbroken

Times are hard for everyone during the Great Depression, but Black share-croppers suffer uniquely under economic oppression. The Logans face more pressure than ever before to sell their land. But Papa will never let the family land change hands, no matter what the cost. As Mama and Papa labor to keep the family afloat, Cassie and her brothers struggle to navigate the world as young adults. Being a young woman means that Cassie doesn't get to do everything with the guys as she's always done. Becoming a young man puts Cassie's older brother at odds with his parents – to the point of running away from home. The Logans fight to keep hold their family together as internal division and external pressure threaten to rip their fragile relationships apart. Cassie learns that it is worth the effort, because family is all that matters in the end.

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry is the Newbery Medal-winning first installment. Readers become acquainted with the main characters: protagonist Cassie, her three brothers and their mischievous friends, Mama – a school teacher, and Papa – an itenerant worker who is often away from home. Taylor paints a picture of segregation's inequalities from the first chapter. Readers feel the humiliation of the Logans as a bus full of white children splatters Cassie and siblings with mud the first day of school. The intensity of race relations culminates in a family friend – a Black youth's trial for murder of a white man.  

The Roll of Thunder Gift Set

My parents gave me the Mildred D. Taylor series gift set as birthday present. I must have been ten or eleven. The timing couldn't have been better. I sensed commonality with Taylor's life-like characters, immersing myself in the Depression era Deep South. The protagonist, Cassie Logan, is the daughter of Black land-owners who have over come generations of adversity and injustice. Their land-ownership sets them apart from the majority of their community who are share-croppers. This young girl is n o exception; Taylor follows Cassie as she experiences the cruelty and senselessness of prejudice first hand. The stomach churning accounts of hatred and lyrical prose will engage readers mind, body and soul.

Meet Josephina

I had the joy of introducing one of my 4th. graders to the American Girl books today. She is already a fan of the magazine, which made the books an easy sell. The key vocabulary definitions, vivid illustrations, and authentic historical text appendix  make these books a great fit for struggling readers such as my young friend.  After taking her on a tour of the various eras and ethnicities, I helped her find a Josephina story.  She had wondered if there were any books about Mexico, her country of origin. Josephina's story is set in pre-state New Mexico.  Seeing her face light up as she looked into past and saw herself warmed my heart.

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

As provocative as this title sounds today, James Weldon Johnson's raw memoir must have sparked even more controversy when first published in 1912.  This is a commentary on race-relations in turn of the century New York. Johnson was the first black executive secretary o f the NAACP; his conversational voice invites the reader into his experience as comrades do over coffee in the corner of a city cafe.

Kofi and His Magic

Kofi is a seven year old boy living in Bonwire, Ghana. Maya Angelou again demonstrates her narrative mastery by touring the country of Ghana through the eyes of a young boy. Kofi leads readers as far north as Bolgatanga and as far south as the coast. Phographer Maragaret Courtney-Clarke's vivid photojournalism envelopes the reader in a world of color, motion, culture, and history. Angelou subtly communicates diversity and life in the first African nation to gain independence. Readers will come away with a well-rounded introduction to Ghana's beautiful land and people.

The New African Americans

The New African Americans explores the trajectory of post slavery African immigration to the United States. This instructional text highlights a growing sector the African American community which is often marginalized He examines the distinct ethnic groups who have settled across the country and the cultural wealth the contribute to our nation. Ashabranner emphasizes the diverse reasons for immigration, such as education, employment, and or refugee status. This text is an excellent introduction to immigration, the African diaspora, and the 21^st. century African American community.

The Sining Man

Banzar is an oral historian and traditional Nigerian Musician. Angela Shelf Medearis deftly address the tension between following one's heart verses societal norms. Banzar chooses to become a musician, a choice which results in rejection from his Village near Lagos, Nigeria. This West African folktale comes to life through the realistic oil and pencil illustrations by Terea Shaffer. Like the Biblical Joseph, Medearis writes about rejection, grief, courage, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Lake and the Big Snake: An African Rain Forest Adventure

Isaac Olaleye recalls his childhood memories of Nigeria in this exciting friendship story. Two young boys brave a deadly snake, quick sand, and their own shortcomings in a quest that teaches them the value of good friends.

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Annie Mae Jumps the Broom

Diane Williams is a family friend. She's a Mississippi storyteller, bringing the past to life through oral and written narrative. This charming picture book is about a slave couple who decides to get married. Williams revisits a time when marriage was illegal for Black slaves. This injustice gave birth to the tradition of jumping the broom.  Here's a review from her website:

"The book Annie Mae Jumps the Broom mimics history and folklore. This story helps explain a tradition that has been revitalized in African-American weddings today. The celebration and rich culture in this story will captivate any reader’s interest. Annie Mae Jumps The Broom is the story of two slaves who were in love and wanted to get married. Aunt Minnie, the counselor on the plantation encouraged the couple to wait a few days until they were sure. Finally the day arrives and everyone was excited. They fixed up a mess of food and Cousin Sue made a cake. Immediately after the ceremony, Old Master came over the hillside looking all around for that cake Cousin Sue had baked! 'He always did like something sweet, you know.' Annie Mae Jumps the Broom is an intermediate children's color picture book." - 

Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War

An estimated 10% of their worlds soldiers are children, author Jimmie Briggs writes. This reporter's memoir reads like a war correspondent's account of the battle field. There is nothing easy or pleasant about reading this non-fiction text. The subject is difficult; Briggs journeys around the world to interview children of war. From Rwanda to Sri Lanka, their heart piercing stories prompt the age old question of why evil exists, and what on earth do we do with it? Unfortunately, the author does not offer much hope. However, the first-hand accounts are valuable in and of themselves. This text compels mature readers to grapple with the complexity of child soldiers and their own complicity in the process of innocence lost.

Ages: 16+

Payton Skky: Staying Pure

Stephanie Perry Moore delves into high school dating scene with Payton Sky, a popular upper classman. Payton's boyfriend wants to sleep with  her, but she's committed to waiting until marriage. Her conviction threatens not only her relationship with her boyfriend, but her best girl friends as well. Perry Moore's raw narrative engages teenage readers where they are and presents an alternative to the lifestyle of casual sex.

I enjoyed this series as 16 year old for several reasons. First, the setting: Moore is a greater Atlanta resident, as am I.  Her series takes place in Georgia, which was an instant connecting point for me. Moore is published by Moody Publishers , and I had the privilege of working with their staff during college. It's rare to find quality young adult literature which is both explicitly Christian and written for a Black audience. Perry Moore delivers it all.

I Saw Your Face

Kwame Dawes is an American writer of African descent (Ghana). He weaves together his international experience, West African story-telling technique, and English meter to recount the African diaspora. Tom Feeling's haunting sketches of Black children around the globe illustrate the striking relationship amongst a fragmented community. I so appreciate quality representations of Black people in children's literature. Feelings' illustrations capture the intricacies of my face, and the faces of the children I teach. It is so important that children recognize themselves positively in literature.  I stress positively because reading, especially at a young age, shapes and influences a child's identity. The words and strokes of I Saw Your Face pierced my own heart. The African Diaspora is my story; those are my relatives rooted in Accra and Atlanta. Our relationship is distant, yet irrevocably linked.

Ages: 8-12 

Mary Mcleod Bethune

Mcleod Bethune is my hero. I want to be just like her when I grow up. Here are a few reasons why...

1. She loved books!
2. She graduated from the Moody Bible Institute.
3. She wanted to serve as a missionary in Africa...God had other plans though :)
4. She founded multiple schools.
5. She advocated for those in need, particularly Black children and women.
6. She adorned herself in bright hues and rich fabrics.
7. She was a devoted wife and mother.
8. She advised the president on his youth educational programs.
9. She cherished the Word of God.
10. She was one of our nation's greatest educators, and her legacy continues bless young and old today. 
    
    

    Mary McLeod Bethune: A Great American Educatorby Patricia C. McKissack, Fredrick L. McKissack
    

    
    
    The structure of this 3rd. grade biographical texts flows extremely well. Most books about Mrs. Mcleod Bethune include the same photos and excerpts of original document. The Cornerstones series does these artifacts justice by formating them to precisely to the text. Upper middle grade students will find this a helpful resource for research projects, while lower grades will benefit from read alouds.

The Color of Water

James McBride is a story teller. This memoir reads as such; it's a tale of relationship set against the back drop of Harlem, the church, and racially divided America. The strokes of McBride's Black America were painted through the loving wisdom of his White mother -- an experience to which I can relate.  McBride's story differs greatly from mine though. My mom grew up in an Evangelical Christian tradition while his mother was from an Orthodox Jewish family. However, if this book communicates anything, it is that God mysteriously transforms our seeming divisions into a glorious bond that not even death can destroy.

My mom is in Heaven today. Though my six brothers and sisters are scattered around the world, pursuing various endeavors, we ARE a family that will continue to walk the path to eternal life with Jesus Christ. Mom painfully blazed that trail for us, and her journey came to rest a year ago today.

My People

I love the way words and images combine to create an exapanded sensory experience for the reader.   Young readers will benefit from the real-life depiction of abstract concepts.

My People

Happy Langston Hughes' Birthday!

One hundred and nine. James Mercer Langston Hughes would turn 109 if he were still living to day. Hard to believe 1902 was that long ago, but then maybe it's not so hard to believe. America looks considerably different than it did when Hughes mirrored life through his vivacious writing.    No doubt he would be surprised to see how children are growing up in the 21st. century. Lifestyle has certainly changed since Hughes was a young. However, children have not really have not changed at all. Hughes triumphantly depicts the resilience of a life through this simple piece: 

My People


The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.

The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people.

Beautiful, also, is the sun.
Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people. 

Langston Hughes