Read Woke
Firebird
Misty Copeland
jE Copeland
Black Lives Matter, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies
American Ballet Theater soloist Misty Copeland encourages a young ballet student, with brown skin like her own, by telling her that she, too, had to learn basic steps and how to be graceful when she was starting out, and that some day, with practice and dedication, the little girl will become a firebird, too. Includes author's note about dancers who led her to find her voice.
Misty Copeland's picture book autobiography is a triumph. Pair this with the DVD American Ballet Theatre: A History, and/or her long form autobriography, Life in Motion: an unlikely ballerina, to learn more about Misty's career and see her beautiful dancing. -Casey
Thurgood
Jonah Winter
eBOOK
Black Lives Matter, Black History, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies
"Before Rosa Parks, before Martin Luther King Jr., before the civil rights movement there was Thurgood, fighting for African Americans - and winning. Here is the powerful story of the trailblazer who proved that separate is not equal." --Provided by Publisher.
Added by Casey
Voice of freedom : Fannie Lou Hamer, spirit of the civil rights movement
Carole Boston Weatherford
jBIOGRAPHY Hamer, Fannie Lou
Black Lives Matter, Black History, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies
Presents a collage-illustrated treasury of poems and spirituals inspired by the life and work of civil rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer.
Added by Casey
Farmer Will Allen and the growing table
Jacqueline Briggs Martin
jE Martin
Black Lives Matter, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies
The story of former basketball star and current urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, whose vision of gardening from abandoned urban sites led to a grassroots feeding craze.
Added by Casey
Preaching to the chickens : the story of young John Lewis
Jabari Asim
jE Asim
Black Lives Matter, Black History, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies
John Lewis's early life is chronicled here and it is beautifully done. If you haven't read about how he used to preach to his flock, I can't imagine a more poignant time. -Casey
Schomburg : the man who built a library
Carole Boston Weatherford
jBIOGRAPHY Schomburg, Arthur Alfonso
Black Lives Matter, Black History, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies
Traces legal clerk Arturo Schomburg's efforts to curate a collection of African books, letters, music, and art.
Added by Casey
Little leaders : bold women in black history
Vashti Harrison
eBOOK
Black Lives Matter, Black History, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies
This is the first installment in Vashti Harrison's lovely series. The biographies are short, illustrations are really cute, and the figures she has chosen to highlight are great to get to know. -Casey
Whoosh! : Lonnie Johnson's super-soaking stream of inventions
Chris Barton
jBIOGRAPHY Johnson, Lonnie.
Black Lives Matter, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies
Chronicles the life and achievements of the NASA engineer and inventor, from his childhood to his accidental invention of the Super Soaker water gun.
Be warned! This book may have you rifling through your childhood toy collection in the best possible way. -Casey
Josephine : the dazzling life of Josephine Baker
Patricia Hruby Powell
jBIOGRAPHY Baker, Josephine
Black Lives Matter, Black History, Read Woke, Picture Books, Biographies
A portrait of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine's powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself.
Added by Casey
Added by Casey