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Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public. *Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.* Click here for more on book evaluation.


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21 matching books

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Down on James Street

2021

by Nicole McCandless and Byron Gramby

"The moon lit the riverbank as George and Dorothy each made their way to the teen dance hall. It’s 1935, and sons and daughters of black and white workers in Pittsburgh look forward to having some fun dancing the Lindy Hop, until the police come in and break up the dance…with their bully clubs.The teens all scatter, but Dorothy has a plan to save the dance. Is George ready to join the fight? Or will he play it safe and just go home to his family? Down on James Street is based on a real historical incident in 1930’s Pittsburgh. Today, young and old can take inspiration from this wonderful story of courage and solidarity, with gorgeous illustrations by Byron Gramby that summon up the style and the cool of that long-gone era." -- publisher

Cross Group Oppression & Resilience Race/Culture Concepts

When Jackie and Hank Met

2012

by Cathy Goldberg Fishman and Mark Elliot

"Jackie and Hank were born eight years and one thousand miles apart. Nobody knew these babies would grow up and play baseball. Nobody knew Jackie and Hank would meet and become heroes. Jackie Robinson and Hank Greenberg were two very different people. But they both became Major League Baseball players, and they both faced a lot of the same challenges in their lives and careers. For Jackie, it was because of his skin color For Hank, it was because of his religion. On May 17, 1947 these two men met for the first time colliding at first base in a close play. While the crowd urged them to fight, Jackie and Hank chose a different path. This is the story of two men who went on to break the barriers of race and religion in American sports and became baseball legends in the process. Beautiful text by Cathy Goldberg Fishman is paired with sumptuous paintings by Mark Elliott. Generous back matter material includes a photo and prose biography of each man, timelines, quotes, resources to learn more, and a selected bibliography." -- publisher

Biography Cross Group

Digging for Words

2020

by Angela Burke Kunkel and Paola Escobar

"A gorgeous and inspiring picture book based on the life of José Alberto Gutiérrez, a garbage collector in Bogotá, Colombia who started a library with a single discarded book found on his route. In the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays—that’s the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure…books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for José́. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he’s been collecting books—thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones—to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder." -- publisher

Biography

Sheila Says We’re Weird

2014

by Ruth Ann Smalley and Jennifer Emery

"Sheila can’t figure out why her neighbors hang their laundry outside instead of using a dryer. And why do they ride their bikes to the library instead of just using the car? Why do they mow their lawn with a push mower when a gas mower is much faster? But their homemade soup sure tastes good, and she likes picking cherry tomatoes and strawberries in their garden, and it’s pretty cozy to sit around the woodstove in the winter. Are Sheila’s neighbors really weird, or do they have some good ideas going on? Ruth Ann Smalley writes about green living, fair trade, and health for children and adults. Jennifer Emery has illustrated numerous children’s books." -- publlisher

Any Child Informational

Sing a Song

2019

by Kelly Starling Lyons and Keith Mallett

"In Jacksonville, Florida, two brothers, one of them the principal of a segregated, all-black school, wrote the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” so his students could sing it for a tribute to Abraham Lincoln’s birthday in 1900. From that moment on, the song has provided inspiration and solace for generations of Black families. Mothers and fathers passed it on to their children who sang it to their children and grandchildren. Known as the Black National Anthem, it has been sung during major moments of the Civil Rights Movement and at family gatherings and college graduations." --publisher

Beautiful Life Folklore Oppression & Resilience

Tabitha and Magoo dress up too

2020

by Michelle Tea and Ellis van der Does

"Tabitha and Magoo love to play dress up in their room. Tabitha uses her brother’s shirts to make superhero capes, and Magoo uses his sister’s frilly skirts to fashion a gown. They’re disappointed to think they can’t go outside in their new outfits, but then the gorgeous drag queen Morgana magically appears! With the help of their new friend, they learn to defy restrictive gender roles and celebrate being themselves. The trio, dressed in colorful costumes and riding in a flying car, then heads to the local library for a diverse and fun-filled story time." -- publisher

Any Child

Tashi and the Tibetan flower cure

2016

by Naomi C. Rose

"Tashi loves listening to Popola, her grandpa, sing Tibetan chants to the click, click of his prayer beads. She also loves hearing Popola's stories about the village in Tibet where he grew up. But recently Popola has been sick, and Tashi is worried. One of the stories Tashi remembers told how people in Popola's village use flowers to help themselves recover from illnesses. Will this healing tradition work in the United States, so far from Popola's village? Determined to help Popola get better, Tashi recruits family, friends, and neighbors in a grand effort to find out." --Publisher's website

Beautiful Life

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