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Our regular contributor and on-call children's librarian Lisa Von Drasek sent in a few wonderful titles to share with the young person in your life to mark Black History Month. (For additional related recommendations see our Five Books list of Black History Month reading).
By Angela Johnson; Illustrated by Loren Long
Johnson tells the story of The Tuskegee Airmen, the first African Americans to fly for the United States. Johnson's spare lyrical language is perfectly paired with Loren Long's dramatic paintings. We witness the struggles of the airmen for training and respect as well as their bravery in the battles of World War II.
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
By Ellen Levine; Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Henry Brown was born a slave. He was sold away from his family as a child and was worked hard in his master's Richmond, VA, factory. As an adult, after his family was torn from him, Henry made an ingeniously brave escape by mailing himself in a wooden box across 350 miles to conductors of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia. Award winning fine artist Nelson, captures the details of the period, the environment and Henry's struggles. [Ages 8 and up]
By Margaret Whitman Blair
Those who have read the fictional tale Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson will not be surprised at this non-fiction account of American Slaves who fought on the British side of the war for independence in exchange for the promise of freedom. A different point-of-view in the sea of patriot titles. [Ages 11 and up]
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When a job at a French ad agency landed in his lap, novelist Rosecrans Baldwin had the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of living la vie Parisienne. And though cold réalité -- in the form of financial struggles and an office culture where his rudimentary Francais didn't quite cut the mustard -- intruded, the result was a more mature take on the city of his fantasies, flaws included.
The feline acrobatics and other mysteries of everyday physics that Mark Levi explores in this charming book are just the beginning. A fun and enlightening workout for your gray matter.
Scott's doomed Antartic expedition and the haunting mysteries surrounding its failure lead to obsession in Richard Pierce's debut novel. As painter Birdie Bowers pursues her fascination with the explorer and his death, she risks both her body and her heart for answers.
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