(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. In this empowering story, Annie (illustrated with brown skin and dreadlocks) is preparing for Career Day. The book's title lets readers know Annie's ambition, but her family members each speculate on their own; Grandpop surmises, "I bet you want to be a reporter like me," etc. Annie's revelation ultimately delights everyone. Notes about real women astronauts and moon facts are appended. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. Anthony, a former school teacher, and Douglass, an escaped slave, were unlikely friends in the mid-nineteenth century. Their relationship was cemented by belief in common causes, including the struggle for equal pay and voting rights for women and black men. Stiff watercolor illustrations reflect the text. Notes from the author and illustrator provide background and more details. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. This picture-book biography shows readers a cross-section of Booker T. Washington's life, focusing on the period of time during which he led the construction of Tuskegee University. The story conveys Washington's remarkable tenacity and gives important historical context for understanding race relations, then and now. Hazy, loose watercolors depict events gracefully. A broader biographical summary and an author's note are included. Bib.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. Just like Thomas Jefferson's friendly competition with his gentlemen farmer neighbors, Maya's class plants peas and has a First Peas to the Table contest. The amiable story line includes gardening troubles, such as a windstorm that knocks over some of the plants, but ends with the winner's bowl of peas served to the class. Realistic watercolor illustrations add plant details and touches of humor. Bib.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. Passing by a furniture store window, Marshall sees a large jar filled with beans. The person who guesses the number of beans gets a sewing machine, and Marshall is determined to win it. He applies the estimating skills he has learned at school with happy results. Soft watercolor paintings show a working-class African American family in a 1930s small-town setting.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. Young narrator Sally describes how George Washington Carver came to her school to help cultivate the children's garden. The somewhat sentimental invented-dialogue text touches on botany and the scientific method in an accessible way. Bucolic watercolor illustrations show smiling children who are thrilled--and, incidentally, too clean--to be working in the garden. A short author's note is appended.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. Nonie is sick and tired of mush for breakfast ("Squishy, yucky, yellow stuff--mush is baby food") and stomps off to Grandma's house. After a morning together at church and then the church picnic, Nonie agrees to give her parents--and the new baby--another chance. Rhythmic text and cool-hued watercolor illustrations depict a loving contemporary African American family.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. Fatuma and her mother visit the market to buy Fatuma a new kanga, a traditional East African cloth. Though the story is somewhat contrived, the explanations of the cultural attributes of kangas, including the proverbs printed on them, are clear and engaging. The watercolor illustrations incorporate kanga patterns into the borders. An author's note and recipe for East African tea are appended.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam