#coretta scott king book awards

[uwmspeccoll]

A Jerry Pickney Saturday

Jerry Pinkney (1939-2021) was a multi-award-winning American illustrator and children’s book author. His numerous awards include a Caldecott Medal (2010); five Caldecott Honor Book awards; five Coretta Scott King Book Awards (the most for any illustrator); five Coretta Scott King Honor Awards; the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award (2016); the 2016 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; four Gold medals, four Silver medals, and the 2016 Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Illustrators; and he was nominated twice for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, considered the Nobel Prize for children's literature, among many other awards and recognitions.

The images shown here are Pickney’s pencil, color pencil, and watercolor illustrations for children’s book author Alan Schroeder’s 1996 fictional biography, Minty, A Story of Young Harriet Tubman, published in New York by Dial Books for Young Readers. This book won Pickney the 1997 Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustrator, and the book was a Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice for 1996.

Schroeder writes that “While Minty is a fictional account of Harriet Tubman’s childhood, and some scenes have been invented for narrative purposes, the basic facts are true.” Of illustrating this book, Pinkney writes:

The challenge that Minty initially posed for me came from not having a clear picture of Harriet Tubman’s early childhood. However, I was able to imagine the spirited eight-year-old Minty, using Alan Schroeder’s strong text and Harriet Tubman’s biography, The Moses of Her People, as springboards. The National Park Service was also helpful . . . as was the Banneker-Douglas Museum in Maryland, where extensive research uncovered the style of plantations around Maryland during Minty’s childhood and authentic details regarding backgrounds, dress, food, and living conditions of the enslaved as well as the slave owners. My interest was to give some sense of Minty’s noble spirit and open a window to understanding the day-to-day, sunup to sundown life of the slave, by individualizing the hardships in overwhelming circumstances.

In 1978 I was privileged to create the first Harriet Tubman commemorative stamp for the U.S. Postal Service. This book, then, brings me full circle with Harriet’s life and courage.

View another post with illustrations by Jerry Pinkney.

View more posts from our Historical Curriculum Collection.

View more Black History Month posts.

[blackownersseekingsuccess]

Remembering Bayard Rustin: The Unsung Hero of the Civil Rights Movement

written by Levi Wise Kenneth Catoe Jr.

August 1, 2024 - Growing up as a Black boy in Paterson, NJ, and attending Roman and Irish Catholic Parochial schools, Black history was not very familiar to me. I grew up in a religious Southern Baptist family and participated in the church choir. In this context, Martin Luther King, Jr., was all that I knew about Black history until I became a teenage Madonna fanatic. Ironically, Madonna made me aware of Black activists and radicals such as Nina Simone, Jean-Michel Basquiat, James Baldwin, and Bayard Rustin. Bayard Rustin was an African American activist who believed in civil disobedience. Rustin felt that Black people should deliberately break unjust laws but do it non-violently to bring about change and this would play a key role in the Civil Rights movement. He also advocated for LGBTQ rights. Rustin moved to Harlem in 1937 and began studying at City College of New York. It’s interesting to note that at the time CCNY was an all-male college once regarded as ‘Jewish Harvard’ which did not accept Black men—Rustin was an unusual exception. While Rustin was at CCNY he became involved in efforts to defend and free the Scottsboro Boys, nine young black men in Alabama who were accused of raping two white women. Activism for Rustin was something that came naturally. He later became a mentor to Martin Luther King.

Rustin is one of my all-time idols. I have been enamored of him since I learned about him, so I was excited to attend an event dedicated to his life and legacy at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, “Between the Lines: Bayard Rustin, A Legacy of Protest and Politics.” The event was a conversation between Michael G. Long and Jafari Allen, who edited the book of the same name. Their exchange sparked many revelations and I left the event more aware than when I entered. I felt so much pity for the life that Rustin had to live, including the attack on his character that was rallied against him by other Black people and the distance that Martin Luther King placed between himself and Rustin out of fear of people assuming that he was also gay. I also learned that it was Coretta Scott King who introduced King to Rustin. Scott-King met Rustin during her college years as a fellow activist who practiced civil disobedience. She would ultimately introduce her husband King to civil disobedience tactics. Rustin recalled that his first time meeting King he was strapped with a handgun and that he never traveled without his gun. It was Rustin who told King that if he represented civil disobedience he would have to be willing to put away his firearm, which eventually he did. Nevertheless, this raises the question, who was King really? The “I Have A Dream” pacifist or the “Beyond Vietnam” radical? We will never truly know.

All in all what I did learn was that according to Rustin, King had no idea how to organize an event. Instead, it was Rustin who developed the blueprint for King’s early Civil Rights movement, at least until the day that King removed Rustin from his inner circle.

Nevertheless, Rustin returned to organize the March on Washington, despite everything leveled against him by Adam Clayton Powel and Roy Wilkins. Someone noted during the discussion that “it’s funny how karma works given the fact that nobody remembers Wilkins's legacy in comparison to the sudden interest in Rustin.'' If I remember correctly, the comment was made by the moderator, NYU professor Dr. Jarafi Allen, based on the fact that the venue was standing room only, or that the Hollywood lens is now fixated on Rustin’s story, with an Academy Award-nominated movie based upon his life currently in theaters. Wilkins has not received the same interest from Hollywood, perhaps indicating that he is less marketable in the mainstream. Meanwhile, Rustin’s role as an activist for the LGTBQ community is also important for newer generations. Until recently, this legacy and all that he accomplished was invisible, but he has since become a symbol of the “others” and most notably the “forgotten others”. While in his lifetime he was shunned, rallied against, and betrayed by those that he benefitted, history has allowed his legacy the final word.

[jstor]

Effie Lee Morris stands as a towering figure in the realm of children's literature and library services, leaving an indelible mark through her visionary leadership and tireless advocacy. Born into an era marked by racial segregation and systemic barriers, Morris defied the odds, rising to become a beacon of change and progress. Her journey began as a public librarian in Cleveland and later in the Bronx, where she cultivated a deep appreciation for the transformative power of literature and education.

In 1971, Effie Lee Morris shattered barriers as the first African-American president of the Public Library Association, a milestone that underscored her commitment to equity and inclusion in library spaces. Her groundbreaking work extended beyond administrative roles; Morris played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of children's literature by spearheading the establishment of the Coretta Scott King Award. By crafting the original selection criteria in 1970, she laid the foundation for recognizing and celebrating African-American authors and illustrators, ensuring their voices resonated prominently in the literary world.

Morris's impact reverberated within the walls of the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), where she assumed the role of the first coordinator of children's services. During her tenure, she revolutionized children's literature by establishing a research collection of out-of-print books, meticulously documenting the evolving portrayals of ethnic and culturally diverse groups. This collection, later renamed the Effie Lee Morris Historical and Research Collection in her honor, served as a testament to her unwavering dedication to preserving diverse narratives and fostering cultural understanding.

Beyond her professional achievements, Morris's advocacy extended into the realm of social justice and community engagement. She founded the San Francisco chapter of the Women's National Book Association and actively participated in the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table, championing causes aimed at combating racism, inequality, and poverty. Her contributions were met with widespread recognition, as evidenced by numerous accolades, including the Silver Spur Award and the Grolier Foundation Award, affirming her status as a trailblazer in the literary landscape.

Effie Lee Morris's legacy transcends generations, inspiring future leaders and storytellers to uphold the values of diversity, inclusion, and equity in children's literature and library services. Her visionary spirit lives on in the countless lives touched by her work, serving as a timeless reminder of the transformative power of literature in bridging cultures, fostering empathy, and igniting change.

Read more about Effie Lee Morris here.

[itmeblog]

Yup I'm still reading it

There are so many lines here that if you replace mage or king's mage with 'Black person' you'd fucking lose your shit. And now it's like "We're oath bound and I love these people and it'll be this way forever <3" but one of these kids was oath bound when he was seven to "stop the evil in his blood and combat it with good of the order" and so he "didn't revert to his demon instincts" (these are not exactly word for word but you get it) and his mother was released when she "behaved" so she could have a child (mage boy) and put away when she began to "corrupt" and there's no way this girl ain't putting two and two together, right?! Like, it's in your face. Like if it was any other person you'd be...that's a fuckin' slave.

But she's still dating Mr. Active Slave Owner, in fact, she just bound herself to him??? For life?!?!

GIRL STAND UP?! NO MAN IS THAT HOT!?!

And then there are just...questionable lines.

Like, (and this is word for word): "Issac murmurs, holding his hands in front of him like a polite servant, even though the power and fierce intelligence in his eyes suggest he's anything but." LIKE excuse me?!?

What...what are servants supposed to...like I get it but also please if you're describing that all the Black and Brown people at this racist event are the help and servers and this white man comes up and this is how you differentiate him DO YOU SEE THE PROBLEM?!

Like this has to be intentional...right?

I've been reading Legendborn, I'm not done yet Spoilers

The more I read about the mage boy and this (Black, this is important the main character is Black and this book goes deep into slavery and the systemic echoes of it okay? okay) girl's (white) boyfriend and I'm sitting here like

...I know he didn't choose this bond with this little mage boy...I know this wasn't your boyfriend's decision and the little mage boy is a prick of epic proportions but THAT IS A WHOLE ASS SLAVE.

So, yeah, he's a little pissy, but YOUR BOYFRIEND OWNS A SLAVE. ARE YOU NOT SEEING THIS?? HE'S PULLING RANK because he loves you and being protective is hot maybe?, but ONCE AGAIN HE'S PULLING RANK ON A LITTLE SLAVE BOY.

But the boy is powerful and dangerous.

HE'S BOUND TO NOT HURT YOUR BOYFRIEND BY MAGIC!! THAT'S A FUCKING CHAIN GIRL. HOW ARE YOU DATING AN ACTIVE SLAVE OWNER TT^TT

How are you going to let that man touch you?? The ick is so so so strong, I don't care how hot he is?!

He [boyfriend] wouldn't do something that would hurt you [mage boy] like that.

BITCH?! YOU. KNOW. WHAT. PEOPLE. USED. TO. DO.

YOU. KNOW. WHAT. THEY. STILL. DO?!

Why is abandoning him to his doom the moment he shows free will such a stretch for you?!

ALSO YOUR BOYFRIEND OWNS AN HONEST TO GOD SLAVE?!

Am I the only one seeing this?!

[richincolor]

New Releases for January 30, 2024

The four new releases we found this week are filled with poetry, murder, romance, and a little more murder of the fantastical variety.  

Poemhood: Our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Black Experience: A Young Adult Poetry Anthology edited by Amber McBride Taylor Byas, & Erica Martin HarperCollins

Starring thirty-seven poets, with contributions from acclaimed authors, including Kwame Alexander, Ibi Zoboi, and Nikki Giovanni, this breathtaking Black YA poetry anthology edited by National Book Award finalist Amber McBride, Taylor Byas, and Erica Martin celebrates Black poetry, folklore, and culture.

Come, claim your wings.

Lift your life above the earth,

return to the land of your father’s birth.

What exactly is it to be Black in America?

Well, for some, it’s learning how to morph the hatred placed by others into love for oneself; for others, it’s unearthing the strength it takes to continue to hold one’s swagger when multitudinous factors work to make Black lives crumble. For some, it’s gathering around the kitchen table as Grandma tells the story of Anansi the spider, while for others it’s grinning from ear to ear while eating auntie’s spectacular 7Up cake.

Black experiences and traditions are complex, striking, and vast—they stretch longer than the Nile and are four times as deep—and carry more than just unimaginable pain—there is also joy.

Featuring an all-star group of thirty-seven powerful poetic voices, including such luminaries as Kwame Alexander, James Baldwin, Ibi Zoboi, Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, and Gwendolyn Brooks, this riveting anthology depicts the diversity of the Black experience by fostering a conversation about race, faith, heritage, and resilience between fresh poets and the literary ancestors that came before them.

Edited by Taylor Byas, Erica Martin, and Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner Amber McBride, Poemhood will simultaneously highlight the duality and nuance at the crux of so many Black experiences with poetry being the psalm constantly playing.

Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill

Delacorte Press

Amir Trudeau only goes to his half brother Marcel’s birthday party because of Chloe Danvers. Chloe is rich, and hot, and fits right into the perfect life Marcel inherited when their father left Amir’s mother to start a new family with Marcel’s mom. But Chloe is hot enough for Amir to forget that for one night.

Does she want to hook up? Or is she trying to meddle in the estranged brothers’ messy family drama? Amir can’t tell. He doesn’t know what Chloe wants from him when, in the final hours of Mardi Gras, she asks him to take her home and stay—her parents are away and she doesn’t want to be alone.

Amir never gets an answer to his question, because when he wakes up, Chloe is dead—stabbed while he was passed out on the couch downstairs—and Amir becomes the only suspect. A Black teenager caught fleeing the scene of the murder of a rich white girl? All of New Orleans agrees, the case is open and shut.

Amir is innocent. He has a lawyer, but unless someone can figure out who really killed Chloe, it doesn’t look good for him. His number one ally? Marcel. Their relationship is messy, but his half brother knows that Amir isn’t a murderer—and maybe proving Amir’s innocence will repair the rift that’s always existed between them.

To find Chloe’s killer, Amir and Marcel need to dig into her secrets. And what they find is darker than either could have guessed. Parents will go to any lengths to protect their children, and in a city as old as New Orleans, the right family connections can bury even the ugliest truths.

Just Say Yes by Goldy Moldavsky Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Jimena Ramos had no idea she was undocumented.

Now she’s seventeen, and she needs to figure out a way to stay in New York City, the only home she can remember. There’s only one possibility that will get her a green card quickly enough: Jimena is going to find an American to marry her.

She’s got one excellent candidate: Vitaly, her next-door neighbor and friend, the only person she trusts with her secret. But Vitaly’s got his own plans for the future. He’s a definite no.

So Jimena tries online dating. She decides to approach this marriage like a business transaction. She figures out a plan that just might save her and make her a citizen at last.

But of course, she can’t stop thinking about Vitaly.

These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

A teenage sorcerer’s apprentice must solve her boss’s murder in order to prove her innocence in this twisty, magic-infused murder mystery perfect for fans of Knives Out and The Inheritance Games .

Being an apprentice for one of the world’s most famous sorcerers has its challenges; Tabatha Zeng just didn’t think they would include solving crime. But when her boss, the infamous fortuneteller Sorcerer Solomon, predicts his own brutal death—and worse, it comes true—Tabatha finds herself caught in the crosshairs.

The police have their sights set on her and Callum Solomon, her murdered boss’s youngest son. With suspicion swirling around them, the two decide to team up to find the real killer and clear their own names once and for all.

But solving a murder isn’t as easy as it seems, especially when the suspect list is mostly the rich, connected, and magical members of Sorcerer Solomon’s family. And Tabatha can’t quite escape the nagging voice in her head just how much can she really trust Callum Solomon?

Nothing is as it seems in this quick-witted and fantastical murder mystery.

[reasoningdaily]

Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler

Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler

From the New York Times best-selling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler.

A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book A Walter Dean Myers Honor Book

Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose.

Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight audiences 15 years after her death.

Cover art 2022 by Zharia Shinn

click the title link to Download for FREE from The BLACK TRUEBRARY

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Sherley Anne Williams

Sherley Anne Williams was born in 1944 in Bakersfield, California. Williams wrote a play, a novel, poetry, children's books, and literary criticism. Her writing captured the experiences of African-Americans, particularly Black women. Williams' first poetry collection, The Peacock Poems, was published in 1975, and was nominated for a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. Her 1982 poetry collection, Someone Sweet Angel Chile, was also nominated for a National Book Award. Her novel Dessa Rose garnered critical acclaim and was translated into Dutch, French, and German. In 1992, Williams published a children's book, Working Cotton, which was a Caldecott Honor Book and won the Coretta Scott King Book Award.

Sherley Anne Williams died in 1999 at the age of 54.

[lboogie1906]

Ilyasah Shabazz (July 22, 1962) is an author, community organizer, social activist, and motivational speaker, and the third daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz.

She was born in Brooklyn.

She was a student at Hackley School. She attended the State University of New York at New Paltz. She was elected an officer of the Black Student Union.

She earned an MA in Education and Human Resource Development from Fordham University.

She wrote Growing Up X, the memoir of her childhood and her personal views on her father, in 2002. It was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction. A devout Muslim, she made the pilgrimage to Mecca, the hajj, in 2006 as her father had in 1964 and her mother did in 1965.

She wrote Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X, a children’s book about her father’s childhood. It was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Children’s. She wrote a young-adult novel, X, about the same subject. The book was among the ten finalists considered for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and it won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Youth/Teens. It won honors from the Coretta Scott King Awards and the Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children’s Literature and was named as a 2016 Bank Street Children’s Book Committee’s Best Book of the Year. Her middle-grade novel about her mother’s childhood, Betty Before X, was published in January 2018. It was one of the 2019 Bank Street Children’s Book Committee Best Books of the Year and received an “Outstanding Merit” recognition.

She is a trustee for the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, the Malcolm X Foundation, and the Harlem Symphony Orchestra. She is an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #deltasigmatheta

[mariacallous]

Children learn from the books they encounter in their homes, schools, and libraries. The lessons they take from these books shape their beliefs and the future selves they will grow into. These lessons come from many dimensions of books; one such dimension which is particularly salient to the reader is who is and is not present in each picture and passage. The presence or absence of different characters teaches children societal norms about who gets to exist in what spaces. This matters for the children themselves—shaping their beliefs about themselves and their place in the world—but may also help shape their views of what spaces others of different identities may inhabit.

The problem is that it is hard to know, systematically, how race and gender are represented in the books we use to teach our children. Parents and teachers cannot possibly read every available book before they choose which books to give or suggest to their children or students, much less librarians, superintendents, or policymakers. These actors face a dauntingly large number of choices and often turn to external sources for help. A common source many look to for such guidance is endorsement of merit by a third party, such as recognition from national awards like the Caldecott and Newbery Medals. Indeed, our analysis of book purchases, library checkouts, and internet searches shows that winning these awards leads to a substantial increase in the number of children who read them. This then raises the questions: What messages about race and gender do these specific books convey, via representation, to the children who read them? And how can we measure similar representation in the other content considered for children’s use?

Using computer vision and natural language processing to measure representation in children’s books

This is where we come in. Our solution, which we describe in a paper forthcoming in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, is to use computers—specifically tools from the computer science subfields of computer vision and natural language processing—to measure representation in children’s books. Our approach develops a series of new tools, and combines them with other existing tools, to measure various features, including race, skin tone, gender, and age, of who is represented in the images and text of curricular materials. These tools are powerful and can measure many possible features of characters. We focus on bringing together tools that can measure the representation of these features of characters in both the text and the images of the books we wish to study.

Our analysis shows that these tools can be rapidly and cost-effectively applied to a wide range of curricular materials. They allow us to quickly and cheaply measure if and how people are represented in a large number of books.

We apply these tools to over 1,000 children’s books which have been recognized by a century of children’s book awards. Our analysis focuses on two main sets of books targeted towards children 14 and under. One set receives recognition for their literary or artistic value. These are books that are recognized by the prestigious Newbery and Caldecott awards. We call this the “Mainstream” collection of books because of their influence. The second set of books are recognized for both their literary or artistic value and for how they highlight experiences of specific identity groups. These include awards such as the Coretta Scott King Award, which highlights books centering experiences of Black individuals, and the Rise Awards which recognize books that center women. We call the books in this group the “Diversity” collection.

Despite significant progress, representations of race and gender in children’s books continue to lag

We first show how race and gender have been taught to children via these books’ images and text, and how this has changed over time. Our findings reveal some enduring patterns and others that indicate change. We find that characters in the Mainstream collection are consistently depicted with lighter skin than those in the Diversity collection. You can see how the two distributions vary in this figure: the Diversity collection, outlined in blue, clearly has a darker average skin tone than the Mainstream (see Figure 1). What’s more, it also has more variance—and thus diversity—of skin tones represented than the Mainstream collection.

Figure 1. Distribution of skin colors by human skin colors in Mainstream and Diversity collections in children’s literature

Note: This figure shows the distribution of skin color tint for faces detected in books from the Mainstream and Diversity collections. The mean for each distribution is denoted with a dashed line.

Source: Author’s calculations. See paper for additional details.

In Figure 2, we show that this difference between the two collections holds true even after conditioning on the race of the person being shown.

Figure 2. Distribution of skin colors by human skin colors in Mainstream and Diversity collections in children’s literature by character’s race

Note: This figure shows the distribution of skin color tint by the predicted race of the detected faces in the Mainstream and Diversity collections.

Source: Author’s calculations. See paper for additional details.

In other results, we show that children are more likely than adults to be shown with lighter skin, despite there being no definitive biological foundation for this that we are aware of. In other words, lighter-skinned children see themselves represented more often than do darker-skinned children. This result, unlike those previously, holds for both collections. That is, even in books recognized for highlighting the experiences of Black children, darker-skinned children are less likely to see themselves represented.

Moving from skin color to race, we also find that in both collections, Black and Latino people have been underrepresented in these books, relative to their share of the U.S. population, corroborating prior work on the representation of race in smaller subsets of these collections of books. Our analysis of gender shows that, again in both collections, females are also less likely than males to be present in these books, despite equal population shares. Digging deeper, we compare how often females appear in images, as compared to in text. We find that females are consistently more likely to be visualized (seen) in images than mentioned (heard) in the text, which suggests more symbolic inclusion in pictures more than substantive inclusion in the actual story. Figure 3 below plots this result.

Figure 3. Female representation in images and text of children’s books

Note: This figure plots collection-by-decade average percentages of female representation in images (on the y-axis) and female representation in text (on the x-axis). This enables a comparison between the proportion of females represented in the images and the proportion of females represented in the text of the children’s books in our sample.

Source: Author’s calculations. See paper for additional details.

Over time, however, the patterns show signs of change. As time progresses, both collections of books include more characters with darker skin tones. Further, over the period we study, the representation of both race and gender trend closer to equality, though neither ever reach proportional representation, relative to the larger population.

Our paper then analyzes separate data on the checkouts of books in libraries and purchases of books by households to better understand what shapes who consumes different types of children’s books. We find that people tend to buy books that contain characters who share their gender and racial identities. Yet books centering many historically minoritized identities are either more scarce than other books, more expensive, or both. This suggests that greater provision of—and access to—books representing a more diverse range of identities than is currently available would fill a clear and desired need in the market. We also find that the content of books that people in a given area purchase are correlated with the political leanings of a community: in areas where progressive views are more common, people consume books with a more diverse range of identities represented than in areas where conservative views prevail.

Conclusion and implications

This research investigates who is represented; in other work, we also investigate how people are represented in children’s books. In these analyses, we show that the manner in which people are represented to children often reproduces societal norms and disparities. We see, for example, that females are more likely to be described relative to their appearance and roles in the family, while males are more likely to be described relative to their competence and roles in business. A century ago, we see a substantial gap between the sentiment, or overall positive feelings, associated with females and males—with males being shown in substantially more positive terms. Over time, however, this difference narrowed and is no longer detectable in books published today. We find similar disparities in the representation of race. For example, Black people, and Black women in particular, are more likely than white people to be mentioned in passages with more negative sentiment. While this gap, too, has lessened over time, in many contemporary stories we still find more negative sentiment associated with Black individuals than others.

Prior research has shown that the content of books can shape children’s beliefs, performance in school, and ultimately the adults they become. Our analysis shows that the representation of characters in books—and in award-winning, highly visible children’s books in particular—conveys important messages about how society values people by their race and gender. These messages trend towards equality over time, but even in many books published today, they still send the message that white people and males are the most visible and thus the most important members of society. This finding highlights some potential harms to children from recent political conflicts over critical race theory and the efforts to ban certain books that have sprung from these conflicts. It also underscores the important work that librarians, teachers, and parents play in building out school and home libraries with content showing a diversity of representation. These efforts can help ensure we teach children that all people can inhabit the many rich potential futures that await them.

[freddiekugel]

remember the Royal Diaries series, fellow millennials?

i always assumed they were written by random kid lit authors I'd never heard of (it seems like that kinda series, right? the branding is about the royals not the writers). and most of them are, one or two have won awards for some of their work.

one was written by Patricia McKissack, who won a bunch of Coretta Scott King awards and whose name I recognized immediately. she was a local author where I grew up though so maybe she's less of a big deal elsewhere (idk). [her book: Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595]

and today I learned: one of these fun, learn about a royal from their fictional diary books was written by Edwidge Danticat. well-known lit fic author Edwidge Danticat. I read some of her short stories in my high school lit class! her first three novels, and the short story collection I read in HS all came out before she wrote this royal diaries book! [which is Anacaona: Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490 and starts with a note about how the diary format is fictionalized bc Taínos didn't have a writing system]

she's a MacArthur Genius.

i - i am shocked and delighted by this information.

[gn349]

MONDAY’S NOT COMING

[Book cover art for Monday's Not Coming]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://www.google.com/?&bih=945&biw=1680&client=safari&hl=en

Monday Charles is missing and no one seems to know, or even care, where she is and why she hasn't shown up to school in months. This is not the case for her best friend Claudia Coleman, who is determined to find Monday. Claudia and Monday are inseparable, so when summer vacation ended and 8th grade was starting, Claudia was perplexed by Monday's absence. Time passed, and still nothing. Completely lost without her best friend, Claudia will do anything and everything possible to bring Monday home. This novel will keep you guessing, even after it's over! 5/5 stars, highly recommend for anyone who loves a great mystery novel that is hard to imagine the ending.

AWARDS:

Coretta Scott King Book Awards, 1970-2023. New Talent Winner, 2019.

Tiffany D. Jackson discusses the inspiration behind Monday’s Not Coming and the importance of the themes within her novel

[angelo-tiger-woods]

Part 3 - Fun Fact for Jessica Marquez (@iamjessmarquez):

The Hate U Give – Book & Movie Overview

The Hate U Give (film) link:

The Hate U Give (film) – Wikipedia - (click on the blue link)

The Hate U Give (book) link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hate_U_Give - (click on the blue link)

Book Details

Title: The Hate U Give

Author: Angie Thomas

Published: February 28, 2017

Genre: Young Adult (YA) Fiction, Contemporary, Social Issues

Themes: Racism, Police Brutality, Identity, Activism, Family

Inspiration: The novel was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and the real-life issue of police violence against Black communities.

Plot Summary

The story follows Starr Carter, a 16-year-old Black girl who lives in the poor neighborhood of Garden Heights but attends an elite, predominantly white prep school. Her world is turned upside down when she witnesses the fatal police shooting of her childhood friend, Khalil, during a traffic stop. As the sole witness, Starr faces intense pressure from her community, law enforcement, and media as she struggles to find her voice and seek justice for Khalil.

The novel explores Starr’s internal conflict as she navigates two different worlds—her home life in a Black neighborhood and her school life among wealthy white peers. She ultimately finds the courage to speak out, becoming an activist against systemic racism and police brutality.

Critical Reception & Impact

The Hate U Give was a New York Times Bestseller and received critical acclaim for its timely and powerful message.

It won several awards, including the Coretta Scott King Honor and the Michael L. Printz Honor.

The book is frequently used in schools to discuss social justice, racism, and activism.

Movie Adaptation

Title: The Hate U Give

Release Year: 2018

Director: George Tillman Jr.

Screenplay: Audrey Wells

Starring:

Amandla Stenberg as Starr Carter

Regina Hall as Lisa Carter (Starr’s mother)

Russell Hornsby as Maverick "Mav" Carter (Starr’s father)

K.J. Apa as Chris (Starr’s boyfriend)

Common as Carlos (Starr’s uncle, a police officer)

Anthony Mackie as King (a local drug dealer)

Plot & Differences from the Book

The movie closely follows the novel’s storyline but makes minor changes, such as softening some violent scenes and modifying the role of certain characters. A key emotional moment in the film is Starr’s speech at a protest, where she finally finds her voice and stands up for justice.

Critical Reception & Awards

The film received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for Amandla Stenberg’s performance.

It holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite positive reviews, the film underperformed at the box office, grossing around $34 million worldwide.

Significance & Cultural Impact

The Hate U Give is regarded as one of the most important YA novels addressing race and social justice.

It sparked conversations about racial profiling, systemic racism, and police brutality.

The title is inspired by T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E., a concept coined by Tupac Shakur, which stands for The Hate U Give Little Infants F**s Everybody*, meaning that societal oppression of the youth leads to larger societal consequences.

Here is the Trailer: The Hate U Give | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

[thisisablogforyouthlit]

Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson

This middle grade historical fiction novel tells the story of Homer, who escapes a Southern American plantation with his sister at the cost of leaving his mother behind. The two children are found by a community of escaped slaves in the dense swamp and establish a new, free life for themselves in Freewater. However, Homer has every intention of returning for his mother, and unintentionally gathers fellow children in the community to do so.

I had seen this book at my local library, but had never considered to read it. It won the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Newbery Medal back in 2023, so it has received immense praise. The first award is the reason I chose to read this book.

The style and language of this book is engaging and dynamic. With all the different point of views, there are a plethora of voices telling the varying perspectives on this escape and subsequent return, examples being Sanzi's loss of innocence upon learning of the world outside of Freewater and Ferdinand and Billy's return to the outside world. The chapters are typically under six pages, often no more than three, meaning the language has to be effective in order to tell the story so quickly through this one set of eyes, and the author does this well. An additional aspect to the language chosen in this novel is the fact that all of the main cast are children, so there are stigmas and learned behaviors they have never adopted. Ada, Homer's seven year old sister, describes Billy's stutter to be "like chopping wood" (Luqman-Dawson, 2022). It's subtle but speaks volumes.

The setting of this novel is something that one would see in a more fantastical book. Freewater as a place is so other-worldly compared to the cruel and fatal environment of the plantations. The hidden passageways through walls of vines and the serpentine rivers and sky bridges feel like something out of Neverland, and yet these people were able to make this miraculous place through a miracle of their own with the Big Tree and ingenuity. The difference between this natural almost-utopia filled with life and the desolate, white mansion filled with hate and shame also paints a clear divide of the two worlds the main characters interact with.

The character Homer is the first person narrator of the story, and everyone else's perspective is told using third person omniscient. The protagonist resembles Homer, the epic poet of ancient Greece. He is telling his own odyssey: having to go through various trials and tribulations to get back to where his most beloved woman, his mother. It's a blatant symbol and it works beautifully in this book.

I gave this book 4 stars on StoryGraph with it being filled with heart and love and many inventive and interesting characters. Learning that this novel was inspired by true happenings of the past was extremely intriguing; I had never heard of these places and am going to do more research in the future. Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston is a historical recommendation, however it is nonfiction, a memoir about the events of Executive Order 9066 and the internment camps of Japanese Americans during the 1940s.

References:

Luqman-Dawson, A. (2022). Freewater. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

[thelearninglibrarian]

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

Book Basics

INFO 5421 Assignment Qualification: Caldecott Winner

Formatting: EBook

Author: Cardle Boston Weatherford

Illustrator: Floyd Cooper

Publication Date: February 1, 2021

Recommended Ages: 7 - 12 Years Old

Justification:

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre is a critically acclaimed nonfiction picture book which has been awarded for both its author and illustrator. It was the 2022 winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards for Author and Illustrator. Additionally, it is a Caldecott Honor Book, was longlisted for the National Book Award, and is a Kirkus Prize Finalist to name a few of it's honors.

Book Summary:

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre is a poetic picture book depiction of Greenwood located within Tulsa, Oklahoma. The book depicts events in the late spring of 1921 which was filled with racially charged mobs, devastation to dozens of black-owned businesses, and the imprisonment of black families.

Book Evaluation:

Style and Language

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre uses poetic language and vivid imagery to depict the times preceding and during the Tulsa Race Massacre. The illustrations are realistic and use vivid expressions, rich tones, and realistic imagery to paint the picture of Greenwood in 1921 (Taylor, 2021). A family with two young girls is often depicted within the illustrations experiencing the events as they unfold and aiding in connecting today’s children to the beautifully depicted tragedy that happened in Greenwood.

Accuracy

The story begins similar to a fairytale, but quickly becomes a historically accurate retelling of the tragic events that took place during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The book closely follows the details as outlined by the Race Riot Commission in 2001 (1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, 2022). However, it is written in a way that eases the reader into the events without graphically oversharing information that may not be suitable for younger audiences. 

Pacing

The pacing of Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre is very rhythmic and steady. The before steadily flows into the events leading to The Tulsa Race Massacre, which ushers in the weeks following. The end comes and finishes the quickest with an acknowledgement of how long it has taken for victims to be widely acknowledged and what is being done now to remember the events of early June in 1921. With an even tempo and almost musically written lyrics, the book stays consistent but intentional with its use of pacing. 

References:

1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Tulsa Historical Society & Museum. (2022). https://www.tulsahistory.org/exhibit/1921-tulsa-race-massacre/

Taylor, D. (2021). Unspeakable. The Horn Book. https://www.hbook.com/story/unspeakable

Weatherford, C. B., (2021). Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. (Cooper, F. Illus.). Carolrhoda Books.

[bookworm-library]

Reading Log #1

Here is a list of books read for the first reading log:

#1 - Outside In

Format: Digital

URL: Libby - Outside In

Title: Outside In

Author: Deborah Underwood

Illustrator: Cindy Derby

Page Count: 48

Dimensions: 10 x 0.38 x 8.5 inches

Publisher: Clarion Books

Publication Date: April 14, 2020

Story/Theme: When a little girl starts spending most of her time indoors, Outside finds different ways to remind her of that it is always around, even when inside. The story's theme is that our lives are interconnected with nature, even if we aren't actively engaging with it.

Target Audience: Catalog - 4 to 7-year-olds; Amazon - 3 to 6-year-olds

My Recommended Audience: 3 to 7-year-olds; I think that this is a good book for younger audiences. It has concepts that can be understood by those within this age range.

Awards Won: Caldecott Honoree, 2021

Narrative Plot: A girl gets in the car and arrives at her house, where she spends most of her time indoors. The girl seems to have forgotten Outside, but there are many ways that Outside reminds us that they are still there, even when inside.

Text/Picture Relation: The illustration, in my opinion, enhances the story. The story is told from the point of view of Outside. Each picture, the environment is the main focus, as it tries to get the attention of the little girl in the story.

Storytelling Techniques: Personification; the narrator personifies Outside. There are many references to Outside sending the sunsets and the shadows inside so they can play and how it sings through the birds and winds. Outside reminds us that they are there when we forget about them.

Physical Structure: 10 x 0.38 x 8.5 inches; 40 pages; 13 spreads

Qualities of Book: I think that the storytelling and illustrations are positive qualities of the book. The story connects Outside with what children will be familiar with; the pets they have, the clothes they wear, the food they eat, their morning and night routines, the chairs they sit in. The illustrations enhance those notions by showing each connection, like when the shadows of the chair that the girl is sitting in are reflecting the trees that were used to make the chair.

Potential Usage for Young Readers: I think this would be a good story time book. It could also be used to build a program or an activity around nature in library and school settings.

Book's Appeal to Young Readers: I think that the book encourages young readers to find how nature influences their lives, and to also see nature as a friend. I think that the book would promote engagement and curiosity.

Digital Effectiveness: I found the digital version to be rather effective while I was reading, but I think having the book in my hands instead of on my screen would have been more effective.

#2 - Big

Format: Print

Title: Big

Author & Illustrator: Vashti Harrison

Page Count: 58 pages

Dimensions: 9.4 x 0.7 x 10.85 inches

Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: May 2nd, 2023

Story/Theme: A little girl experiences low self-esteem after being treated differently due to her weight.

Target Audience: Catalog - 4 to 8-year-olds; Amazon - 5-years-old and up

My Target Audience: 4 to 8-years-old. I looked into why it is that this book is geared more toward elementary, and even middle school grade levels. It seems as though some think that the book's topic and message are intended for a slightly older audience, which increases the target audience demographic, starting at 5 or 6-years-old at least. I think that defeats the purpose of the book. The point of the book is to provide an age-appropriate way for younger children to understand this topic, especially if they or someone they know is experiencing it. I'd argue that it is suited for such a demographic.

Awards Won: Caldecott Award Winner, 2024; Coretta Scott King Honor Title

Narrative Plot: The narrator explains that the little girl has a big laugh, a big heart, and big dreams. As she grew, she felt good about herself as her dreams grew with her. As she got a bit older, it was brought to her attention that she was bigger than the other kids. One day, her and her friends were talking about their ballet recital at the playground, and she gets stuck in the swing. After that, she started to feel small, judged, and invisible. Instead of being a flower at the recital, her pink outfit is painted gray, and she is made into a mountain. She runs off and hides. Then she breaks down, and she starts to feel better. She returns the hurtful words to those that gave them to her. She feels comfortable in her own skin, realizing that she was just a girl.

Text/Picture Relation: As the text described how it worsened for the little girl, she was drawn to continuously look bigger and her insecurity got bigger. The illustrations also echo words of confidence, but also words of insecurity. For this reason, I think that the illustrations enhance the story.

Storytelling Techniques: The story is told through emotion as the reader experiences the first few years of the little girl's life and her struggles.

Physical Structure: 9.4 x 0.7 x 10.85 inches; 60 pages; 18 two-page spreads, 1 4-page spread

Qualities of Book: I enjoyed the artwork. In a short amount of time, the reader is given the opportunity to get to know this little girl, possibly even seeing themselves in her.

Potential Usage for Young Readers: When discussing bullying, whether it be a theme at school or in a library, this would be a necessity to include in the lineup. This book would do best as an example of finding confidence in yourself, but also that words can hurt and scar people.

Book's Appeal to Young Readers: The book appeals most to those who can relate to it. The little girl gives many readers the opportunity to relate to her and find comfort and confidence in themselves.

#3 - We Are Water Protectors

Format: Print

Title: We Are Water Protectors

Author: Carole Lindstrom

Illustrator: Michaela Goade

Page Count: 34

Dimensions: 10.4 x 0.5 x 10.3 inches

Publisher: Roaring Book Press

Publication Date: March 17th, 2020

Story/Theme: A young girl, along with her tribe, stand against the black snake that is said to harm their water, and thus their land and its inhabitants.

Target Audience: Catalog - 3 to 6-year-olds; Amazon - 3 to 7-year-olds

My Target Audience: 3 to 7-year-olds; I think that younger children would enjoy the overall emotion and inspiration of the story. I think that kids that are a little older could enjoy it as well. I think that this demographic is old enough to understand the importance of caring for nature and its inhabitants. While I think that the metaphor of the oil pipes being a black snake is a strong one, I think that it can be explained rather simply to the youngest readers of this demographic.

Awards Won: Caldecott Award Winner, 2021; Jane Addams Children's Book Award Winner

Narrative Plot: The narrator explains that her grandmother told her that water is medicine, it is what we come from. Her tribe speaks of a black snake that will eventually destroy the land by poisoning the water, and thus any living thing that consumes it. The narrator rallies her people together against the black snake, especially for those who are unable to do it themselves. The narrator states that her grandmother had told her that water has its own spirit, it remembers those that came before. She states that the black snake is in for the fight of its life.

Text/Picture Relation: I think that the illustration complements the story and makes the message easy to understand. They are fascinating and pull you further into the story.

Storytelling Techniques: This story uses metaphors, especially regarding the black snake. The black snake is actually black pipes, and its venom is actually the oil that spreads and poisons the water and the land. It also has a hint of simile when discussing that their tears stream down like waterfalls. It also uses repetition; there is one page that repeats every few pages.

Physical Struture: 10.4 x 0.5 x 10.3 inches; 40 pages; 14 spreads

Qualities of Book: The illustrations are a strength of the book. They add emotion, curiosity, and understanding.

Potential Usage for Young Readers: This would be a good book around the theme of Earth Day, whether it be in celebration in the library or school setting. I could also see this being used a book read for homework when discussing different topics at school, such as the importance of water.

Book's Appeal to Young Readers: The book follows an Indigenous-led movement that would appeal to those interested or involved in the culture, or young readers that are interested in the movement, itself. Similar books have inspired young readers to become active voices for causes such as these, and I think it would appeal to them most.

#4 - Have You Ever Seen a Flower?

Format: Digital

URL: Libby - Have You Ever Seen a Flower?

Title: Have You Ever Seen a Flower?

Author & Illustrator: Shawn Harris

Page Count: 48

Dimensions: 11.4 x 0.55 x 9.9 inches

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Publication Date: May 4th, 2021

Story/Theme: A little girl experiences flowers beyond just seeing them. She learns the similarities between herself and the flowers.

Target Audience: Catalog - 3 to 5-year-olds; Amazon - 1 to 5-year-olds

My Recommended Audience: 2 to 5-year-olds; I think that there are some aspects that could be enjoyed by a much younger audience. It has aspects that kids can interact with, like when it says, "Now put your hands on your belly and say, 'This is my stem'". I think that 1-year-olds might only understand that part of the book.

Awards Won: Caldecott Honoree, 2022

Narrative Plot: A little girl experiences flowers in different ways. She closes her eyes and smells the flower's fragrance, what does she see? She imagines who she could see in the flowers. Then the narrator begins to compare flowers to humans, comparing our veins and the flower's. We, like flowers, bloom and change; especially when we care for ourselves.

Text/Picture Relation: In my opinion, the illustrations complement the text. It helps describe the text, especially in relation to comparing ourselves and flowers.

Storytelling Techniques: This story is told using questions and sensory immersion. Throughout the story, the narrator is asking the reader questions, which invites them to find the answers. It also encourages the readers to use their senses to find those answers.

Physical Structure: 11.4 x 0.55 x 9.9 inches; 48 pages; 20 spreads

Qualities of Book: The book has intellectual weight, especially when comparing ourselves to flowers. It also encourages imagination and inquiry when it asks the reader to say what they see when they smell the flower.

Potential Usage for Young Readers: I could see this book being used for storytime programs, taking place outdoors so that the kids can interact as well. I could also see this book being used as a resource for a subject related to science or health.

Book's Appeal to Young Readers: The book encourages engagement that young readers, in my opinion, would have fun interacting with.

Digital Effectiveness: Overall, the digital version was fine. During my first read, I was seeing the individual pages, which meant that every spread (which was every page turn) was broken up. I didn't feel as though it was effective. I did get to alter my settings on Libby during my second read to show both sides so that I could see all spreads entirely, which was much better and more effective.

#5 - The Truth About Dragons

Format: Digital

URL: Libby - The Truth About Dragons

Title: The Truth About Dragons

Author: Julie Leung

Illustrator: Hanna Cha

Page Count: 25

Dimensions: 11.35 x 0.4 x 9.3 inches

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Publication Date: August 15th, 2023

Story/Theme: A mother tells her son the truth about two dragons from different cultures. The theme is having a multicultural background.

Target Audience: Catalog - 4 to 8-year-olds; Amazon - 4 to 8-year-olds

My Recommended Audience: 4 to 8-years-old; I think that this book wouldn't be greatly understood by those younger than 4, but it can be understood and enjoyed by an older group. I would not use this book for any programs that are primarily aimed at those under the age of 4.

Awards Won: Caldecott Honor Book, 2024; Winner of the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature

Narrative Plot: Before bed, a mother tells her son that there is a special magic that lives within him, but first he must find out the truth about dragons. She sends him on an adventure to the witch's cottage, where he must ask her the truth about dragons. The witch tells him of dragons that hoard treasure in caves and have wings like a bat. His mother tells him that there is another path, where he should find a white rabbit who keeps the Moon Goddess company. The rabbit puts him on the path towards another wise woman, where he is told to ask her for more truth about dragons. The wise woman tells him of a dragon who is like a serpent, who has a pearl in its chin and lives in the clouds. His mother tells him that many people have only one dragon and they may attempt to force him to choose one path. She tells him that both dragons are in his heart, and they are his to discover; and he has two grandmothers who would love to share their truths about dragons with him.

Text/Picture Relation: The pictures enhance the text, as they accurately describe what goes on in the text. One does not overcome the other. For example, when the witch is describing the dragon, it gives the reader an entire dragon to look at, and that dragon is displayed as being the main focus of those pages.

Storytelling Techniques: One of the techniques in the storytelling is the use of sensory words; like crunch, whispers, and glowing. It also alludes to the sense of smell when describing that the witch's house smells of apple cider and sugar cookies. The story also uses simile to describe the similarities between the dragons and other animals.

Physical Structure: 11.35 x 0.4 x 9.3 inches; 25 pages; 14 spreads

Qualities of Book: I think that the story is very engaging, and the illustrations complement the text as readers imagine that they, too, are going on adventure to discover the truth about dragons. There are more words on some of the pages, which would be a good quality for young readers who are old enough to understand and remain engaged in the story, but it would not be suitable for the much younger demographic.

Potential Usage for Young Readers: This would be a good book for Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage during the month of May, and any programs that could be incorporated to celebrate.

Book's Appeal to Young Readers: The book talks about two different types of dragons, one from Western culture and one from Eastern Culture. I think that the adventure, along with the dragons, would pull young readers in. I also think that this would be a good book that can connect young readers to their families and heritage.

Digital Effectiveness: I was able to access this book on my phone and my laptop, as with the other digital books on this list. The version on my phone was really small, and so I would have to zoom in and swipe on the screen in order to read and see everything. The version on my laptop, with a few adjustments, was rather effective. Additionally, the pages of the book that are not spreads have a border that goes down at the spine of the book that is much easier to see in the digital version because the pages don't curve towards the spine like they would in a physical copy.

[jessreadingblogk-12]

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Weatherford & Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Genre / Category: Graphic Novel, Children’s Non-fiction / Coretta Scott King Award

Age group: 8 and up

Summary: This book is a historical retelling of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.

Justification: Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre has won the Coretta Scott King award as well as several other awards such as being longlisted for the National Book Award.

Formant and Evaluation: I read this book in e-book format. Most picture e-books have issues with pagination such as listing a book with over 100 pages when there are only 20 such as in my review of 100 Dragons All Named Broccoli. Others lack zoom functionality which makes books with small text difficult to read. Unspeakable was digitized perfectly. The two-page spreads were all kept together on one page and, due to the digital form, were not split by the spine of the book. I will be evaluating illustrations, tone, and accuracy.

Illustrations: The illustrations of Unspeakable are unique in the way that they portray the historical nature of the narrative. The art has a type of graininess to it that give the depictions of old-timey automobiles, streets, and the fashion of the characters an added sense of realism.

Tone: The tone of Unspeakable is one of my favorite parts of this book. The story begins with “once upon a time…” which lulls the reader into a sense of childish fantasy. In fact, this book starts every other page with “once upon a time” which becomes unsettling as it describes the very real lives of people within this community. Once upon a time, the Black community of Tulsa were happy and prosperous. Halfway through the book, however, tragedy strikes and the book —given that it is written for children— does not shy away from the horrors of this historical event. It is important that children of all races can see the very real consciences of racism and this book does so in a powerful and accessible way.

Accuracy: This book has a section after the story dedicated to the history of this event. Here, the author recounts the stories of their ancestors that were killed in this tragedy. It also has pictures of the townspeople and the city in ruins after the massacre.

Citation: Weatherford, C. (2021). Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. (F. Cooper, illus.). Carolrhoda Books.