Jerdine Nolen

Unusual from the day she is born, Thunder Rose performs all sorts of amazing feats, including building metal structures, taming a stampeding herd of steers, capturing a gang of rustlers, and turning aside a tornado. A Coretta Scott King Honor Book. Reprint.

Thunder Rose

In a celebration of African-American life and family bonds, a child describes a year's worth of family events, like making apple butter and having relatives visit, that center around Momma's kitchen. Reprint.

In My Momma's Kitchen

Callie struggles to understand slavery when her stepbrother is sold away at the start of the Civil War, but is determined her whole family will be free one day. Includes historical notes.

Calico Girl

"Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, she grew up listening to stories and loved reading. As a teenager she worked at the Lorain town library and later attended Howard University. As an editor at a New York publisher, she found time early in the morning and late at night after her children were asleep to write. When she looked about over her life and all what she had seen and learned, she knew she wanted to write about her people, Black people. Today and always her work and legacy will live on"--

The Story of Toni Morrison

On Her Wings

Young Hewitt Anderson is sweet, smart, polite—and very, very small. This warmly humorous tale with audio is “proof that, when it comes to heart, physical size isn’t the whole story” (Kirkus Reviews). Young Hewitt Anderson is his parents' pride and joy, and they love him so. Hewitt is sweet, smart, polite -- everything a boy could be -- except Hewitt is small...very small...teeny-weeny, in fact. Descended from a long line of giants, the J. Carver Worthington Andersons take their height very seriously indeed. You see, without exception all of the many J. Carver Worthington Andersons have been giants until now. And poor Hewitt -- hidden in the floorboards, trapped in the flour vat, lost in the bedsheets -- has his struggles being tiny. Oh, his parents worry: How will their son manage to live in a world of big things? Leave it to Hewitt to prove the power of being small. Inspired by the tale of "Jack and the Beanstalk," the inimitable Jerdine Nolen tells an original story of bravery and the power of the individual. Kadir Nelson's imaginative and loving illustrations create a world where smallness rules -- a world that children will want to return to again and again.

with audio recording

Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life

Discover the early life and legacy of groundbreaking American writer Toni Morrison in this beautifully illustrated and “awe-inspiring” (School Library Journal, starred review) nonfiction picture book biography. Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford in Ohio, Toni Morrison grew up listening to her family tell myths, legends, and stories from the Bible. She loved hearing the music and power of the words. Toni also heard new stories from the students from other countries who went to her school. After an early childhood of soaking up tales from those around her, it was no surprise Toni grew into a voracious reader. She worked at her town library as a teenager and was an editor for a New York publisher as an adult. When it came time for her to write her own stories, she knew she wanted to write about her people—Black people. Early in the morning and late at night after her children were asleep, Toni began work on what would become an acclaimed and trailblazing body of work. This luminous picture book has back matter with further reading on Toni Morrison’s life and work.

When a young slave named Addy goes fishing one spring day, she doesn't catch any fish. Instead, she finds a little boy in a basket floating in the river. Jabe is no ordinary boy: in a few short months, he grows to be a big, strong man with the strength of fifty. He can pick an entire field of cotton by himself in just one night and day. Why, he even has the power to turn a tired old workhorse into a young filly ready to race! When slaves begin to miraculously disappear from the Plenty Plantation, Addy knows in her heart that Jabe is the reason why.

Big Jabe

Sometimes, Justin Matthews wishes he could just disappear. Nothing has been going right for Justin. Then he gets his wish and he disappears. Unfortunately, his problems don't.

Invisible Boy(Action Language Arts Level 1)

Through a series of letters a boy, his parents, and others discuss Camp Wannaleavee, the camp bully, and Plantzilla, who has been forbidden to come but misses his caretaker and arrives in time to become the camp hero.

Plantzilla Goes to Camp

Tiffany Haddish

From beloved comedian, actress, and New York Times bestselling author Tiffany Haddish comes Layla, the Last Black Unicorn, a hilarious, original picture book tale about a lovable but awkward unicorn who learns why her uniqueness is her biggest strength. It’s not easy to fit in when you stand out. When Layla arrives for her first day of school at Unicornia, the school for unicorns, she realizes that she’s not like the other kids there. They’re all pastel colors and know the rules to Horn Ball and none of them come from the Woods like Layla does. Try as she might to make friends, Layla’s just . . . different. But when her class gets lost during a field trip to the Fiddle Dee Deep Forest, it’s up to Layla to step up and save the day. Layla, the Last Black Unicorn is a hilariously heartwarming picture book about self-acceptance, self-esteem, and standing up for standing out by New York Times bestselling author, Grammy Award-winning comedian, and actress Tiffany Haddish and Jerdine Nolen, author of the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Thunder Rose.

Layla, the Last Black Unicorn

A young girl wants her father to be home more, but her wish takes an unexpected turn in this story of enduring love between parent and child from an award-winning author and illustrator. Irene loves her family, especially when her father is home. But Papa is gone a lot, and so Irene makes a wish for him to be with the family more. Her wish comes true in an unexpected way when Papa, who was drinking lemonade in the garden at the exact moment Irene made her wish, swallows a watermelon seed and begins a surprising transformation. Slowly and beautifully, day after day, Irene’s father turns into a tall, stately, and loving tree. Papa is a beautiful tree, but Irene wants her real Papa back. How could Irene have made such a wish, and how can she make things right? Jerdine Nolen has written a modern fable about the power of wishes.

Irene's Wish

“Powerful storytelling and immersive art.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Vibrant writing and magical realism lift this story to one of triumph.” —Publishers Weekly In this inspiring story in the tradition of American black folktales, an enslaved brother and sister are inspired by a majestic and mysterious bird to escape to freedom in this dramatic and unforgettable picture book. There was nothing civil about that war. They should have called it what it was: a big, bad war. Brother and sister Millicent and John are slaves on Simon Plenty’s plantation and have suffered one hurt and heartbreak after another. Their parents had told them old tales of how their ancestors had flown away to freedom just as free and easy as a bird. Millicent and John hold these stories in their hearts long after their parents are gone. “Maybe such a time will come for you,” their parents said. Then one day a mysterious bird appears in their lives. The bird transforms them and gives them the courage to set their plan into motion and escape to freedom.

A Tale of Hope and Courage

Freedom Bird

Marietta B. Zacker

Christina Tugeau

Welcome to the neighborhood! Join twins Jada and Jamal, and their best friends, Carlita and Josh, for a backyard campout on Bradford Street. But first, the search is on for a missing cat! Beginning and newly independent readers will have fun exploring this community-minded, multicultural neighborhood.

Bradford Street Buddies: Backyard Camp-Out

A farmer's young daughter shares numerous adventures with the dragon that she raises from infancy.

Jerdine Nolen

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