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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Brave ballerina
Janet Collins wanted to be a ballerina in the 1930s and 40s, a time when racial segregation was widespread in the United States. From her early childhood lessons to the height of her success as the first African-American prima ballerina in the Metropolitan Opera, this is the story of a remarkable pioneer. Full color
Carter reads the newspaper
Carter G. Woodson was born ten years after the end of the Civil War, to parents who had both been enslaved. Their stories were not the ones written about in history books, but Carter learned them and kept them in his heart. Carter's father could not read or write, but he believed in being an informed citizen. So Carter read the newspaper to him every day, and from this practice, he learned about the world and how to find out what he didn't know. Many years later, when he was a student at Harvard University (the second African-American and the only child of enslaved parents to do so), one of his professors said that black people had no history. Carter knew that wasn't true--and he set out to make sure the rest of us knew as well.--Provided by the publisher
The elephant keeper
"In 14-year-old Aaron's village in Zambia, poaching for ivory is common practice, and elephants are feared because of the danger they pose to humans and the damage they often cause to crops so important to the villagers' livelihoods. But when Aaron encounters a newborn elephant in distress, his instinct is not to run away, but to jump to its rescue. This is the beginning of a beautiful bond of friendship and a meaningful vocation. This moving story, written by Margriet Ruurs and stunningly illustrated by Pedro Covo, is inspired by the true story of Aaron and Zambezi-a teenage Zambian boy and an orphaned baby elephant that was rescued from a swimming pool at a holiday lodge. Aaron had been a casual laborer, just trying to make enough money to support his family, but when gamekeepers noticed his natural ability to care for animals, he was offered a job as an elephant keeper at the Lilayi Elephant Nursery, where his still works to this day. Zambezi was only one month old when he was found nearly drowning in a holiday lodge swimming pool. His mother had been killed by poachers and he'd been separated from his herd. Severely dehydrated, he'd tried to drink from the pool and had fallen in. Now Zambezi is nearly 6 years old and is doing very well. This unique informational picture book for middle-graders includes three non-fiction spreads, which provide intervals in the story and opportunities for classroom discussions. These spreads feature photos as well as information about elephants, poaching and the amazing work that is done at an elephant orphanage. At the end of the book there are suggestions for ways readers can help the cause"-- |cProvided by publisher
One plastic bag
"Plastic bags are cheap and easy to use. But what happens when a bag breaks or is no longer needed? In Njau, Gambia, people simply dropped the bags and went on their way. One plastic bag became two. Then ten. Then a hundred. ... Something had to change. Isatou Ceesay was that change. She found a way to recycle the bags and transform her community"--Dust jacket
Bring me some apples and I’ll make you a pie
From the whippoorwill's call on the first day of spring through the first snowfall, Edna and members of her family gather fruits, berries, and vegetables from the fields, garden, and orchard on their Virginia farm and turn them into wonderful meals. Includes facts about the life of Edna Lewis and a few of her recipes
Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow
Before he became one of the greatest guitar players of all time, Jimi Hendrix was a boy who loved to paint and listen to records, and who asked himself an unusual question: could someone paint pictures with sound?
Before John was a jazz giant
This lyrical picture-book biography of John Coltrane focuses on his childhood and how he interpreted sounds before he made his music
Trombone Shorty
"Hailing from the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today this Grammy- nominated artist headlines the legendary New Orleans Jazz Fest"--|cProvided by publisher