The Firefly Letters
The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle I have adored Engle and her poetry since first reading her Poet Slave of Cuba. This historical novel told in verse tells the story of early Swedish feminist...
View ArticleNini Lost and Found: A Charmer That Feels Like Home
Nini Lost and Found by Anita Lobel This second book about Nini the cat follows the award-winning Nini Here and There that won a Caldecott Honor in 2007. In this book, Nini discovered that the door...
View ArticleReview: The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle
The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle A young artist paints a blue horse running against a yellow sky, then continues to paint animals in amazing colors. There is a red crocodile, a...
View ArticleReview: I Too Am America by Langston Hughes
I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Bryan Collier Collier marries the famous poem by Hughes with the story of the African-American Pullman porters, who served the wealthy white...
View ArticleReview: The Price of Freedom by Dennis Brindell Fradin
The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin, illustrated by Eric Velasquez In 1856, John Price and two other slaves escaped to Ohio and...
View ArticleReview: The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle
The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle Margarita Engle, award-winning author of verse novels, continues her stories of Cuba. In this book, she explores the life of Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda,...
View ArticleReview: Under the Freedom Tree by Susan
Under the Freedom Tree by Susan VanHecke, illustrated by London Ladd Told in free verse, this picture book is the story of how the first contraband camp formed during the Civil War. It all started...
View ArticleReview: All Different Now by Angela Johnson
All Different Now: Juneteenth the First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis Celebrate the beauty of freedom in this book dedicated to Juneteenth. Told from the point of view...
View ArticleReview: I Know a Bear by Mariana Ruiz Johnson
I Know a Bear by Mariana Ruiz Johnson A little girl gets to know a bear who comes from somewhere that he calls The Land of Bears. Breakfasts there are sweet as honey, the land is vast, and the rivers...
View ArticleTwo Parrots by Rashin Kheiriyeh
Two Parrots by Rashin Kheiriyeh Inspired by a tale by Rumi, this picture book takes an allegorical look at imprisonment and freedom. A Persian merchant receives a parrot as a present and places him...
View ArticleReview: Call Me Tree by Maya Christina Gonzalez
Call Me Tree: lámame árbol by Maya Christina Gonzalez Released November 1, 2014. This poetic picture book combines a celebration of trees with one of human diversity. A boy starts to grow under the...
View ArticleReview: Dreams of Freedom
Dreams of Freedom: in words and pictures (InfoSoup) An incredible picture book that follows its sister book, We Are All Born Free. In association with Amnesty International, this book celebrates...
View ArticleReview: I Too Am America by Langston Hughes
I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Bryan Collier Collier marries the famous poem by Hughes with the story of the African-American Pullman porters, who served the wealthy white...
View ArticleReview: The Price of Freedom by Dennis Brindell Fradin
The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin, illustrated by Eric Velasquez In 1856, John Price and two other slaves escaped to Ohio and...
View ArticleReview: The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle
The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle Margarita Engle, award-winning author of verse novels, continues her stories of Cuba. In this book, she explores the life of Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda,...
View ArticleUnbound by Ann E. Burg
Unbound by Ann E. Burg (InfoSoup) This novel-in-verse tells the story of Grace, a girl living as a slave on a plantation. Grace is selected to start work in the Big House, leaving her mother,...
View ArticleDon’t Cross the Line by Isabel Minhós Martins
Don’t Cross the Line by Isabel Minhós Martins, illustrated by Bernardo Carvalho (InfoSoup) This very original picture book comes from an award-winning author and illustrator team from the publisher...
View ArticleCrossing Ebenezer Creek by Tonya Bolden
Crossing Ebenezer Creek by Tonya Bolden (9781599903194, Amazon) This novel looks at a piece of history that many people don’t know about. Mariah and her brother Zeke have been freed from slavery in...
View ArticleHer Right Foot by Dave Eggers
Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers (9781452162812) This book on the Statue of Liberty could not be more timely for our world today. The book first looks at the French origins of the statue made to...
View Article3 New Noisy Picture Books
Blacksmith’s Song by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, illustrated by Anna Rich (9781561455805) Told in first person, this picture book shows how communication worked for the Underground Railroad. The boy’s...
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