(3) K-3 Illustrated by James E. Ransome. "Real freedom means 'rithmetic and writing." Newly freed slaves Lizzie and her brother attend school, eager for "learnin'." They keep up with their studies after the building is set on fire; eventually their community rebuilds in response to the tragedy. This quietly powerful story offers readers a glimpse at African American life after the Emancipation Proclamation. The paintings convey the characters' dignity and perseverance.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 "It's your turn to celebrate...and to remember." Dad tells Mazie about the history and significance of Juneteenth, from the jubilation after emancipation through civil rights struggles of the last century. Cooper's accessible text covers the subject broadly and lyrically; his warm illustrations have a dreamlike quality and effectively tie past and present together. A brief author's note provides a few details.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Born into slavery, Harriet Powers grew up to produce "story quilts" that garnered the attention of post–Civil War collectors. This accessible biography introduces readers to Powers's work and to the struggles faced by slaves before and after the war. Text boxes extend the narrative, as do Brantley-Newton's engaging illustrations. Images of Powers's quilts are featured on the endpapers. Bib.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Stories of the Civil Rights Movement series. This series provides upper-elementary students with in-depth coverage of phases and events of the U.S. civil rights movement. The narratives are supplemented effectively with archival photographs and primary source quotes. With overt Common Core–related intention, readers are challenged with overabundant sidebars and inserts containing critical-thinking questions, writing prompts, and suggested research topics and readings. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Stories of the Civil Rights Movement titles: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Summer, 1964, The Little Rock Nine, Nonviolent Resistance in the Civil Rights Movement, The Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Stories of the Civil Rights Movement series. This series provides upper-elementary students with in-depth coverage of phases and events of the U.S. civil rights movement. The narratives are supplemented effectively with archival photographs and primary source quotes. With overt Common Core–related intention, readers are challenged with overabundant sidebars and inserts containing critical-thinking questions, writing prompts, and suggested research topics and readings. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Stories of the Civil Rights Movement titles: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Summer, 1964, The Little Rock Nine, Nonviolent Resistance in the Civil Rights Movement, The Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Ordinary People Change the World series. Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. In this entertaining picture-book biography, a chatty first-person narration relates events, both traumatic and triumphant, in the life of the first African American player in all-white Major League Baseball. Comic strip–style illustrations extend the story and add to the book's reluctant- and struggling-reader appeal. Archival photographs are included on the end pages. Reading list, timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Stories of the Civil Rights Movement series. This series provides upper-elementary students with in-depth coverage of phases and events of the U.S. civil rights movement. The narratives are supplemented effectively with archival photographs and primary source quotes. With overt Common Core–related intention, readers are challenged with overabundant sidebars and inserts containing critical-thinking questions, writing prompts, and suggested research topics and readings. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Stories of the Civil Rights Movement titles: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Summer, 1964, The Little Rock Nine, Nonviolent Resistance in the Civil Rights Movement, The Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Stories of the Civil Rights Movement series. This series provides upper-elementary students with in-depth coverage of phases and events of the U.S. civil rights movement. The narratives are supplemented effectively with archival photographs and primary source quotes. With overt Common Core–related intention, readers are challenged with overabundant sidebars and inserts containing critical-thinking questions, writing prompts, and suggested research topics and readings. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Stories of the Civil Rights Movement titles: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Summer, 1964, The Little Rock Nine, Nonviolent Resistance in the Civil Rights Movement, The Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Myers. Myers brings vibrant life to a poetic story of African American painter Jacob Lawrence's youth growing up in 1930 Harlem. Myers's art, a true representation of Lawrence's own style, invites young readers into the era and place, depicting everyday activities such as men playing checkers on a stoop and preachers shouting in the street. A biographical note and reproductions are appended.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Stories of the Civil Rights Movement series. This series provides upper-elementary students with in-depth coverage of phases and events of the U.S. civil rights movement. The narratives are supplemented effectively with archival photographs and primary source quotes. With overt Common Core–related intention, readers are challenged with overabundant sidebars and inserts containing critical-thinking questions, writing prompts, and suggested research topics and readings. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Stories of the Civil Rights Movement titles: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Summer, 1964, The Little Rock Nine, Nonviolent Resistance in the Civil Rights Movement, The Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Stories of the Civil Rights Movement series. This series provides upper-elementary students with in-depth coverage of phases and events of the U.S. civil rights movement. The narratives are supplemented effectively with archival photographs and primary source quotes. With overt Common Core–related intention, readers are challenged with overabundant sidebars and inserts containing critical-thinking questions, writing prompts, and suggested research topics and readings. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Stories of the Civil Rights Movement titles: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Summer, 1964, The Little Rock Nine, Nonviolent Resistance in the Civil Rights Movement, The Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. Colorful mixed-media art illustrates Martin Luther King Jr.'s six guiding beliefs, focusing on peace-filled love over violence. Watkins, King's niece, cites specific examples of victorious actions, including the desegregation of Montgomery, Alabama, buses and his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," explaining with "love and respect" the importance of the fight for equality. The foundation of King's philosophy will resonate with all ages.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Stories of the Civil Rights Movement series. This series provides upper-elementary students with in-depth coverage of phases and events of the U.S. civil rights movement. The narratives are supplemented effectively with archival photographs and primary source quotes. With overt Common Core–related intention, readers are challenged with overabundant sidebars and inserts containing critical-thinking questions, writing prompts, and suggested research topics and readings. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Stories of the Civil Rights Movement titles: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Summer, 1964, The Little Rock Nine, Nonviolent Resistance in the Civil Rights Movement, The Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Stories of the Civil Rights Movement series. This series provides upper-elementary students with in-depth coverage of phases and events of the U.S. civil rights movement. The narratives are supplemented effectively with archival photographs and primary source quotes. With overt Common Core–related intention, readers are challenged with overabundant sidebars and inserts containing critical-thinking questions, writing prompts, and suggested research topics and readings. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Stories of the Civil Rights Movement titles: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Summer, 1964, The Little Rock Nine, Nonviolent Resistance in the Civil Rights Movement, The Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington, and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by AG Ford. An oft-told fable about swallowing seeds comes to life in this whimsical original tale of a wish coming too true. Irene wishes her busy father would "just stay home and play." When he swallows apple seeds and they germinate inside him, he's (temporarily) transformed into a tree, giving the family more time with him. Ford's rich paintings grant Papa-Tree gentle features and a loving semblance.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(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 Don Tate. At his funeral, Martin Luther King Jr.'s casket was carried in a borrowed wooden farm cart pulled by two mules. It's a humble image, but the throngs of people lining the streets to pay their respects reflect Dr. King's great work and legacy. Bunting's simple, poetic prose follows the cart's slow, sad procession; Tate's somber, handsome gouache illustrations are a perfect accompaniment.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by James E. Ransome. Risking a whipping if caught, young Rosa and her mama make the dangerous trek to a "pit school," where slaves gather in the middle of the night to learn to read with sticks and letters drawn in dirt. Cline-Ransome's respectful text is illustrated with Ransome's powerful paintings, which capture the slaves' fear, the resignation of some, and the perseverance of others. Reading list.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. In 1856, John Price and two other Kentucky slaves escape to Ohio, a free state. John and his friend Frank decide to settle in the welcoming town of Oberlin. When John is captured by slave hunters, hundreds of Oberlinians mobilize to rescue the fugitive slave. The story is compelling, but some overgeneralizing is unfortunate. Velasquez's static illustrations quietly extend the story. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by AG Ford. The son of the civil rights leader recalls life with his famous father. At home "Daddy" could be jovial and playful, but young Marty grew up knowing his father's life was in constant danger. Ford's paintings imbue this straightforward account--conveyed without much depth--with emotion. This book could supplement introductory units on the heroes of the civil rights era.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith