Winner
The Undefeated illustrated by Kadir Nelson ; written by Kwame Alexander
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The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander; Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)Call Number: Juv 811.6 ALE
ISBN: 9781328780966
Publication Date: 2019-04-02
Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.
Honor Books
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The Bell Rang illustrated & written by James E. Ransome
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Infinite Hope : a Black Artist's Journey from World War II to Peace illustrated & written by Ashley Bryan
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Sulwe illustrated by Vashti Harrison and written by Lupita Nyong'o
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The Bell Rang by Ransome, James E. (Illustrator)Call Number: Easy RAN
ISBN: 9781442421134
Publication Date: 2019-01-15
Every single morning, the overseer of the plantation rings the bell. Daddy gathers wood. Mama cooks. Ben and the other slaves go out to work. Each day is the same. Full of grueling work and sweltering heat. Every day, except one, when the bell rings and Ben is nowhere to be found. Because Ben ran. Yet, despite their fear and sadness, his family remains hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he made it North. That he is free. An ode to hope and a powerful tribute to the courage of those who ran for freedom, The Bell Rang is a stunning reminder that our past can never be forgotten.
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Infinite Hope : a black artist's journey from World War II to peace by Ashley Bryan (Illustrator)Call Number: Juv B BRY (Juvenile Biography)
ISBN: 9781534404908
Publication Date: 2019-10-15
In May of 1942, at the age of eighteen, Ashley Bryan was drafted to fight in World War II. For the next three years, he would face the horrors of war as a black soldier in a segregated army. He endured the terrible lies white officers told about the black soldiers to isolate them from anyone who showed kindness, including each other. He received worse treatment than even Nazi POWs. He was assigned the grimmest, most horrific tasks, like burying fallen soldiers, but was told to remove the black soldiers first because the media didn't want them in their newsreels. And he waited and wanted so desperately to go home, watching every white soldier get safe passage back to the United States before black soldiers were even a thought. For the next forty years, Ashley would keep his time in the war a secret. But now, he tells his story. The story of the kind people who supported him. The story of the bright moments that guided him through the dark. And the story of his passion for art that would save him time and time again.
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Sulwe by Nyong'o, Lupita ; Vashti Harrison (Illustrator)Call Number: Easy LUP
ISBN: 9781534425361
Publication Date: 2019-10-15
When five-year-old Sulwe's classmates make fun of her dark skin, she tries lightening herself to no avail, but a shooting star's tale of the sisters Night and Day helps her understand there is beauty and worth in every shade.
WINNER
R-E-S-P-E-C-T : Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul illustrated by Frank Morrison, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
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Respect : Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by Carole Boston Weatherford; Frank Morrison (Illustrator)Call Number: Easy B FRA (Easy biography)
ISBN: 9781534452282
Publication Date: 2020-08-25
Aretha Franklin was born to sing. The daughter of a pastor and a gospel singer, her musical talent was clear from her earliest days in her father's Detroit church. Aretha sang with a soaring voice that spanned more than three octaves. Her incredible talent and string of hit songs earned her the title "the Queen of Soul." This Queen was a multi-Grammy winner and the first female inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And there was even more to Aretha than being a singer, songwriter, and pianist: she was an activist, too. Her song "Respect" was an anthem for people fighting for civil rights and women's rights. With words that sing and art that shines, this vibrant portrait of Aretha Franklin pays her the R-E-S-P-E-C-T this Queen of Soul deserves.
HONOR BOOKS
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Magnificent Homespun Brown : a Celebration illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, written by Samara Cole Doyon
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Exquisite : the Poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, written by Suzanne Slade
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Me & Mama illustrated and written by Cozbi A. Cabrera
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Magnificent Homespun Brown : a celebration by Samara Cole Doyon; Kaylani Juanita (Illustrator)Call Number: Easy DOY (Easy fiction)
ISBN: 9780884487975
Publication Date: 2020-01-07
Told by succession of exuberant young narrators, Magnificent Homespun Brown is a story- a song, a poem, a celebration- about feeling at home in one's own beloved skin.
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Exquisite : the poetry and life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade; Cozbi A. Cabrera (Illustrator)Call Number: East B BRO (Easy biography)
ISBN: 9781419734113
Publication Date: 2020-04-07
A biography of African American poet, Gwendolyn Brooks.
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Me and Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera (Illustrator)Call Number: Easy CAB (Easy fiction)
ISBN: 9781534454217
Publication Date: 2020-08-25
For a little girl on a rainy day, the best place to be is with Mama.
WINNER
Unspeakable : the Tulsa Race Massacre illustrated by Floyd Cooper; by Carol Boston Weatherford
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Unspeakable : the Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford; Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)Call Number: Juv 976.6 WEA (Juvenile nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781541581203
Publication Date: 2021-02-02
On May 31 and June 1, 1921, an armed mob looted homes and businesses as Black families fled. The police did nothing to protect Greenwood, and as many as three hundred African Americans were killed, most buried in unmarked graves. Thousands were left homeless. No official investigation occurred until seventy-five years later. Unspeakable helps young readers understand the events of the Tulsa, Oklahoma race massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history.
HONOR BOOKS
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Nina : a Story of Nina Simone illustrated by Christian Robinson, written by Traci N. Todd
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We Wait for the Sun illustrated by Raissa Figueroa, written by Dovey Johnson Roundtree & Katie McCabe
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Soul Food Sunday, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza, written by Winsome Bingham
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Nina : a story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd; Christian Robinson (Illustrator)Call Number: Easy B SIM (Easy biography)
ISBN: 9781524737283
Publication Date: 2021-09-28
A biography of Nina Simone, an acclaimed singer whose music gave voice to the struggle for racial equality during the Civil Rights Movement.
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We Wait for the Sun by Katie McCabe; Raissa Figueroa (Illustrator)Call Number: Juv B ROU (Juvenile biography)
ISBN: 9781250229021
Publication Date: 2021-02-09
In the hour before dawn, Dovey Mae and Grandma Rachel step into the cool, damp night on a secret mission: to find the sweetest, ripest blackberries that grow deep in the woods. But the nighttime holds a thousand sounds--and a thousand shadows--and Dovey Mae is frightened of the dark. But with the fierce and fearless Grandma Rachel at her side, the woods turn magical, and berry picking becomes an enchanting adventure that ends with the beauty and power of the sunrise. A cherished memory from Dovey Johnson Roundtree's childhood, this magical experience speaks to the joy that pulsed through her life, even under the shadow of Jim Crow. With Grandma Rachel's lessons as her guiding light, Dovey Mae would go on to become a trailblazer of the civil rights movement--fighting for justice and equality in the military, the courtroom, and the church.
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Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham; Charles Esperanza (Illustrator)Call Number: Easy BIN (Easy fiction)
ISBN: 9781419747717
Publication Date: 2021-11-16
Granny teaches her young grandson how to cook the family meal, in this celebration of food, traditions, and gathering together at the table. Includes recipe for baked macaroni and cheese.
New Kid by 
New Kid [Streaming Audiobook] by 
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by 
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by 
Look Both Ways by 
Before the Ever After by 
All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by 
All the Days Past, All the Days to Come [E-Book] by 
King and the Dragonflies by 
Lifting As We Climb by 
Unspeakable : the Tulsa Race Massacre by 
Home Is Not a Country by 
Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panther Party's Promise to the People by 
The People Remember by 
The Undefeated by 
The Bell Rang by 
Infinite Hope : a black artist's journey from World War II to peace by 
Sulwe by 
Respect : Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by 
Magnificent Homespun Brown : a celebration by 
Exquisite : the poetry and life of Gwendolyn Brooks by 
Me and Mama by 
Nina : a story of Nina Simone by 
We Wait for the Sun by 
Soul Food Sunday by