New York City has to be one of the greatest places in America, if not the world. Luckily for us, many authors have chronicled The Big Apple's antics in a way just right for kids.

Here are some of the books available. This is not yet a complete list, but I'm adding books to the list daily. If you wish to purchase any of these books, click on either the title or the book cover to be directed to Amazon.com. As a warning, I have put up pictures of the book covers to give you somewhat an idea of the style of each book (I know, I know. "Don't judge a book by its cover") so the pages may load slowly, depending on the speed of your internet connection.

The categories below are sorted by approximate age group and topical categories. Feel free to browse around. The same links are located on the left side of your screen. To return back to this page, simply click on the "Welcome" link on the left.

If this website came up without frames, click here to see the complete "New York City Books for Kids" website with frames.

For biographies about participants in the Harlem Renaissance, go to the Biography Page

Other Pages of Interest:
Fiction & Historical Fiction: General Books About New York City (Nonfiction) | Fiction NYC Picture Books and "Easy Reader" Stories (Ages 4-8) | Fiction NYC Books (Ages 9-12) | New York Fiction for Young Adults | New York Historical Fiction (Colonial Period and Revolutionary War) | New York Historical Fiction (Ellis Island & Immigration) | New York Historical Fiction (Life in the 1800s) | New York Historical Fiction (Life in the 1900s)

NYC History: New York Biographies | Native Americans from New York (History and Historical Fiction) | New York History (Colonial Period and Revolutionary War) | New York History (Immigration and Ellis Island) | New York History (The 1800s) | New York History (The 1900s) | The World Trade Center and September 11, 2001 |

NYC Locations: The Statue of Liberty | The Empire State Building | Central Park | NYC Art Museums (Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, etc.) | NYC's American Museum of Natural History | Harlem Books (Including books about the Harlem Renaissance) | Chinatown Books | Little Italy Books | The New York City Subway System | Brooklyn Books | The Bronx Books | Queens Books | Staten Island Books | Long Island Books | Upstate New York Books | New York State Books

Life and Travel in NYC: Thanksgiving in New York City | Christmas in New York City | New York Sports Teams and Players The NYC Fire Department (FDNY) and NY Police Department (NYPD) | General Books About Cities | New York City and New York State Test Preparation and Study Guides | New York Regents Review Books | Parenting in New York City | New York Travel Guides for Families with Children

NYC Toys, Puzzles, and Games (For Kids & Adults) | Amazon.com Coupon Codes

Fiction and Nonfiction for Beginning Readers

Tar Beach By Faith Ringgold	Awards: A Caldecott Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Award Book An ALA Notable Book New York Times Best Illustrated Book Ringgold recounts the dream adventure of eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies above her apartment-building rooftop, the 'tar beach' of the title, looking down on 1939 Harlem. Part autobiographical, part fictional, this allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture. The spectacular artwork resonates with color and texture. Children will delight in the universal dream of mastering one's world by flying over it. A practical and stunningly beautiful book. Description from Horn Book (Starred Review) Tar Beach is a work of modern art translated into a children's picture book, and the adaptation is so natural that it seems inevitable. From her 1988 story quilt, reproduced on the cover and within the last pages of the book, Ringgold has taken both the setting and the text. The painted scene in the center of the quilt shows a Harlem rooftop on a starry night with four adults playing cards and with Cassie Louise Lightfoot and her brother, Be Be, lying on a blanket gazing at the sky. Cassie sees herself flying over the city lights; dreams of wearing the George Washington Bridge as a necklace; imagines giving her father the union building he is not allowed to join because of his half-black, half-Indian heritage; flies over the ice cream factory; and takes her little brother with her to the sky. Cassie's story, written along the borders of the quilt in tiny script, becomes the text of the book. The illustrations painted for the book version are done in the same colorful, naive style as the quilt. This type of art translates beautifully into the storybook format, and a border of bright fabric designs on the bottom of each page duplicates the material used in the quilt. In capturing the euphoria of a child's dreams, and in its gentle reminder of the social injustices of the adult world, the book is both universal and contemporary Description from School Library Journal
Cassie's Colorful Day (Board Book) By Faith Ringgold	Awards A 2000 Parents' Choice Recommended winner Faith Ringgold maker her award-winning picture book, Tar Beach, accessible for the youngest readers. All of the things that brought the highest awards to Tar Beach have been incorporated into this delightful board book. Parents and children alike will enjoy the color, vibrancy, and the captivating design. Description from Parents' Choice It's a special day for Cassie. Her daddy's taking her out for a surprise treat. As she gets dressed, she chooses many colorful items: her yellow-and-red polka-dot dress, purple shoes, a green pocketbook. What's the surprise? He's taking her to the ice cream parlor, with its blueand-orange sign. Cassie orders her favorite--a pink strawberry sundae! Description from Publisher
Counting to Tar Beach (Board Book) By Faith Ringgold	Awards A 2000 Parents' Choice Recommended winner This companion to Cassie's Colorful Day is just as successful. Parents will enjoy sharing this concept book with young readers. The elements used come from a warm loving family that children will find familiar. Beautifully designed, these two books introduce some of the best in picture book art to young readers. Description from Parents' Choice Count all the good things from one to ten that Cassie and her family take to the rooftop for their scrumptious picnic on Tar Beach. Lemonade, chickens, watermelons, and chocolate chip cookies are just some of the things they're going to enjoy. Toddlers will love learning to count with this delicious introduction to numbers. Description from Publisher
Cassie's Word Quilt By Faith Ringgold	In Cassie's Word Quilt, a young African American girl takes early readers on a remarkable tour of her 1930s-era Harlem home, school, and neighborhood. The tour serves as a vocabulary jaunt, as well. Dozens of objects are clearly labeled; the youngest viewers of this big lap book can point to familiar images as older readers read the captions: "doll," "quilt," "father," "subway," "jump rope." Ringgold's vibrant art captures the excitement of urban life in an era gone by. Gorgeous spreads feature a richly textured quilt motif, with illustrations picking up on the patterns in the squares of fabric bordering the pages. Seldom have we seen a word identification book as artful as Cassie's Word Quilt. Ringgold's other titles include Caldecott Honor Book Tar Beach (on which Cassie's Word Quilt is based), and companion volumes Counting to Tar Beach and Cassie's Colorful Day.
Uptown By Bryan Collier	Awards: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Collier debuts with a set of dazzling paint-and-photo collages paired to a child's tribute to his Harlem neighborhood. From his window the young narrator sees Uptown in the Metro North commuter train crawling caterpillar-like over the river; sisters in matching dresses parading to church; weekend shoppers on 125th Street; jazz; Van Der Zee photographs; playground basketball; chicken and waffles served any time of day. (At first it seems like a weird combination, but it works.) This complex, many-layered vibe is made almost tangible by the kaleidoscopic illustrations. For instance, the row of brownstones …when you look at them down the block. They look like they're made of chocolate. Indeed, their bricks are photos of chocolate bars. Description from Kirkus Reviews Harlem is only a name to most American youngsters, but Collier makes it a real place as he describes what to see and hear, smell, taste and feel, in a tour around the town. The words are sparse but poetic, evocative of the many aspects of the area that a young boy experiences, but the pages are crowded with images, mostly assembled collages, with some paintings of people. The scenes are intricately conceived: rows of brownstone houses like chocolate bars, weekend shopping as a jumble of cars, people, fabric shapes, the Apollo Theater, a basketball game, little sisters walking to church. The brief text becomes part of the overall page design, often set in color with meandering lines. In a sense, the reader is given pieces of a puzzle to assemble in the imagination for a picture of what the boy calls home. Description from Children's Literature -A young boy provides a particularly inviting, personally guided tour of his uptown home, New York City's Harlem. The Metro-North railroad, chicken and waffles, shopping on 125th Street, the Apollo Theater, jazz, and summer basketball games at the playground are all part of his neighborhood's charm. As in Hope Lynne Price's These Hands (Hyperion, 1999), Collier's evocative watercolor-and-collage illustrations create a unique sense of mood and place. Bold color choices for text as well as background pages complement engagingly detailed pictures of city life. For example, the words "Uptown is a song sung by the Boys Choir of Harlem. Each note floats through the air and lands like a butterfly" are printed in bright yellow and blue on a deep red background. A closer look at the illustrations accompanying the lines "Uptown is a row of brownstones-They look like they're made of chocolate" guarantees a smile at Collier's clever use of Cadbury candy bars. While Uptown does not offer the adult intensity of Walter Dean Myers's Harlem, it does share its warmth and vitality. Looking from his window high above the sights and sounds of the city, the young narrator concludes, "Uptown is Harlem-Harlem world, my world. Uptown is home." From his perspective, it's the very best place to be, and readers will find it difficult to disagree. Description from School Library Journal
Harlem By Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers	Awards: Caldecott Honor Book A Parents' Choice Approval This heartfelt tribute captures the many moods of Harlem, bringing to life a very real urban community steeped in cultural history. Myers begins his poem with the words "Harlem was a promise/ Of a better life, of a place where a man didn't/ Have to know his place/ Simply because he was/ Black"; this cautious optimism informs the text. Children play on sidewalks and the smell of barbecue lingers. But there is sadness too-a "fleet of funeral cars" or "endless depths of pain/ Singing a capella on the street corners." Throughout, the past overlays the present, like a legacy passed down ("A journey on the A train/ That started on the banks of the Niger/ And has not ended"). Dreams dreamed in present-day Harlem are a part of this continuum, and music is the means of expression. The text pays homage to the "weary blues that Langston knew/ And Countee sung"; to Sunday night gospel music and Lady Day on the radio. Christopher Myers, who previously illustrated his father's Shadow of the Red Moon, delivers bold collages that are both stark and lyrical. People stare out of his paintings, challenging or appealing to the viewer, or lost in reverie. Rough cut paper and daubed paint combine to create a raw immediacy. This is by no means an easy book-most of the allusions, if not the poem's significance itself, will need to be explained to children-but its artistic integrity is unmistakable; the effort its presentation to young readers may require is worth it. Description from Publishers Weekly The father and son-Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers have outdone themselves in this spectacular book. The Walter Dean has written a lovely poem about the rich history of Harlem, ."..a promise / Of a better life, of a place where a man didn't / Have to know his place / Simply because he was / Black." Not only is the journey of African-Americans to Harlem and their lives described lyrically in words but also it is beautifully illustrated in Christopher Myers' vivid collage art. The pictures tell their own story of the powerful impact Harlem had on the lives of its residents. Description from Children's Literature The two Myerses--author and artist, father and son--celebrate Harlem, which they perceive both as a city and a "promise of a better life," in quite different but wonderfully complementary ways. The author views Harlem--where he grew up--as a symbol of African American aspiration; the artist shares a more concrete city composed of "colors loud enough to be heard." In a text that is as much song as poem, the author offers his impressionistic appreciation for a culture that is predominantly music-based, with its roots in "calls and songs and shouts" "first heard in the villages of Ghana/Mali/Senegal." In his hotly vibrant ink, gouache, and collage images, the artist shows us the textures of the city streets, the colors of "sun yellow shirts on burnt umber bodies," and even, it seems, the sounds the words themselves evoke. The very look of metaphorical moments is well served by the text, but it is Harlem as a visual experience that YAs will return to again and again, to admire and wonder at what is realized with truly extraordinary grace and power by this young artist of such wonderful promise. Description from Booklist
Irene and the Big, Fine Nickel By Irene Smalls	"Harlem [in the 50's] was a place where nobody locked the door, and you never questioned being black because there were a million people who looked just like you." Smalls-Hector's story, presumably based on reminiscence, follows Irene through one happy, event-filled Saturday: washing her face in the kitchen bathtub; going past the "toilet room" to a neighbor's apartment, where her twin best friends are among the 13 children and there's always delicious food to share; squabbling and then making up with another girl--"Charlene's people came from...down south, and they were church people"--(the traded insults are wonderfully mild); fearlessly playing in the park; finding a nickel and spending it on a bun big enough to share four ways. Like Howard's Chita's Christmas Tree, this book lovingly recreates the secure childhood of an African-American child in the not-too-distant past. New illustrator Geter makes an outstanding debut, combining a warm palette, impressionistic use of light, a pleasing sense of design, and an affectionately realistic portrayal of the girls. The lengthy text is appropriate as a readaloud or for young readers. Description from Kirkus Reviews An idyllic reminiscence of Harlem in the '50s, showing the human spirit that made this place welcoming and warm. Seven-year-old Irene is an independent youngster. Readers follow her through a summer Saturday as she visits neighbors, plays in the park and on city sidewalks, fights and makes up with friends, listens to the music drifting through open doors, and plants a fire-escape garden. The day's high point comes with the discovery of a nickel in the clean and normally empty gutter. Irene and her friends buy a raisin bun and, with the sharing of the food, cement their relationship. This is a quiet picture book with wide appeal; each spread includes a full-page oil painting illustrating the action and a page of fairly dense text. Geter's broad brush strokes are without outlines, letting the colors do all the work. Beautiful brown children are captured in rich tones and in natural poses, perfectly complementing the happiness described in the text. Irene's godmother sums up the story's sentiments best when she says, "God don't love ugly, bein' mean and fightin' is not the best thing to do." Amen to that. Description from School Library Journal
Me and Uncle Romie: A Story Inspired by the Life and Art of Romare Bearden By Claire Hartfield	Art inventively imitates art in this engaging volume. Newcomer Hartfield's fictional tale draws upon the work of collage artist Bearden who, as a child, moved from his native North Carolina to Harlem. Lagarrigue's (My Man Blue) softly focused acrylic paintings introduce collage elements as they effectively evoke the story's period setting, which shifts from the rural South to Manhattan. While his mother awaits the birth of twins, narrator James travels by train to visit his Aunt Nanette and Uncle Romie, who is working hard to finish paintings for his upcoming art show. The man remains behind the closed doors of his studio as his wife shows their nephew the sights of the city. Lagarrigue retains his own style while incorporating the turquoise, brick red, fuschia and other hues so prominent in Bearden's work; the compositions of his cityscapes in particular recall the giant collage The Block. James becomes enamored of bustling Harlem, where he plays stickball and partakes in a rooftop barbecue. On his birthday, the lad wanders into his uncle's studio and is thrilled to discover that Bearden's art captures his favorite spot: "Looking at Uncle Romie's paintings, I could feel Harlem-its beat and bounce." In the satisfying ending, James, back at home with his new twin siblings, feels inspired to create his own collage as a birthday gift for his uncle. Concluding tips on making collages may well encourage readers to do the same. Description from Publishers Weekly Whooo-ooo! Train's a' coming! James can't wait to get on board and go visit his uncle way up north in New York City. But he also just wishes he could take a little bit of home along with him-things like baseball games, and the special birthday cake Mama always makes. Will Uncle Romie, who's some kind of artist, know about things like that? Young readers will feel as if they're discovering the city's wonders, and making an unexpected friend, right along with James in this vibrant story, expressively illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award winner Jerome Lagarrigue. A how-to section on storytelling collages and a short biography of Romare Bearden are included. Description from Publisher
Tree of Hope By Amy Littlesugar & Floyd Cooper	Through Florrie's eyes readers experience the despair and hopelessness of talented actors who were forced to leave the stage to find other work when the Lafayette Theatre closed its doors; the golden days of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s have disappeared into the Great Depression of the 1930s, and Florrie's father, once an actor, toils at the Allnight Bakery. Florrie's greatest dream is for her father to be able to leave his job and return to the stage, and so she makes a wish on a tree that grows next to the Lafayette Theatre; it has become a symbol of endurance for black actors, a tree of hope. A director, Mr. Welles, arrives when President Roosevelt orders that the doors of the theatre be opened; there is to be a staging of Macbeth, and Florrie's father gets a part. An author's note attests to the veracity of events in the story, when Orson Welles directed African-Americans in roles from which they were once excluded. Cooper's lavish oil-wash, full-page paintings pay mute tribute to the loss of luster and its regeneration in Harlem, in scenes in which the footlights cast a glow, and in which the faces tell a story that hardly needs words. Description from Kirkus Reviews Florrie's Daddy was once an actor, and still remembers the Lafayette Theatre when it "shone out over the streets of Harlem like a star." But now it is the Great Depression, buildings are boarded up...the only reminder of the Lafayette's glory days is a single tree. The Tree of Hope, people call it. Florrie and her Daddy wish on it for times to be the way they were. When the director Orson Welles decides to stage Macbeth at the Lafayette--a play about white people, written by a white man--it doesn't seem they'll ever get that wish. And then they discover this Macbeth is going to be all Harlem's and a play no one will ever forget! Illustrated with Floyd Cooper's rich oilwash paintings, Amy Littlesugar's story about a real event in the Harlem Renaissance serves as a tribute to the people who, in the face of the Great Depression, refused to let hope die. Description from Publisher
Black Cat By Christopher Myers	Awards: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book This book follows a black cat on his way throughout a city. The book is dedicated to all children of the city - a group the author apparently associates him-self with. The format is appealing and interesting, especially the artwork which was created by using pastels and collage techniques over actual photographs of Harlem and Brooklyn, New York. The text is a poem that describes the cat's journey. So many books today are set in a middle-class neighborhood; this one shows images of more diverse settings that are most likely from a lower socio-economic class. Some slang words are used as well. For instance, "tag" is a term for graffiti gang symbols, and "projects" when speaking of housing projects and "bodega" are all words that appear. The words and images of the book may appeal to some, but could leave others wondering. Children, and teachers, who have never lived in the city, may not be familiar with housing projects or playground cages. The book may help others to understand how city-life is different, but at the same time, it may drive a wedge between them. I did not see how this book would help people to integrate these societies in any way. If anything, it just showed what the differences between urban and rural or suburban living are without attempting to show any similarities between the areas. Description from Amazon.com Customer Review
Grandma's Records By Eric Velasquez	Making his authorial debut, Velasquez (The Piano Man) proves himself adept at evoking time and place as well as a loving family bond. The narrator spends his boyhood summers at his grandmother's apartment in Spanish Harlem, where Grandma introduces him to the sounds of merengue and conga, dances with him and tells stories of growing up in Puerto Rico. Whenever she plays one special song, she puts her hand over her heart. Sometimes the boy sketches album covers, sometimes musicians come to visit, but the highlight of the summer is hearing "the best band in Puerto Rico" (Raphael Cortijo's combo) at a big theater in the Bronx. When the lead singer dedicates his grandmother's favorite song to her, the boy is surprised to see the whole audience put their hands over their hearts. Later, he learns that the gesture "show[s] that their hearts remain in Puerto Rico even though they may be far away." In the end, the boy is an adult, shown illustrating this book and listening to a CD, hand over heart. Velasquez comfortably introduces Spanish phrases, adds notes about real-life musicians and offers an aesthetically pleasing array of period album covers on the endpapers. His illustrations are realistic but quiet, toned down in their depiction of Grandma and her tidy, neutral decor the music here emanates from the words. Description from Publishers Weekly Each year, a boy spends the summer with his grandmother in her apartment in Spanish Harlem. Grandma loves music, and her extensive record collection provides hours of pleasure. Selecting music to share with her and sketching art from album covers are frequent activities. One special summer, Grandma is given two tickets to a live concert by a nephew, a percussionist in a well-known Puerto Rican band. When the lead singer dedicates the last song to her, the child is surprised to see everyone singing "Grandma's special song" ("In My Old San Juan") with eyes closed and a hand placed over the heart. Later he understands that this act symbolizes "that their hearts remain in Puerto Rico even though they may be far away." Finally, he is pictured as an adult in his studio honoring his grandmother and her music through his art. Velasquez's touching yet simply told memoir of this tender relationship is lovingly captured in his illustrations. The old woman's dignity and spunk are etched in her face while her housecoat and slippers, framed photos from long ago, and console phonograph create a distinct sense of time and place. Add this to your study of memoir and be sure to read it aloud in celebration of grandparents and the children they love. You'll be glad you did. Description from School Library Journal Velasquez relates his personal experience as a young boy who spent summers with his grandmother in 1950s Spanish Harlem, where Grandma wrapped me in her world of music." As merengues and salsas played all through the long, hot summer, Grandma would dance and tell Eric about her life in Puerto Rico. One day, Grandma's nephew Sammy, who plays percussion in the best band in Puerto Rico, comes to town for a concert. He surprises Grandma and Eric with tickets to the show. The concert proves to be "a magical moment in time" for Eric, and particularly for Grandma, whose special song, "In My Old San Juan," is sung directly to her. The song, which describes the sadness and uncertainties of leaving Puerto Rico for a foreign country, is reproduced at the book's end in both Spanish and English. Rich oil paintings lovingly depict the special times in Grandma's New York apartment and the excitement of the live concert. Short biographies of the band's three famous members add to the book's value as a resource for a study of the Puerto Rican culture. Desciption from Booklist
Los Discos De Mi Abuela By Eric Velasquez (Spanish)	Every summer Eric stays with his Grandma in New York's El barrio. They listen to her amazing record collection and dance salsa. Eric and his Grandma go to see a live performance of their favorite band, which proves to be a memory to last a lifetime. This touching story of a relationship that bridges generations is as beautiful to look at as it is lyrical to read. Description from Publisher
Salsa By Lillian Colon-Vila	Rita, a young girl living in New York's El Barrio, gets all kinds of advice about salsa music from her family--how to play it, how to dance to it, even how to dress for it! Learning about salsa dance steps and musical instruments such as the güiro, piano, timbales, congas, and brass, Rita becomes so filled with enthousiasm that she dreams of someday becoming a salsa band director. With vibrant illustrations that capture the very essence, spirit and rhythm of salsa, this captivating picture book literally dances in the readers hands. Both children and adults wil have trouble keeping thir feet from tapping as they read this enchanting tale. Description from Publisher The illustrations are as hot as salsa with bold pinks, greens and other bright colors. Readers follow a little girl as she introduces a series of relatives who dance, sing or play an instrument with a salsa beat. They offer her advice and instruction. This little girl has big dreams, she wants to be the first female salsa bandleader. It is a big warm family having a great time, and by the end of the book you wish you could also be dancing and swaying to the salsa music. Description from Children's Literature
Lookin' for Bird in the Big City By Robert Burleigh	From bridge to street to subway, Miles Davis hears the king of bebop's music so clearly he feels they must be destined to meet. Finally, when it seems he has turned the last corner of the city, he finds him-Charlie Parker, the most fantastic bird ever heard. Robert Burleigh's soulful lyricism and Marek Los's bold brushstrokes combine to create a brilliant portrait of what might have happened one fateful night. Description from Publisher Words and art harmonize in this creatively imagined account of the first meeting between a teenage Miles Davis and celebrated saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker. Los makes a sparkling children's book debut here: his paintings create visual riffs that complement the jazz musicians and setting he salutes. Based on a true story, Burleigh's (Hoops) lyrical narrative follows the young Miles as he wanders through New York City in search of Parker. As he traverses the streets, Davis plays his trumpet: "Notes came to me,/ as jagged as the city skyline,/ and far away as where the sun goes down,/ 'cause I wanted my music to soar as high as his,/ and I had to be ready." Los's paintings capture the mood of the music plus the energy and vibrancy of Manhattan at daybreak, twilight and under overcast skies. He mingles blazing color and dramatic shadowing and inventively juxtaposes natural and neon light. Observant youngsters will realize that several times Davis's path just misses crossing Parker's and will pick up on the intermittent presence of a snow-white bird in the sky (as well as evidence of such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday). Even without the strains of bebop ("Zip-de-ba, dip-dip-dip, de-beoo-de-boo") that float across these pages, readers would appreciate the deep resonance of this fine collaboration. Description from Publishers Weekly Who would have thought that the hip jazz musicians who created bebop in the 1940s would eventually be celebrated in children's picture books? Certainly not Charlie Parker (Charlie Parker Played Bebop), Thelonious Monk (Mysterious Thelonious), nor Miles Davis, the hero of Burleigh and Los' entry in the jazz-for-toddlers sweepstakes. Burleigh tells a fictionalized version of Davis' teenage journey to New York to meet his idol, Parker, with whom he later performed. (Unlike many fictionalized biographies, though, this one establishes in the beginning that the story represents only what "might have happened.") Complemented superbly by first-time illustrator Los' evocative paintings, done in pencil, oil, and watercolor and finished in Photoshop, the text captures the young Davis' openness to the sights and especially the sounds of the city. Los' impressionistic two page-spreads convey the intimidating magnificence of Manhattan as seen from rooftops and bridges, as well as the neon energy of city streets lined with jazz clubs. Like all of the jazz picture books, this one will most appropriately be read to children and used as an entree into the music and its history, but the detail-rich pictures and bouncy text will hold kid's interest nicely. Description from Booklist
When Jo Louis Won the Title By Belinda Rochelle	Jo Louis dreads being the new girl at a new school in a new neighborhood; what she hates most is telling new people her name. Then her loving grandfather tells her the story of that name and what it has meant across generations in their family. He remembers how he left Mississippi as a young man, heading north for Harlem. Walking the streets the first night in the big city, he found himself part of a huge neighborhood celebration: Joe Louis had won the fight; it was a special day for black people everywhere. For the young country boy, the night was also special because he met his wife. They named their son after the champion, and that son was Jo Louis' father, who, in turn, named her. Johnson's glowing impressionistic paintings in shades of blue and brown show the smiling affection between the small girl and her strong grandfather as they sit close together and talk on the porch steps. She loves his stories. On her first day at school, her smiling bond is with the new friend she makes in the classroom. He thinks her name is great. Description from Booklist The first day at a new school causes anxiety for Jo Louis, a young African-American girl who worries that she'll be teased because of her unusual name. Her grandfather tries to comfort her by telling her the story of its origins. He describes how as a young man he moved to Harlem from the South in search of a better life, and how upon his arrival he got caught up in a spirited celebration because Joe Louis had just won the heavyweight boxing title. That same night, Jo's grandfather met his future wife; hence they named their son after the champion, and he in turn passed it on to his daughter. Grandfather tells Jo that she should be proud of her name, and she is relieved when she has a positive first encounter with a classmate. Rochelle pens a warm, intergenerational story, and Johnson's paintings work well with the text. Description from School Library Journal Jo Louis is starting a new school and she doesn't want to go because... "Someone would ask THE QUESTION...'What's your name?'" Her loving grandfather, John Henry, takes the worried child on his lap and tells her how he traveled from Mississippi dreaming of a new life in Harlem. He arrived on a sparkling night filled with the lights and noises of celebration; the night Joe Louis won the title...and the night he met the little girl's grandmother. For the small girl, her grandfather's stories have words "like wings and other things" and, as he tells his story, her story and the story of Joe Louis, she begins to understand this great moment of African-American pride. She also finds new pride in her own name because of its representation in terms of family and culture. The book is strengthened by the author's naturally poetic storyteller's voice, and her wisdom in showing the realistic reactions of a young child. Description from Children's Literature
Brothers of the Knight By Debbie Allen	Reverend Knight can't understand why his twelve sons' sneakers are torn to threads each and every morning, and the boys aren't talking. They know their father would surely put an end to their all-night dance parties. Maybe Sunday, a pretty new nanny with a knack for cleaning, cooking, and getting to the bottom of household mysteries, can crack the case. This cool, clever modern fable bursts with vibrant artwork and text as energetic as the twelve toe-tapping Knight brothers themselves. Description from Publisher Spun from a live performance at the Kennedy Center, this urban version of ``The Twelve Dancing Princesses'' is a strong picture-book debut for both Allen and Nelson. Reverend Knight, a Harlem minister, can't understand why his twelve sons' hightops are ``worn to threads, messed up, torn up, stinky, dirty, tacky, jacked up'' each and every morning. Promising to get to the bottom of it all, winsome Sunday, latest in a long line of housekeepers, whips out a cloak of invisibility and follows the boys night after night to the Big Band Ballroom. When she confronts them, they confess: they love to dance, but fear their father's disapproval. Posed in theatrical arrangements and postures, Nelson's exuberant figures fill his stage-like scenes. In the end, the boys tell all, the reverend admits that he too used to cut the rug, and the stage is set for a swinging finale. This is a high-flying alternative to the tale's usual dainty renditions. Description from Kirkus Reviews
The Harlem Nutcracker: Based on the Ballet By Susan Kuklin (Photographer) and Donald Byrd	Forget the Sugar Plum Fairy and those syrupy waltzes you can't get out of your head each December. This is a new Nutcracker, with jazz by Ellington, African-American and Dominican children as party guests, and a Harlem nightclub of the '20s as the fantasy destination for Clara and her prince. Byrd created his innovative version of the classic Christmas ballet for his own dance company, and the production was skillfully photographed by co-author Kuklin (Hoops with Swoopes). Here, Clara is an African-American grandmother facing her first Christmas without her beloved husband Gus, who returns to her in dream sequences and again as the transformed nutcracker. The story mirrors the basic plot of the ballet, with the theme here of an aging grandmother's acceptance of her husband's passing and her own impending death rather than a young girl's awakening. The antagonist is not the Mouse King, but a rather terrifying specter of death, who comes for Clara with his accompanying hounds, death maidens, and ghouls. At first, Clara repels the figure of death, but at the end, she is no longer afraid of him, and she exits on the arm of her husband-prince as they "climb the stairway to eternity." Kuklin, an experienced dance photographer, captures both the expressive movement of the dancers and their subtle emotions in superb photographs with black backgrounds framed in jewel tones of ruby, emerald, and lapis. This powerful story is not just another retold fairy tale; it stands on its own, dancing in the reader's imagination. Description from Kirkus Reviews

Fiction For Older Readers

Harlem By Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers	Awards: Caldecott Honor Book A Parents' Choice Approval This heartfelt tribute captures the many moods of Harlem, bringing to life a very real urban community steeped in cultural history. Myers begins his poem with the words "Harlem was a promise/ Of a better life, of a place where a man didn't/ Have to know his place/ Simply because he was/ Black"; this cautious optimism informs the text. Children play on sidewalks and the smell of barbecue lingers. But there is sadness too-a "fleet of funeral cars" or "endless depths of pain/ Singing a capella on the street corners." Throughout, the past overlays the present, like a legacy passed down ("A journey on the A train/ That started on the banks of the Niger/ And has not ended"). Dreams dreamed in present-day Harlem are a part of this continuum, and music is the means of expression. The text pays homage to the "weary blues that Langston knew/ And Countee sung"; to Sunday night gospel music and Lady Day on the radio. Christopher Myers, who previously illustrated his father's Shadow of the Red Moon, delivers bold collages that are both stark and lyrical. People stare out of his paintings, challenging or appealing to the viewer, or lost in reverie. Rough cut paper and daubed paint combine to create a raw immediacy. This is by no means an easy book-most of the allusions, if not the poem's significance itself, will need to be explained to children-but its artistic integrity is unmistakable; the effort its presentation to young readers may require is worth it. Description from Publishers Weekly The father and son-Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers have outdone themselves in this spectacular book. The Walter Dean has written a lovely poem about the rich history of Harlem, ."..a promise / Of a better life, of a place where a man didn't / Have to know his place / Simply because he was / Black." Not only is the journey of African-Americans to Harlem and their lives described lyrically in words but also it is beautifully illustrated in Christopher Myers' vivid collage art. The pictures tell their own story of the powerful impact Harlem had on the lives of its residents. Description from Children's Literature The two Myerses--author and artist, father and son--celebrate Harlem, which they perceive both as a city and a "promise of a better life," in quite different but wonderfully complementary ways. The author views Harlem--where he grew up--as a symbol of African American aspiration; the artist shares a more concrete city composed of "colors loud enough to be heard." In a text that is as much song as poem, the author offers his impressionistic appreciation for a culture that is predominantly music-based, with its roots in "calls and songs and shouts" "first heard in the villages of Ghana/Mali/Senegal." In his hotly vibrant ink, gouache, and collage images, the artist shows us the textures of the city streets, the colors of "sun yellow shirts on burnt umber bodies," and even, it seems, the sounds the words themselves evoke. The very look of metaphorical moments is well served by the text, but it is Harlem as a visual experience that YAs will return to again and again, to admire and wonder at what is realized with truly extraordinary grace and power by this young artist of such wonderful promise. Description from Booklist
The Mouse Rap By Richard Wright	Awards: 1991 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA) Children's Choices for 1991 (IRA/CBC) Children's Books of 1990 (Library of Congress) 1991 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library) Parenting Honorable Mention, Reading Magic Award You can call me Mouse, 'cause that's my tag I'm into it all, everything's my bag my ace is Styx, he'll always do Add Bev and Sheri, and you got my crew ...and a crew it is! For fourteen-year-old Mouse, this summer is anything but boring. His father, who checked out from the family eight years ago, is now trying to make a comeback as a dad. Beverly, a new girl from California, seems to like locking lips with the Mouse--but she seems to like other guys, as well. Sheri is trying to persuade the gang to join a dance contest. And there's a rumor that a lot of money--the loot from a '30's bank heist, to be exact--is hidden somewhere in an abandoned Harlem building, and you know the Mouse is determined to get a piece of that action. Description from Publisher A crisp rap beat, an intriguing, intergenerational cast of characters, and the zaniness of events make this story of fourteen-year-old Mouse and his friends a very upbeat adventure. Description from Horn Book "My tag is Mouse, and it'll never fail/ And just like a mouse I got me a tale," begins this lively account told in distinctive rap language, of the adventures of a group of fourteen-year-olds during one summer in Harlem. Are Bev, Sheri, and Ceil going to trick the macho boys into performing a dance with them in a contest? Are the Bev person's kisses for real? Is Moms going to let "Mr. D (I'm not calling him Dad)" move back in? Are Gramps and his old friend Sam telling the truth about their long ago encounters with 1930s gangster Tiger Moran? And what's with Booster, whose grandma was a crook and taught him tricks, who carries a gun under the long coat he wears even on the hottest summer day? And the treasure rumored to have been stashed away by Moran-does it really exist, and can the kids find it with the help of Pops and Sam? There's lots going on that will keep readers guessing until the end of this lively tale, told as only The Mouse could tell it. Description from children's Literature The book is filled with a sweet good humor. . . . Mr. Myers introduces his chapters with some hip-hop verse, . . . but even good rap lyrics--and his aren't--don't amount to much without the music behind them. His funny, sharp prose is more convincing. . . . {This book} presents not only an endearing protagonist but also a loving portrait of Harlem, complete with comic street scenesand delightful street people. Description from The New York Times Book Review
Contender By Robert Lipsyte Cliffs Notes Also Available	There were three flights of dark, rickety stairs up to Donatelli's Gym, a Harlem boxing club where champions had trained. Most of the boys, black and white, came up those stairs in the daytime and with friends. But Alfred Brooks, a seventeen-year-old high school drop-out, climbed them at night, alone and running scared. Down on the hot streets the punks were after him, and maybe the police, too. His best friend was sinking into the twilight life of narcotics addiction. The widowed aunt who bad taken him in when his mother died was asking too many questions. And the job in the grocery store felt more and more like a one-way ride to nowhere. The world that Alfred bad been drifting through sud-denly began to close in on him. The only way out was up — up the treacherous stairs, into the large, murky room where he began to learn that it's the climbing that makes the man — the gut-wrenching second effort, the dawn run, the will to get back on your feet after you've been knocked down. Alfred Brooks learns that getting to the top isn't as important as how you get there, and that before you can be a champion, you have to be a contender. Description from Publisher Alfred's life is going nowhere fast. He's a high-school dropout working at a grocery store. His best friend is drifting behind a haze of drugs and violence, and now some street punks are harassing him for something he didn't do. Feeling powerless and afraid, Alfred gathers up the courage to visit Donatelli's Gym, the neighborhood's boxing club. He wants to be a champion--on the streets and in his own life. Alfred doesn't quite understand when Mr. Donatelli tells him, "It's the climbing that makes the man. Getting to the top is an extra reward." In the end, he learns that a winner isn't necessarily the one standing when the fight is over. Teens and adults alike will be knocked out by this powerful story of how a frightened boy becomes a man. Description from Amazon.com A 17-year-old Harlem boy struggles to become a champion boxer in this excellent novel [recommended] for use in the early phases of secondary school literature study. Description from Language Arts A multicultural perennial favorite by Robert Lipsyte, The Contender is a moral tale that emphasizes the importance of the fight rather than the prize, the quality of the struggle over the outcome. Hence, becoming a contender is what Alfred Brooks learns to do as he literally fights young boxers and figuratively braves the inner struggle of peer pressure. Description from Publisher (Cliffs Notes)
Keisha Discovers Harlem (Magic Attic Club) By Zoe Lewis	While trying to find a topic for her school assignment, Keisha visits Ellie's attic and discovers the excitement of the music and writing that flourished among African Americans in Harlem during the 1920s. Description from Publisher Keisha's homework was to do a report on a time in America's history and she doesn't know what to write about. Her friends Heather, Megan, Alison and Rose are each writing about their family history. Keisha goes home and digs into her family photo albums with her parents and finds tons of pictures but nothing interesting to write about. She then decides to go to Ellie's attic and tries on a shimmering lavender dress like the ones from her pictures and is transported to Harlem in the 1920's. Her cousin Norma is a reporter and hears that Louis Armstrong is coming to town. When Norma can't "cover it" will Keisha be the one to interview Mr. Armstrong? Description from Amazon.com Customer Review
Mystery of the Dark Tower (American Girl History Mysteries) By Evelyn Coleman	When Bessie's family is whisked away to New York City from North Carolina in the middle of the night-without her mother-Bessie must try to make sense of the changes in her life. Her search for answers leads her into the midst of the exciting Harlem Renaissance period of the late 1920s. She encounters artists, musicians, writers-and a woman rumored to have magical powers! Description from Publisher In 1928, Bessie Coulter's father suddenly removes her and her younger brother, Eddie, from their North Carolina house and takes them by train to Harlem, New York, where they end up living with their two aunts. Startled by this abrupt departure and worried about her mother's absence, a determined Bessie sets out to find the truth about what's happening to her family. During her stay in the city, she searches for clues about her mother's condition and her father's mysterious job and new acquaintances. Her investigation leads her into the middle of the Harlem Renaissance, where she visits interesting places and encounters intriguing people, including Lillian, a clever girl from next door, Miss Flo, a mysterious woman rumored to have magical powers, and A'Lelia Walker, the daughter of America's first female millionaire. By the end of the story, Bessie discovers that her mother has tuberculosis and her father has become a painter to earn money so the entire family can be together in New York. This suspenseful, historically accurate portrayal of life in the 1920s introduces readers to colorful events and memorable characters. Young history buffs and mystery lovers will enjoy this fast-paced book. Other titles in this series include--The Smuggler's Treasure, The Night Flyers, Voices at Whisper Bend, and Secrets on 26th Street. Description from Children's Literature
The Jazz Man By Mary Hays Weik	Awards: A Newbery Honor Book. Zeke, a nine-year-old boy with a lame leg, lives five flights up in a house in Harlem and amuses himself by looking out the windows. When the Jazz Man with his wonderful music moves into a room across the court, Zeke's life takes on new meaning--until trouble comes in the form of near abandonment. Description from Publisher
145th Street: Short Stories By Walter Dean Myers	That's what 145th Street is like. Something funny happens... and then something bad happens. It's almost as if the block is reminding itself that life is hard, and you have to take it seriously." Walter Dean Myers's book of interconnected short stories is a sweet and sour mix of the comedy and tragedy of the human condition, played out against the backdrop of the Harlem neighborhood that is centered around 145th Street. In this 'hood, teens will become acquainted with the mysterious 12-year-old Angela, whose sad dreams seem to predict the future for an unlucky few, and the fast-talking Jamie Farrell, a smooth basketball player who's praying that his streak of good luck doesn't end before he can ask out Celia Evora, "the finest chick in the school." They will chuckle at the affable Big Joe, who wants to enjoy his funeral party while he's still alive, yet feel their hearts tighten when Big Time Henson senses his drug addiction drawing him closer and closer to an early grave. Myers frankly discusses the consequences of violence, drive-bys and gang war through his articulate characters, but tempers these episodes with such a love of his fictional community that every character shines through with the hope and strength of a survivor. Changing his point of view from teen to adult and back again through each vignette, Myers successfully builds a bridge of understanding between adolescents and adults that will help each group better understand the problems of the other. A worthy and recommended read that beautifully illustrates the good that can come out of a community that stands together. Newbery Honor-winning Myers has written more than 50 books, including Monster and Fallen Angels. Description from Amazon.com Myers weaves a fine tapestry from the multifaceted life of Harlem with its shiny, shady and hazy ways. The marvelously developed characters in these ten short stories really pack a wallop. First, there is the very funny story of Big Joe staging his own funeral. Myers then takes the reader to the other extreme with his grim tale of an innocent child shot by the police. One discovers the desperation of Billy Giles who returns time and again to the boxing ring, and the reactions of a superstitious community to Angela Colón's "second sight." Elderly Mother Fletcher imparts wisdom and warmth in "A Christmas Story." Myers' use of first person narrative gives immediacy to these tales. His apt phrasing and the rhythm of the stories have a mesmerizing affect. Some special people await the reader here on 14th Street. And what stories they have to tell! Make sure you don't miss out. Description from Children's Literature
Motown and Didi: A Love Story By Walter Dean Myers	Motown lives in a burned-out building one floor above the rats, searching out jobs every day, working his muscles every night, keeping strong, surviving. Didi lives in her cool dream bubble, untouched by the Harlem heat that beats down on her brother until only drugs can soothe him. Didi escapes, without needles, in her tidy plans and stainless visions, etchings of ivycovered colleges where her true life will begin. Didi can survive inside her own safe mind, until Motown steps into her real world and makes it bearable. Together they can stand the often brutal present. What about the future? Description from Publisher
Jazmin's Notebook By Nikki Grimes	Her name is Jazmin, and like the music of her name, her life throbs and swings--a few flat notes to be sure, but also bursting with rich passages that rise and soar. Sitting on her stoop she fills her notebook with laughs, anger, and hope. There's the risky lure of luscious-looking men and the consequences of free haircuts. This is a fourteen-year-old so-real girl living in Harlem in the 1960's, born with clenched fists and big dreams, and strengthened by the love of a steadfast sister. Captured within pages of her tough, exuberant life are all the beauty, chaos, confusion, and clarity that accompany the excitement of exploring life's possibilities--and discovering they are endless. Description from Publisher "There are days when laughter hides in the shadows, days when food is low . . . or we have no heat"; but 14-year-old Jazmin was "born with clenched fists," and her journal entries and occasional poems about her life in Harlem in the 1960s are funny, tender, angry, and tough. Mom's back in the hospital with a breakdown, and Daddy's dead; but after years of being sent "postage paid" to many relatives and foster homes, Jazmin at last has a place to stay with her strong, older sister. Jazmin loves school, even though she's picked on for her Coke-bottle glasses; an A student, she stands up to the counselor, who tries to steer her away from academics. Her journal is chatty and informal, but never cute (one anachronism, though: "ya-da, ya-da, ya-da" in the 1960s?). The brief poems are as direct and touching as the narrative. Many teens will relate to Jazmin, whether she is talking about the power of religion, friendship, or laughter, or about her attraction to a luscious guy, a "six-foot-four chocolate drop," who then tries to rape her. Jazmin's trouble with her mother is always there: anger that her distant mother never loved her and guilt that she just can't make herself visit the hospital. Then Jazmin does visit, and she finds her mother changed. Jazmin describes the heartbreaking scene: Mom "took my face in her hands, and let me see her tears." There is nothing idyllic in this realistic story, no talk of Heaven, but there is hope. We share Jazmin's laughter and tears as she writes about her struggle to find community and her own space. Description from Booklist There's a poetic soul taking notes up on Amsterdam Avenue in New York City, and her name is Jazmin Shelby, the star witness to the hard lives and high hopes in a novel from Grimes (Come Sunday). Jazmin has her sights set on college, but meanwhile she keeps her eyes open, noticing all the comings and goings of her 1960s neighborhood from her front stoop. She records everything in her notebook, including a running commentary on her family, feelings, friendships, hopes, and disappointments. Her father has been dead a year, and her mother--a mentally unstable alcoholic-- is hospitalized; Jazmin's life has included shuttling between relatives and foster homes, living in rat-infested tenements, and avoiding the everyday violence of the streets. Older sister CeCe is a source of strength, who, along with some supportive neighbors and teachers, have helped Jazmin hang on to her goals and resist the pitfalls of drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity. Peppering the first-person narration with poems from Jazmin's journal, Grimes paints a vivid picture of her character's surroundings. Especially effective are Jazmin's witty descriptions of neighbors and local characters; just as compelling is Jazmin's interior landscape, in which a wiser, more reflective voice hints at the young woman--and writer--she'll become. Description from Kirkus Reviews
Rite of Passage By Richard Wright	Harlem. The late 1940s. Fifteen-year-old Johnny Gibbs loves his parents, respects his teachers, and is a model student. Suddenly, his familiar world falls apart. Johnny learns he is really a foster child who the welfare authorities have decreed now must go and live with another family. Stunned by the revelation, Johnny runs away. The startling events that follow, during Johnny's nightlong confrontation with alienation and loneliness, will inexorably push him past the frontiers of childhood and into an unknown, violent world beyond. Rite of Passage, Richard Wright's never-before-published story of Johnny Gibbs's fall from grace, is as pertinent to the fate of many young people today as it was when it was first conceived nearly fifty years ago. Description from Publisher A newly discovered novella written by Wright in the 1940s evokes today's urban violence and also the "cold wet shelterless midnight streets" of Dickens' Oliver Twist. Johnny, a gifted 15-year-old student, runs away from his loving Harlem home when he discovers that he's really a foster child and that the faceless city bureaucracy is moving him to a new family. Suddenly alone on the streets, hungry, and lost, he survives with a brutal gang, fights the leader for dominance, and helps mug a man in the park. As the title suggests, this is an archetypal story of the loss of identity and the search for manhood. There's some overwriting at times, with far too many adverbs ("guiltily," "bawlingly," "dreadfully," etc.); a few minor characters are stereotyped; and the symbolism about crossing the barrier of childhood is overexplained. But the story is taut and terrible, and the account of Johnny trapped in a bleak, hostile city will hold teens fast. They'll also recognize the ironic truth of Johnny's friend who envies him the chance to break free of family. Opposed to the corrupt adults (including the police) who pay the kids to steal is the figure of an African American woman who calls out to Johnny in moral outrage for the crime of mugging an innocent person. Real or imaginary, she haunts Johnny. He wishes she would find him and bring him home. The eminent critic Arnold Rampersad, in a long, insightful afterword, shows how this story integrates many themes of Wright's work, including the relationship between racism, poverty, and violent crime. Description from Booklist In a previously unpublished story, Wright shows how a Harlem teenager is suddenly and profoundly changed by misfortune. Proudly bearing a straight-A report card, Johnny Gibbs comes home to a double shock: he's told that he's a foster child and that he's to be forcibly moved away from the family where he's lived since the age of six months. Wild with rage and grief, he runs to the streets; within hours, he has broken into a store, joined a gang of muggers, and become its leader after a vicious fight. Rejecting his whole past, Johnny begins to rebuild his life around feelings of alienation and the conviction that he's entirely on his own. Wright's unusual turns of phrase and crudely drawn characters give the story an air of unreality, despite some sharply drawn themes: the faceless indifference of white society; the fragility of family ties in the ghetto; and, most especially, the deep hatred of each race for the other. In a transparent effort to get this onto college reading lists, the publishers append a long academic afterword by Arnold Rampersad, editor of the "Library of America" edition of Wright's works, analyzing these themes and showing how they recur in the author's other books. More a literary afterthought than a gateway to this still-controversial writer. Chronology; selected author bibliography. Description from Kirkus Reviews Although Richard Wright wrote this novella fifty years ago, its themes of urban violence and family instability are just as relevant for today's teenagers. Wright sets his story in Manhattan around a neighborhood school used as the meeting place for a local gang. Fifteen-year-old Johnny suddenly discovers his parents are really foster parents and his real parents were unfit. He runs away and finds out that his best friend belongs to a gang of misfits. His flight, fears, initiation into the gang, and development into a leader compose the plot. Wright's prose is lean and powerful, his tone tough and impatient. Although the novella itself is easy reading, the impact of the violence and racism will require a mature reader. Following the novella is a scholarly essay by Arnold Rampersad assessing Rite of Passage within the context of Wright's other work. Recommended for high school and college reading, especially for multicultural discussions. Description from The ALAN Review
All for the Better: A Story of El Barrio By Nicholas Mohr	All for the Better tells the story of how one caring person can make a difference. In 1933 the Great Depression had hit Puerto Rico as hard as it had hit the United States. Evelina Lopez, then 11, left her mother and sisters to live with an aunt in New York City. Her journey to Spanish Harlem, El Barrio, and the life that followed there make up this simple biography. When she learned that food packages were available to those who presented the proper forms, but that most of her neighbors were too ashamed to apply, she found a solution. From this early success, Evelina Lopez Antonetty became an activist on behalf of the Spanish community in New York, ultimately founding the United Bronx Parents Group. The language in this well-written biography is rich, flavored with Spanish words, and yet relatively easy to read. The black-and-white drawings scattered throughout highlight important details of the story. A worthy purchase. Description from School Library Journal This short and easy biography of Bronx community activist Evalina Lopez Antonetty focuses on the subject's childhood years of coming alone from Puerto Rico to New York during the Depression, adjusting to English and a new school,and successfully convincing and organizing her proud neighbors to accept foodfrom government programs. Kids will appreciate Evalina's various struggles, but the writing is a tad tepid and adulatory. . . . An epilogue outlines Evalina's adult life, which was in many ways more interesting than the story told here. Description from Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books In this book, Ms. Mohr gets at the heart of Puerto Rican pride with the touching story of a young girl sent to the mainland, so her family on the island of Puerto Rico won't be so burdened financially. Evelina Lopez is 11 years old at the start of the story. She is saying her good-byes to her mother and two sisters. She is leaving to live with her aunt and uncle in New York during the Depression Era. Evelina faces this event with great courage, albeit with great sorrow at having to leave her family. When she gets to New York, her aunt and uncle greet her and she is taken to their home and shown her room. The school year has begun and soon Evelina is enrolled and attending her first classes in English. She is smart and learns quickly. She has run-ins with some girls but handles herself well and makes friends easily. Evelina is a doer. She has a clear way of seeing things and acts on her beliefs. She is strong, fair, helpful, and good. She figures out a way to get food for many neighbors who are too proud to accept charity. During this time of great hardship, Evelina is a symbol of hope. I would like to have met Evelina Lopez. Her life seems to have been an inspiration. Description from Amazon.com Customer Review
Dave at Night By Gail Carson Levine	"Gideon the Genius" and "Dave the Daredevil," their father called them: two Jewish boys growing up in 1920s New York, playing stickball and--in Dave's case--getting into trouble. But when their father dies, Dave finds himself separated from his older brother and thrust into the cold halls of the HHB, the Hebrew Home for Boys (which he later dubs the "Hopeless House of Beggars" and the "Hell Hole for Brats," among other things). Eager to escape the strict rules, constant bullying, and tasteless gruel of the orphanage, the Daredevil hops the wall one night to explore the streets of Harlem. He hears what he thinks is someone--or something?--laughing, but traces the sound to a late-night trumpeter shuffling backward into a wild "rent party." And just as quickly as he'd found himself stuck in the HHB, Dave is immersed in yet another world--the swinging salons and speakeasies of the Harlem Renaissance. Cramped, crazy parties packed with the likes of Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen give Dave refuge from life at the orphanage and awaken his artistic bent. And Dave's new friends, among them a grandfatherly "gonif" ("somebody who fools people out of their money") and a young "colored" heiress who takes a shine to him, help turn things around for him at the HHB. The skilled Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Medal-winning author of Ella Enchanted , clearly tells this tale from her heart, as the story is based on her own father's childhood spent in the real-life HOA (Hebrew Orphan Asylum). Description from Amazon.com A cross between Oliver Twist and a fairy tale, this charming story set on the edge of Harlem in 1926 features feisty troublemaker Dave. His father has died; neither his stepmother nor his poor, immigrant relatives feel they can support him. Thus, he is sent to the Hebrew Home for Boys, known by its "inmates" as the "Hell Hole for Brats," and is stripped of all of his possessions, most importantly an exquisite Noah's Ark that was carved by his father. Most of the adults Dave encounters are petty and brutal. He forms an alliance with the other "elevens" but vows to escape as soon as he recovers his carving. He sneaks out at night, and the sound of a "laughing trumpet" lures him to a nearby building where a dollar bill, a veritable fortune, wafts down from a window. He meets Solomon Gruber, a fortune teller, who makes Dave an unofficial grandson and whisks him off the streets into a party where he meets Irma Lee, a young black heiress whose mother runs salons for artists, authors, and musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. This chance encounter proves to be the boy's ultimate salvation. As in all fairy tales, characters are clearly good or evil, and Dave's story ends almost happily ever after. The magic comes from Levine's language and characterization. This novel will provide inspiration for all children while offering a unique view of a culturally diverse New York City. Readers will celebrate life with Dave and will recognize that fortitude and chutzpah are keys to his success, with a generous helping of good luck and good friends thrown in for good measure. Description from School Library Journal
Handbook for Boys: A Novel By Walter Dean Myers	Returning to the setting for his 145th Street: Short Stories, Myers constructs a penetrating profile of a community through the brief appearances of characters who file through Duke Wilson's barbershop. The author juxtaposes a sketch of 16-year-old narrator Jimmy Lynch's home life with nuggets of wisdom delivered by the barber with wit and tact. As the novel opens, Jimmy is about to be assigned to a youth facility for six months, until Duke offers to take him into his "community mentoring program." Initially Jimmy and Kevin, another teen whom Duke mentors, call the shop the "Torture Chamber." But as Jimmy shows up to the shop day after day at 3:30 p.m. to sweep, hang old photographs on the wall and polish spitoons, his anger and resistance erode and he begins to absorb Duke's advice. Organized into chapters with titles as straightforward as "Victims" (featuring a man who is evicted and whose marriage is in trouble because he "just go[es] from day to day to see what event [he] stumble[s] into," in Duke's words) and as humorous as "The Blind Monkey Strut" and "Froggy Goes A Courting," the novel introduces various customers from ex-cons to a millionaire who demonstrate specific life lessons. Jimmy's change in attitude is gradual and credible, and his tenuous friendship with Kevin takes an unexpectedly poignant turn when Kevin falls back into trouble. The author's instructional prefatory note may be offputting, but once inside the book, readers will be hooked. Description from Publishers Weekly Myers prefaces his new novel with an explanation of his belief that adult mentors can help teens choose positive paths in their lives. The book begins with a judge giving 16-year-old Jimmy the option of being assigned to a juvenile facility for six months for assaulting a classmate or to a community-mentoring program. Of course, he chooses the latter and begins his relationship with Duke Wilson, the owner of a neighborhood barbershop where he will work every day after school. Duke is an older man who, with several of his cronies, tries to give Jimmy and Kevin (another troubled youth) advice about the decisions and paths they will choose as they travel through life. This is imparted by using characters who visit the shop as good or bad examples of people who think independently, who take responsibility for their actions, who are on drugs, or who believe they can solve their own problems. Although the conversations provide valuable life lessons, they come across as didactic and preachy. Much more realistic are the one-on-one scenes between Jimmy and other characters, like his mother and, particularly, his contemporaries. The teen's perspective is the vehicle that carries the story and by book's end readers know he will make it while Kevin has more to learn. Marketed as a work of fiction, the book becomes transparent; as a handbook, it could touch many lives. Description from School Library Journal
Scorpions By Walter Dean Myers	Awards: 1989 Newbery Honor Book Notable Children's Books of 1988 (ALA) 1988 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA) 1989 Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA) The USA Through Children's Books 1990 (ALA) Young Adult Choices for 1990 (IRA) 1989 Judy Lopez Children's Books Award, Honorable Mention Children's Books of 1988 (Library of Congress) 1989 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library) Life in Harlem is difficult for 12-year-old Jamal: he has problems with teachers and peers, his often absent father makes him feel inadequate and his older brother Randy is in jail. Randy wants Jamal to take over the Scorpions, his lucrative crack running gang, but Jamal feels that he is too young andtoo inexperienced to lead the older gang members. Then Mack, Randy's warlord, passes a gun to Jamal. Jamal knows that keeping the gun is wrong, but it gives him such a feeling of power and security that he can't bring himself to give it up. Description from Publisher Jamal's feelings of powerlessness, insecurity, and ambivalence will strike a chord with readers. He is frustrated with his life yet not able to make any definite changes for the better. The decisions he must make (should he runcrack to earn money for Randy's appeal, should he take the gun to school, should he take the drug the school nurse offers to calm him down) are all decisions that a growing number of YAs face every day. Myers' matter-of-fact descriptions of Harlem offer a bleak portrayal of inner city life. His use of Black English, although the gang members have a much cleaner vocabulary than would be expected, adds to the plot's authenticity. Myers effectively illustrates the problems of guns, gangs, and inner city life; . . . however, the young characters will limit the appeal to middle and younger junior high readers. Description from Voice of Youth Advocates Jamal, who is black, and his best friend Tito, Puerto Rican, are not terribly sophisticated twelve-year olds when they are confronted with the 'choice'to join a gang, the Scorpions. . . . While Tito's grandmother and Jamal's mother and impish little sister . . . provide, as well as they can, love and support, the Harlem world portrayed here is unsparingly cold and frightening. . . . Myers's anti-gang message is strong but not didactic, effectively voiced through the words and actions of the Scorpions themselves. His compassion for Tito and Jamal is deep; perhaps the book's signal achievement is the way it makes us realize how young, in Harlem and elsewhere, twelve years old really is. Description from Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Another Way to Dance By Martha Southgate	Awards An ALA Best Book for Young Adults A Coretta Scott King Genesis Award winner Confused and upset over her parents' recent divorce, naive 14-year-old Vicki is ecstatic when she gets the chance to spend six weeks in New York City studying at the School of American Ballet. Her parents have tried to make her proud of her African American heritage, but all Vicki can see is that her black skin and straightened hair don't fit the image of the classical ballerina. She vigorously watches her diet and fantasizes about the moment Mikhail Baryshnikov will recognize her talent and love. Dance classes are intimidating, and her only friend is another black student, Stacey. Thanks to a boy, Michael, she finds comfort in the church and community in Harlem, but none of that is enough to protect her from being devastated by a racist remark at school and by Baryshnikov's overlooking her. Vicki's problems are resolved a bit too neatly, but there is depth and beauty in her compelling first-person narrative, all of which is exquisitely captured in the jacket art. Description from Booklist A probing ballet story about a young dancer who is untangling the differences between blending into the corps de ballet and subsuming her own individuality. Vicki Harris is in love with Mikhail Baryshnikov. She's thrilled to be accepted into the summer program at the prestigious School of American Ballet--where she might run into Misha--but she's also worried: The school is extremely demanding. Vicki is one of two African-Americans in the program, pronounced the other ``chip in the cookie,'' by sassy Stacey. They support each other in their rigorous classes but suspect that no matter how hard they work or how good they are, the subtle racism that pervades classical ballet and therefore the school has no room for anyone at the top who isn't white. Vicki has her own prejudices: Swept up in her ideal of the perfect ballerina, she has straightened her hair (over her mother's objections) and wears it in a bun; she's embarrassed at the "loud and crazy" antics of a group of black girls on the subway and dislikes the oversize clothing of "homies." She faces these prejudices while coping with the rigors of school, family relationships, and her growing feelings for a boy in this compelling first novel about growing up, a summer of dance, and the haunting, competitive world of classical ballet. Readers will be rooting for Vicki all the way. Description from Kirkus Reviews Fourteen-year-old Vicki Harris's dream has come true. She has been accepted into the summer program at New York City's prestigious School of American Ballet. It will be hard work and highly competitive, but Vicki feels ready. She is totally committed to dancing. Vicki isn't prepared to be one of only two African American students in the program. Nor is she expecting the racism she finds within the school. And Michael, from Harlem, takes Vicki completely by surprise. He shakes up her dream world--and shows her that real life is bigger than a stage. Description from Publisher
Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff By Walter Dean Myers	When Francis (shortly to be known as Stuff) moved to 116th Street, he didn't know anyone, but that didn't last long. Cool Clyde, Fast Sam, Gloria, BB, Angel and Maria, Chalky and Carnation Charley - they grew close that one eventful year, and nothing was ever like it again. That was the year that modern science got them all in jail; the year Stuff fell in love and was unfaithful; the year Cool Clyde and Fast Sam won the dance contest - almost. In this funny and energetic book, Walter Dean Myers brings to life with warmth and good humor an unusual group of boys and girls, who together grow to know the meaning of friendship. Description from Publisher
The Friends By Rosa Guy	A young West Indian girl in Harlem, New York eventually recognizes that her own selfish pride rather than her mother's death and her father's tyrannical behavior created the gulf between her and her best friend. Description from Publisher
Bonjour, Lonnie By Faith Ringgold	The Caldecott award-winning author tells about an African American experience rarely presented to children. Lonnie's story is about his search for his heritage. It tells about the flight of African American artists, writers and musicians, including his grandfather, to Paris in the 1920's to achieve cultural freedom following World War I. It also tells of the bravery shown and honors bestowed on the Harlem Hell fighters in the 369th regiment, which opened the door for the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance. The mixed heritage of Lonnie's family also is related, including the internment of his Jewish mother by the Nazis and the death of his father in the French army during World War II. Description from Children's Literature

Nonfiction For Older Readers

Extraordinary People of the Harlem Renaissance By P. Stephen Hardy & Sheila Jackson Hardy	This hefty volume, useful for research and interesting for browsing, introduces the leaders of the African American creative movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. A few chapters discuss topics such as "the New Negro," the Jazz Age, and patrons of the arts, but most are devoted to key figures in the movement. Forty-four individuals are featured in chapters several pages in length. Typically, there is a portrait photo and sometimes an additional black-and-white picture, perhaps of a band, a painting, or a stage production. Appendixes include an annotated list of 40 other figures in the Harlem Renaissance, a glossary, and lists of books and Web sites. Clearly written and designed, this provides a good starting place for research on the period and the people who created it. Description from Booklist This well-researched work provides concise, well-written biographies of forty-four outstanding scholars, educators, writers, poets, performers, and artists who distinguished themselves during the 1920s and 1930s. It brings to light many important people who contributed greatly to an often-overlooked period of American history. Famous people, such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Louis Armstrong, and Zora Neale Hurston, can be found here as well as those who are lesser known, such as Countee Cullen, Jessie Redmon Fauset, and Sargent Claude Johnson. Interspersed with brief four- to six-page biographies and superb black-and-white photographs of each subject, the authors include theme chapters that provide the reader with important information and a historical perspective of the Harlem Renaissance. Chapters such as "The New Negro" and "The Jazz Age" offer insight and relevancy that underline the achievements of the biographies. This volume contains some valuable extras for the reader, including forty thumbnail sketches of additional contributors to the Harlem Renaissance and a useful glossary. The section on further reading is divided nicely for younger and older readers and is followed by an excellent list of Internet sites for more information. The Hardys have done younger researchers a service by gathering so many important people in one volume. Broad in scope and rich in information, this book would be a great resource for middle and high school students Description from VOYA
Black Stars of the Harlem Renaissance By James Haskins	African American History Comes to Life Discover why young people all over the country are reading the Black Stars biographies of African American heroes. Here is what you want to know about the lives of great black men and women during the fabulous Harlem Renaissance: Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, Eubie Blake, Thomas Andrew Dorsey, W. E. B. DuBois, Duke Ellington, James Reese Europe, Jessie Redmon, Fauset, Marcus Garvey, W. C. Handy, Fletcher Henderson, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Hall Johnson, Henry Johnson, Oscar Micheaux, Philip Payton Jr., Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Paul Robeson, Augusta Savage, Noble Sissle, Bessie Smith, James van der Zee, Dorothy West, and Carter G. Woodson . Description from Publisher
Harlem Renaissance By Kelly King Howes	From the beginnings of "Harlemania" to the beginnings of the Great Depression, this authoritative resource presents the people, places and times that defined an era and documents the launch of cultural development among African Americans in 1920s Harlem. The book features 7 subject chapters and 15 biographical profiles. The chapters in Harlem Renaissance feature informative sidebars that describe Harlem slang, fashion and popular dances, as well as interesting figures such as Josephine Baker, Florence Mills and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Harlem Renaissance presents the writings of notable authors of the time and how African American literature changed from works in dialect to penetrating analyses of black culture, inspiring novels of protest and racial pride. Look for informative chapters that feature: Biographies The beginnings of the Harlem Renaissance Historical background and overview Fiction, poetry and journalism Performing arts The visual arts Harlem nightlife The end of the Harlem Renaissance And much more Description from Publisher
The Harlem Renaissance Map and Walking Tour By Ephemera Press	Few places are as rich in art and cultural history as the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. This map-poster-guide shows the homes, nightclubs, churches and other sites associated with Harlem's writers, artists, musicians, thinkers, and political leaders. Featuring portraits and drawings of buildings and streets, this illustrated map makes a beautiful poster suitable for framing. The back of the map provides addresses and an easy-to-follow walking tour of Harlem. Each CultureMap explores a specific New York City neighborhood, focusing on the people and places that have made that neighborhood famous. The front side of each publication features a beautifully illustrated pictorial map done by a well-known artist. The backsides provide the itinerary for a neighborhood walking tour that has been carefully researched by a team of educators. CultureMaps are designed for scholars, tourists, locals, students and others interested in history and culture. The maps are available in both a folded format and as unfolded posters suitable for framing. Ephemera Press’ “Harlem Renaissance Map” has been approved by The New York Board of Education for use in Intermediate and Secondary Schools. Description from Publisher
The Harlem Renaissance By Veronica Chambers	Part of the African-American Achievers series, like De Angelis' Black Cowboys, this sophisticated, in-depth history discusses how Harlem became the center of a great 1920s black cultural revolution that enriched the nation. Chambers weaves together accounts of the leading artists, writers, musicians, and intellectuals--Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, W. E. B. Du Bois, James van der Zee, and many more--with an overview of the social and political forces of the time. Her approach is celebratory, but she also analyzes the bitter conflicts within the African American artistic community, as well as the influence, good and bad, of the whites who helped make Harlem popular. The writing style is sometimes flat, but Chambers is at her best in talking about individual works of art from a social and an aesthetic point of view. There are interesting black-and-white photos throughout as well as a small central insert with full-color art and fascinating commentary. Quotes are carefully attributed, and there's a bibliography but no footnotes. Description from Booklist
The Harlem Renaissance in American History By Ann Graham Gaines	Travel through the streets of Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance and you might have been able to dance to the infectious tunes of ragtime. At this time, Harlem had become a magnet drawing the likes of Zora Neale Hurston, Marcus Garvey and many other influential African Americans into the creative flow. Author Ann Graham Gaines examines Harlem as the area became electrified by a cultural phenomena that historians today refer to as the Harlem Renaissance. Description from Publisher This serviceable overview covers the period in the 1920s when many aspects of African-American culture merged in Harlem. The book traces the intellectual life that flourished there from its roots in the Great Migration of blacks from the South after the turn of the century and the rise of activist organizations that promoted racial equality, such as the NAACP. The contributions of public figures and artists such as W. E. B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and James Weldon Johnson are outlined, as is the period's legacy. Black-and-white photos are scattered throughout the text. Description from School Library Journal
Shimmy Shimmy Shimmy Like My Sister Kate: Looking at the Harlem Renaissance Through Poems y Nikki Giovanni	Nikki Giovanni's latest work is a wonderful anthology of poems by the very best African-American writers including Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Gwendolyn Brooks and many others. Juxtaposed with the poems, Giovanni has added her own highly personal responses, sometimes including cultural context, sometimes just saying why the poem speaks to her. The poems are consistently excellent, and Giovanni's comments are always perceptive and often wise. A must-have. Description from Amazon.com Poet Giovanni celebrates the great flowering of African American poetry when writers such as Langston Hughes, Robert Hayden, and Countee Cullen spoke for the people with powerful simplicity. The poetry sings for all of us with sadness, anger, humor, and grace. Giovanni's informal commentary after each poem shares her love for the words and connects the poets to each other and to her own experience, and also to history, biography, and literature. From the start she shows that "the written word is by nature political," that these writers were fighting a war with words, and her examples have a personal immediacy. However, the last third of the anthology, concerned with contemporary writers, seems added on: most of these pieces are difficult (few teens will get Ishmael Reed's mockery of the Western classics) and posturing (Giovanni applauds LeRoi Jones' use of obscenity on stage); the last poem, by Ntozake Shange, about being born a girl, includes some horrific detail about clitorectomy. Giovanni's own rap poem is a delightful loving tribute to Langston Hughes, and she connects a melancholy lyric by Sonia Sanchez to Paul Laurence Dunbar: it's that "rainbow ride" tradition, political and personal, that still speaks most directly to kids today. Description from Booklist An annotated collection of poems from the Harlem Renaissance and beyond, presented by a master teacher and a terrific storyteller. Exhorting, cajoling, willing readers to listen and to hear, Giovanni (Put a Genie in a Jar) starts each chapter with a poem or poems from an African-American writer such as Paul Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Margaret Walker, or Ishmael Reed, covering 23 poets in all. She discusses, briefly, the lives of these writers, the context of African-American history, and the structure and sense of the poems in short chapters. The book is a conversation--readers can almost hear Giovanni talking-- as she anticipates questions, clarifies obscurities, and utterly beguiles with her passion and personal feelings for the writers. Much of the poetry is painful to read: Ntozake Shange on female genital mutilation; Gwendolyn Brooks on the murder of Emmett Till. There is an underlying joy, however, in tune with the music of the language. This is a fine collection whatever the need: for poetry shelves, black history collections, social consciousnessraising sessions, cultural literacy courses--or for anyone who likes the sight of words that shimmy shimmy shimmy on the page. Description from Kirkus Reviews
Artists and Writers of the Harlem Renaissance By Wendy Hart Beckman	Harlem is an area of Manhattan in New York City. Wonderful creativity in the black community arose in this section of Manhattan. This movement was fed by both black and white sponsors and audiences. Art, writing, and music flourished for over a decade, and the lives of many African Americans flourished along with them. This period was called the Harlem Renaissance. Discover the works of James Weldon Johnson, Alain LeRoy Locke, Zora Neale Hurston, Bessie Smith, Aaron Douglas, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps, Countee Cullen, and Josephine Baker. Description from Publisher Harlem, New York was the setting for a cultural upsurge in the 1920's and 1930's. During those decades a series of Black writers, artists, vocalists, and poets sprang forth and gave voice to the conditions of African-Americans. At a time when racial prejudice was even more overt than in our own age, it took great courage for Black artists to stand up and honestly portray their lot in America. Artists such as Langston Hughes, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, and Josephine Baker all provided a unique expression to what it meant to be a Black person either living in America or with American roots. This artistic movement came to be known as the Harlem Renaissance and that is the subject covered in this collection of short biographies. In this illustrated selection author Wendy Hart Beckman provides encapsulated biographies of ten artists who participated in the Harlem Renaissance. In each instance Ms. Beckman provides a careful outline of the artist's background, development, contributions, and later life. This is a good reference tool for readers with an interest in African-American history or specifically Black artists of this era. The Harlem Renaissance was a significant movement in American culture and Ms. Beckman does well to offer readers a summary of some of the leading lights of that period. Description from Children's Literature
Bound for Glory 1910-1930: From the Great Migration to the Harlem Renaissance By Kerry Candaele	This window into history examine the unprecedented mass migration of black Americans from the South to the North, their struggle to secure full citizenship, subsequent race conflicts, the explosion of African American culture in urban America, and the contributions of notable figures such as Louis Armostrong, Langston Hughes, Marcus Garvey, and Satchel Paige. Description from Publisher Two noteworthy, clearly written volumes. The Gathering Storm covers the post-Revolutionary years through 1829, while Bound for Glory covers World War I through the start of the Great Depression. Both titles are excellent overviews, paying close attention to how ordinary (and some extraordinary) African Americans lived. The books begin with chronological timetables that give readers a sense of the times. Bound for Glory provides particularly good coverage of the overlooked artists of the Harlem Renaissance and the black heroes of World War I. The black-and-white illustrations are excellent, especially in their depiction of the life of the average person. Two important additions to library collections. Description from School Library Journal "Bound for Glory 1910-1930" is part of the "Milestones in Black American History," a 16-volume exploration of the black experience from Ancient Egypt to the present. Each volume focuses on a specific period of African-American history, and this book by Kerry Candaele covers the vast migration of blacks from the rural South to the cities of the North. Fifty years after the Emancipation Proclamation, racial segregation remained the norm in the South, which remained isolated and economically backward. During these two decades over a million black southerners moved north to escape the constraints of persecution, poverty, and cultural emptiness. Although they also faced racism and discrimination in the North, blacks made significant achievements in World War I, art, music, literature, political, business, entertainment, and sports. The result, Candaele argues, was that blacks forged a new respect for themselves and their African-American identity. This volume offers eight chapters: (1) The Great Migration overviews the search for a less racist society with greater economic opportunities in the North; (2) Safe for Democracy? looks at the performance of blacks on the battlefields of World War I; (3) After the War looks at how white racists responded to the new racial pride of the blacks; (4) Marcus Garvey and Pan-Africanism focuses on the leader of the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and one of the most important black figures between the wars; (5) That's Entertainment looks at not only comedies with Stepin Fetchit and "Our Gang," but birth of both the Harlem Globetrotters and the Negro Leagues of baseball players; (6) Harlem talks about the famous New York community, while; (7) Renaissance looks at the writers and artists, such as Langston Hughes and Louis Armstrong, that created the cultural explosion of the Twenties; and (8) A New Struggle Begins looks at the impact of the Great Depression. This book is illustrated with dozens of black & white photographs, not only of key black figures but also of race riots and lynchings. These books are marvelous supplementary sources for American History textbooks for which the black experience is usually a relatively minor consideration. Yes, young students will read about familiar names like World Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, pitcher Satchel Paige and "Duke" Ellington, but they will also learn about World War I hero Sgt. Henry Johnson, author and teacher Jessie Fauset the "midwife of the Harlem Renaissance," and educator Mary McLeod Bethune. Candaele does an excellent telling the story of both these people and the times in which they lived. Description from Amazon.com Customer Review

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