[LM_NET] HIT: Easy Readers with African American Characters

[Julie Potvin <jkpotvin12@YAHOO.COM>]

Hi Everyone,

  Here are some ideas I received from my request last week. I am grateful for all 
the help. Please forgive any repetition. I was copying and pasting. I would say 
there is a market for this if there are any authors out there.
   
  Julie Potvin Kirchner
Fifth Grade Teacher
  Sunset Hill Elementary 
Plymouth, MN

   
   
  Amazing Grace by Hoffman, as well as Boundless Grace, An angel just like
  Me Polocco's Pink and Say, Chicken Sunday
  Ellen Levine's Henry's freedom box
  Pinkney is a good artist and author, all of them!
  Martin's big words, My brother Martin, Through her eyes, it is Friday
  and I can not think anymore.
     

   
  How about Hamster Chase by Anastasia Suen based on Ezra Jack Keats'
  characters?
     

   
  You may already have gotten this suggestion, but I thought I'd send it anyway, in 
case you hadn't.  Take a look at the Just for You! series published by Scholastic.  
The books are written by a variety of authors and they cover a range of reading 
levels.  You might also take a look at  the Wright Group's offerings.  We got a set 
of books from them that feature African-American characters.
     

   
  I have a series called " Just For You" ( I think, I am at home right  
  now) .. all with African American characters. .. Not as long as Henry  
  and Mudge, but still an early reader. I buy mine through Scholastic  
  Book Clubs, so they are in paperback, if that is a problem. I would  
  imagine the regular publisher ( not sure who it is) prints them in  
  Hardcover.. They have various authors as well...
     

   
  Not quite as low as Henry and Mudge, but have you considered the Ann 
  Cameron Series - The Stories Julian Tells, More Stories Julian Tells, 
  The Stories Huey Tells, More Stories Huey Tells, and others as well as 
  the books that feature their friend Gloria? Some of these are about 2.5 
  readability.
     

   
  How about From Slave to Soldier, a ready-to-read by Deborah Hopkinson?
     

   
  You might consider these titles:
   
  Little Bill series from PBS
  Evelyn Coleman, The Glass Bottle Tree
  -----, The Foot Warmer and the Crow
  Janice N. Harrington, Going North
  Andrea Davis Pinckney, I Smell Honey
  William Miller, The Conjure Woman
  Belinda Rochelle, Jewels
  Synthia Saint James, Sunday
  Natasha Tarpley, I Love My Hair!
  Mary Hoffman, An Angel Just Like Me
  Connie Rose Porter, Addie: American Girl series
  John Steptoe, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
  Any of the Anansi stories from Africa
  Bell Hooks, Happy to be Nappy
  Carolivia Herron, Nappy Hair
   
  Authors to consider:
  Walter Dean Myers
  Faith Ringgold
  Angela Johnson
  Ntozake Shange
  Patricia Hubbell
  Patricia McKissack
  Camille Yarbrough
  Julius Lester
  Ezra Keats
   
  And a good reference is Pamela Toussaint's Great Books for African
  American Children.
     

   
  Sharon Draper has  a series with African American characters that seems 
  good.  Look for Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs which is the first in the 
  series.
     

   
  Picture Window Books and Capstone Press (try their Pebble line) easy 
  readers are great about including many different ethnicities.
     

   
  Hi. Try the "Little Bill" books by Bill Cosby. Crosby Bonsall's "I can read" 
books (HarperCollins?) have a group of friends (one is Afro-American) solving 
mysteries. The Ezra Jack Keats picture books are the first ones to have an 
Afro-American lead character; you should have them.
     

   
  Bill Cosby has written some easy readers with African American 
  characters.
  My students really like them.
     

   
  Julian, dream doctor / by Ann Cameron
  There is a series of these books.
   
  Uptown /  
  Collier, Bryan. E COL   2000.
   
  Me & Neesie /  
  Greenfield, Eloise. E FIC GRE   [2005]
   
  Boundless Grace  
  Hoffman, Mary, E HOF   1995.
   
  Amazing Grace /  
  Hoffman, Mary, E HOF   1991.
   
  Virgie goes to school with us boys /  
  Howard, Elizabeth Fitzgerald. E HOW   c2000.
   
  Flossie & the fox /  
  McKissack, Pat, E MCK   c1986.
   
  The black snowman /  
  Mendez, Phil. E MEN   c1989.
   
  Cassie's word quilt /  
  Ringgold, Faith. E RIN   [2004], c2002.
   
  Julian, secret agent /  
  Cameron, Ann, FIC CAM   c1988.
   
  Julian's glorious summer /  
  Cameron, Ann, FIC CAM   c1987.
   
  Dave and the tooth fairy  
  Wilkins, Verna FIC WIL   1998
   
   

 
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