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Books to Celebrate
Black History Month
By Holly E. Newton
February is a great month to read outstanding
books about African American history. Here are some of the best
and newest books recently published to help celebrate Black History
Month.
Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul
Curtis, is a fictionalized account of a time in history when slaves
were escaping to Canada from the South. This book won this year’s
Newbery Honor award and it’s the author’s third time
winning a Newbery award!
Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman is the
first freeborn child in a Canadian settlement just across the Michigan
border. He encounters a con artist who claims he’s a preacher,
but eventually discovers that this man isn’t what he appears
to be. This preacher steals the money that Elijah’s friend
raised to send for Elijah’s family who has just escaped from
slavery in America and attempting to go to Canada where they can
also be free. Elijah sets out to find this iniquitous man and discovers
much more than finding the preacher.
There is much for us to learn about
the horrific struggles that African Americans endured as they struggled
to stay alive during the height of slavery back in the 1800’s.
Elijah was known for being weak and whiny, but by the end of the
story, his character traits have become courageous and strong. The
relationship between the protagonist and his best friend lightens
the story so that humor is found and helps lighten an otherwise
difficult and sad storyline. This is a book that everyone, ages
10 through adult, should read to better understand this very challenging,
complicated and heartbreaking time in America.
Click to Buy
On a lighter note, Sallie Gal and the Wall-a-kee Man,
by Shelia P. Moses, and with illustrations by Niki Daly, is a simple
story about working hard to earn enough money to buy beyond the
necessities of life. Sallie Gal envies her friend’s hair ribbons
and wants to have some for her own hair. But her mama is proud and
honest and will not take anything that hasn’t been earned.
So when the Wall-a-kee Man shows up
with everything you could possibly need to buy in the back seat
of his station wagon, she begs her momma to buy her some of those
brightly colored ribbons. But with papa serving in Vietnam and money
scarce, momma will not permit their money to go to unnecessary items.
If Sallie Gal wants those ribbons, she’ll have to work extra
for them.
There are many lessons learned in this
sweet story. Honesty, friendship, family relationships and hard
work are all part of this story, making it a perfect read-aloud
for ages 6 through 10.
Click to Buy
The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom,
by Bettye Stroud, and illustrated by Erin Susanne Bennett, is another
great story of courage and hope. This fictional picture book is
based on the many slaves that used quilts to communicate the way
to freedom. Ten-year-old Hannah and her father use her mother’s
quilt as a guide post to find their way to Canada. Here’s
a perfect introduction to slavery for youngsters.
Click to Buy
The rest of these are picture books and are good for all ages. We
Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,
written and beautifully painted by Kadir Nelson, will undoubtedly
be in the running for next year’s Caldecott award. The pictures
are breathtaking and fill the pages.
This oversized picture book is filled
with the history of the African American baseball league and the
segregation and discrimination that these little known heroes of
the sport endured. From the years between 1920 and 1940, the league
offered these true athletes a place to play. The book truly reflects
the difficulties of the times and should be part of junior high
and high school curricula. The title comes from Rube Foster, who
organized the Negro Leagues and said: “We are the ship;
all else the sea.”
Click to Buy
What I like best about I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer,
by Carole Boston Weatherford, and illustrated by Eric Velasquez,
is it celebrates this great man as an explorer and adventurer, not
as an African American. Matthew Henson started out as a cabin boy,
but after his captain dies, no one would hire a black crewman. But
he was fortunate when Robert Peary hired him to be his assistant
and he traveled to the Arctic seven times. Here is man who persevered
in the harshest weather conditions many times.
Wind Flyers, by Angela Johnson, and gorgeously
illustrated by Loren Long, is a picture book that seems to soar
into the hearts of youngsters of all ages. The story showcases a
youngster imagining himself flying and then growing up and becoming
the first African American Army Air Force pilot who fought in WWII.
This little known piece of history is told through the eyes of a
great-great nephew.
And for the last book, here is another
picture book to teach youngsters about the Underground Railroad.
Ain’t Nobody a Stranger to Me,
by Ann Grifalconi, and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, is told through
the eyes of an older African American as he retells his granddaughter
about how he escaped. But his actual message is of hope and friendship
as he befriended so many that were willing to help him.
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Meridian Magazine.
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