We March

by Shane Evans

Newly published in 2012 this book has beautiful illustrations. It's about a family, who rises early in the morning to march. The setting is in 1963 and there are vivid illustrations of Dr. King and the March on Washington. The words are very simple and the pictures tell the story of hope and perseverance. The pictures also show the value of children who expressed their right to assemble. I also gathered the message of unity and our need to continue to struggle. "The road to freedom is long" was the the written on a sign visible to readers. We will continue to work as we remember those who have sacrificed. This book is perfect for my 2 year old.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham

by Christopher Paul Curtis

This book is hilarious. This is a very popular book and my co-worker recommended it to me. I learned that this book is a part of our 7th grade curriculum in our district. I promised myself that I would read it during break and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The setting is in Flint, MI. The Watson family are hilarious and full of great adventures. I love reading about the parents trying to do their very best in taming their oldest son, Byron who is officially the "delinquent" of the family. Bryon is a bright, witty and loving older brother who is great at causing trouble. Kenny is the younger brother who is the narrator. He is young, inquisitive, bright yet naive of the harsh realities of African Americans in 1963. Kenny learns more about this when they travel to Birmingham to visit grandma. This is during the same time as the Birmingham church bombing that killed 4 young girls. This book is historical fiction. While it touches on difficult circumstances and historical events of the South, it bring in a lot of biographical details that allows you to fall in love with the characters. Kenny finds beauty and life in his family. His family keeps him pushing on.

My critique of this book is that it does little to analyze the racism that existed during that time period in the North. It also does little to address how the main character can feel empowered to resist against white supremacy and bigotry. Too much of our education has been spent seeing racism as something in history that only the southern part of our country dealt with. It doesn't give room to critically think about the systemic problems in our country. It also does not allow readers to think of practical solutions to how we address the problems. At the end of the book, the reader only felt sympathy for Kenny's experience and smiled that he has a strong, supportive family. I am not quite satisfied with this conclusion. Although, I can see how many people can be because this conclusion does not aggressively challenge the status quo.

Lexile: 1000
Grade Level: 5.6

One Crazy Summer

by Rita Williams-Garcia
Over winter break I read this book wondering if I should read it with my students. It was highly recommended to me by my school librarian. "One Crazy Summer" is a historical fiction novel that takes place in 1969 in Oakland, CA. The narrator is Delphine, the oldest sister. She and her two younger sisters travel to California to live with their mother for the summer. Delphine faces a lot of internal conflict as she deals with putting the pieces together with why her mother left them. Even though she is eleven, she asks like she is 30, having to take on the role of mother for ther two sisters. Their mother, Cecile takes the children in but does not want anything to do with the girls. The girls call their mom "crazy". They discover that their mom works for the Black Panther Party. Mom sends the girls to attend the breakfast program and summer camp that is not their traditional form of education. I loved this book because the characters focus on the roles of children and women and their role in the Black Panther Party. Rita Williams-Garcia has won a number of awards for this book. It is the "new hot shit" on my list.

I do plan to read this book with my class. I like it because the book really focuses on empowerment and looks at how one organization (though highly demonized in our history textbooks) took care of their own community. I will use the topic of controversial Black Panthers to my advantage as an opportunity for students to think critically. I will use primary and secondary sources about the Black Panthers to compare, contrast, analyze and evaluate sources for bias/objectiveness; facts/opinions. Though the reading level is lower, supplementing non-fiction materials to help us better understand the historical period will provide an enriching experience for my students.

Grade Level: 4.6
Lexile: 750

Absolute True Story of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie

So a couple years ago, I had the pleasure of reading this book: The Absolute True Story of a Part-Time Indian. It is about a young teenager growing up as an adolescence living on the reservation while going to the all-white school. It is auto-biographical. Alexie uses humor and whit to reveal the pains and laughs of being the only "Indian" in his school. I am always amazed at a authors ability to share deep themes about identity, especially racial identity through the language that speaks to young adult readers. It is refreshing. It brought me to laughs and tears and spoke deeply to my heart. It is a must read.

One

By Kathryn Otoshi

So I bought this book for my sons when I ran across it at Busboys and Poets in Washington DC on our vacation. I love this book! It talks about bullying and how sometimes it takes just one to stand up to a bully. It also expresses the power the collective whole has when individuals stand together. It is a beautiful book! It's language and reading level is very low and it is yet able to present such complex themes. Written by Kathryn Otoshi, who also illustrates her books. She is coming out with another kid's book called "Zero". I am yearning to also read it. I think another reason I like this book is because Kathryn Otoshi has her own publishing label: KO Kid's Books. Praise and honor to our independent publishers.

Happy to Be Nappy

By Bell Hooks
Illustrated by Christ Raschka

Summary: This book celebrates black hair. As oppose to the negatives messages often portrayed in media about natural black hair, Bell Hooks uses poetic language to describe it's beauty and creativity. It is a book for young women giving a message that affirms their hair.

Special Notes: The art is beautiful. It compliments the text very well as she describes all the different ways to describe and style hair. A book like this is very important because it affirms the identity of black women. I find the title to be filled with irony because she uses the word, "nappy" in a positive light. When the general public would associate "nappy" as bad, Hooks embraces the word and challenges the norms of what "good hair" is. It is a celebration of black hair. This book is beautiful.

Here is a great book review from this blog.

Be Boy Buzz

By Bell Hooks
Illustrated by Chris Raschka

Summary: This book uses poetry to celebrate being a boy and it's complexities and wonder.

Other Notes: I really value this book because it celebrates boys. The spirited boy, the tender boy, the talkative boy, the quiet boy. It is absolutely wonderful and I especially appreciate how it is not a book that reinforces gender stereotypes. These are rare to find. The art is also beautiful with the text.

"I be boy. All bliss. All fine beat. All beau boy."

A book for toddlers.