Family, Culture & Generational Memory
Going Down Home With Daddy
By Kelly Starling Lyons, Illustrated by Daniel Minter
On reunion morning, we rise before the sun. Daddy hums as he packs our car with suitcases and a cooler full of snacks. He says there’s nothing like going down home.”
Down home is Granny’s house. Down home is where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will gather with great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to their family history. All the kids have to decide what they’ll share, but what will Lil Alan do?
My Hair Is A Garden
By Cozbi A. Cabrera
After a day of being taunted by classmates about her unruly hair, Mackenzie can't take any more and she seeks guidance from her wise and comforting neighbor, Miss Tillie. Using the beautiful garden in the backyard as a metaphor, Miss Tillie shows Mackenzie that maintaining healthy hair is not a chore nor is it something to fear. Most importantly, Mackenzie learns that natural black hair is beautiful.
Last Stop on Market Street
By Matt De La Pena, Illustrated by Christian Robinson
On Sundays, CJ and his nana ride the bus across town to their stop on Market Street. But today, CJ’s not happy about it. Today, he’s wondering out loud why they have to wait in the rain and why they don’t have a car like his other friends. But it’s Nana who opens young CJ’s eyes and shows him the real beauty in the world around them—the spirit of the bustling city, the music in everyday life, and the magic of their often overlooked neighbors.
Tar Beach
By Faith Ringgold
Cassie Louise Lightfoot has a dream: to be free to go wherever she wants for the rest of her life. One night, up on “tar beach,” the rooftop of her family’s Harlem apartment building, her dreams come true. The stars lift her up, and she flies over the city, claiming the buildings and the city as her own.
As Cassie learns, anyone can fly. “All you need is somewhere to go you can’t get to any other way. The next thing you know, you’re flying among the stars.”
Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky
By Faith Ringgold
Cassie, who flew above New York in Tar Beach, soars into the sky once more. This time, she and her brother Be Be meet a train full of people, and Be Be joins them. But the train departs before Cassie can climb aboard. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie retraces the steps escaping slaves took on the real Underground Railroad and is finally reunited with her brother at the story's end.
Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House
By Faith Ringgold
At Aunt Connie's house this year, Melody gets to go swimming, eat great food, meet her new cousin, and investigate twelve paintings of famous African-American women, including Rosa Parks, Zora Neale Houston, and Mary McLeod Bethune.
Soul Food Sunday
By Winsome Bingham, Illustrated by C. G. Esperanza
At Granny’s, Sunday isn’t Sunday without a big family gathering over a lovingly prepared meal. Old enough now, our narrator is finally invited to help cook the dishes for the first time: He joins Granny in grating the cheese, cleaning the greens, and priming the meat for Roscoe Ray’s grill.
But just when Granny says they’re finished, her grandson makes his own contribution, sweetening this Sunday gathering—and many more to come.
The Electric Slide and Kai
By Kelly J. Baptist, Illustrated by Darnell Johnson
Kai's aunt is getting married, and everyone in the Donovan family is excited about the wedding ... except Kai. The highlight of every Donovan occasion is dancing the electric slide--a groovy line dance with footwork that Kai can't quite figure out. More than anything, he wants to prove that he can boogie with the rest of his family and earn a cool nickname from his granddad. Can Kai break through his nerves and break it down on the dance floor?
We Came to America
By Faith Ringgold
America is a country rich in diversity -- From the Native Americans who first called this land their home, to the millions of people who have flocked to its shores ever since. Some of our ancestors were driven by dreams and hope. Others came in chains, or were escaping poverty or persecution. No matter what brought them here, each person embodied a unique gift—their art and music, their determination and grit, their stories and their culture. And together they forever shaped the country we all call home.
