Picture books can be a fantastic way of teaching history to children!
The North Paran Book Buzzlist is a weekly feature produced by NorthParan.com that gives readers an entertaining digest of the most fascinating books that are being talked about by the black community today.
Remember: For every book you purchase at NorthParan.com, a new book will be given to a child in need!
1. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Lyrical text describes Harriet Tubman’s spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her North to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of slavery. This is a moving portrait of one of the most inspiring figures of the Underground Railroad–a woman who would take 19 subsequent trips back South without being caught.
2. Oprah: The Little Speaker by Carole Weatherford Boston; illustrated by London Ladd
The first six years in the life of the world’s most popular talk show host.
3. Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
This swinging, vibrant picture book about jazz composer Edward Kennedy Ellington, better known as “Duke,” is a tribute to the legend that continues to live on and influence musicians everywhere.
4. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
On March 2, 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. In her own words, Claudette gives a detailed look at segregated life in 1950s Memphis and the start of the civil rights movement.
5. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson; illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Bass Reeves seemed bigger than life. As a deputy U.S. Marshal—and former slave who escaped to freedom in the Indian Territories—Bass was cunning and fearless. This title reveals the story of a remarkable African-American hero of the Old West.
6. Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix by Gary Golio; illustrated by Javaka Steptoe
Jimi Hendrix was many things: a superstar, a rebel, a hero, an innovator. But first, he was a boy named Jimmy who loved to draw and paint and listen to records. This a story of a talented child who learns to see, hear, and interpret the world around him in his own unique way.
