A Wreath for Emmett Till

A Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book!

In 1955, Emmett Till was found washed up in a river with the fan of a cotton gin tied around his neck. It was later found that he was hung and severely beaten by five white men from Mississippi. His crime? Some witnesses say he whistled at a white woman. Now one woman is struggling to come to grips with a tragedy that rocked the nation and the hearts of African Americans everywhere. How does one deal with the effects of racism and injustice? The answer is in this book.

The story is told through a “heroic crown” of fifteen interlinking sonnets with Italian rhyme scheme. Through poetic verse, Marilyn describes the psychological effects of social injustice on our cultural psyche. Nelson concurs that it is our responsibility to speak out against injustice (despite social repercussions), lest we become slaves to fear and suffer the murderous consequences of future tragedy. Please share this book with your students, if for no other reason than to enlighten them about how our nation's past directly affects their future.

Image borrowed from Intuitive Roots, an online blog found at:
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/mwright2/iroots/cat_a_wreath_for_emmett_till.html

Nelson, M. (2005). A wreath for Emmett Till. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Facing the Lion

My dream is to kill a lion. Then I will be the strongest warrior in my tribe. My people are nomads, meaning we make our home where the cattle graze. When the land dries up, we move with them. We belong to the Ariaal, a subgroup of the Masaai Tribe in Kenya. Come with me on my journey and I will tell you about how I become a Harvard graduate and come face to face with my first lion. In the end, you will find me bringing education to my people and educating people (such as yourself) about my culture.

This book gives the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child.” a whole new meaning. Read on to learn about the customs and traditions of a native African. Struggle with him as he tries to reconcile Western teachings with his own. Laugh as he scares the tar out of some American tourists with his own brand of tribal humor. This is the story of Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton, tribesman, teacher, human rights activist, and the most recent addition to the Parliament of Kenya. What a great book for that
7th grade geography unit on Africa!

Lekuton, J. L. (2003). Facing The lion: Growing up Maasai on the African Savannah. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society.

Harlem Hustle

Harlem Hustle.
His street name.
Earned for hustling anything and everything just to turn a dime. Of course some people, no matter how tough they appear to be, can take being caged up like an animal. Hustle learns real quick he’s one of those people after getting busted for petty theft on his seventeenth birthday. Being a high school dropout, there’s only one thing keeping him going. Rapping. Does he have what it takes to come up in the industry or will his dreams take him somewhere else?

Does this sound like a book for students? Trust me, it is. For all the students in our schools who dream of making it big. The ones who might not see a future for themselves otherwise. Give them a book about real life…maybe they can picture a place for themselves if they know what they’re capable of.

MacDonald, J. (2006). Harlem Hustle. New York: Francis Foster Books.

Show Way

A Newberry Honor Book!

Imagine holding your four year old daughter in your arms and whispering to her a story that’s been passed down from generation to generation. This is the story of one family’s journey through history passed down through the art of quilt-making. These patch-work pages are sewn together with bright colors, famous quotations, familiar faces, and pictures of important places and events.

Show Way is a pictorial representation of history that your kids can’t afford to miss. Not only does it emotionally expose one’s history, it emphasizes the importance of cultural and generational heritage captured in the folk art and storytelling tradition.

Show the Way to your students!

For online interviews and read alouds from Jacqueline Woodson, please visit: http://www.teachingbooks.net/spec_athr.cgi?pid=3460&a=1

Woodson, J. (2005). Show Way. New York: G.T. Putnam's Sons.

Miss Crandall's School for Young Ladies and Misses of Color

A Notable Children’s Book!

This is a poetic account of the real life school in Canterbury, Connecticut told from multiple perspectives. This school stayed in operation despite racist persecution from 1833 to its forced closure in 1834. Can you imagine your students fighting to stay in school? Once they read this book, they’ll understand the true importance of an education and why a person would fight so hard to protect it.

This book is geared towards older students who are ready for an in depth look at racism and are mature enough to analyze and interpret more complex forms of poetry. It’s the perfect introduction to a high school unit on school segregation. Use this case study as a springboard to create a timeline of important schools, documents, and court cases, concerning school segregation.

Alexander, E. & Nelson, M. (2007). Miss Crandall's school for young ladies and misses of color. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong.

House of Dies Drear

An ALA Notable Book!

History tells us that Dies Drear was an abolitionist, and this huge house of his was a station on the Underground Railroad. Thomas Small knows all about the history of the Underground Railroad. More than he really wanted to know considering his father is a college professor. But what about the legend of Dies Drear himself? They say that the murdered spirit of Dies Drear still haunts the house to this day. Thomas is about to find out there's more than meets the eye when he and his father stumble on a secret that has been jealously protected for more than a hundred years.

Hamilton is a master of language. Her words roll ominously off the tongue, captivating her readers. This book fits collaboratively into any history lesson on slavery and the Civil War. Try these links below to use with your students:

Dies Drear: A Study Guide
file:///Users/joyreid/Desktop/house_of_dies_drear.pdf

Dies Drear: A Resource for Middle School Teachers
http://www.leasttern.com/DiesDrear/diesdrear.htm

An Interview with Virginia Hamilton
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=1474_type=Contributor_typeId=3195

Hamilton, V. (1968). The House of Dies Drear. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

I See The Rhythm

A Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book!
Jazz! Rhythm and Blues! Hip Hop! Bebop! Spirituals! Funk!
Can you see the rhythm? Check out the vibrant pictures
that ooze the rhythm in bold colors and brash lines.

I See The Rhythm is an extensive timeline of the
history of african american music. It gives small
factual tidbits while using lyrical poetry to
capture the essence of each musical
style. Everything on the page,
right down to the font size and
scattered placement of the
text accentuates each
masterpiece.

So,
Whether it's stirring
up interest for a report or exposing
your students to a variety of different time
periods in a short amount of time, it's a great way
to get kids to personally connect with a history lesson.
Maybe they could write their own poems about how their
experiences with music connect them to their cultural heritage.
They could even use the same poetry methods to create their work!

Igus, Toyomi. (1998). I See The Rhythm. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press

All Aboard The Bebop Express!

For an interactive audio reading, please visit the following website: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2005/05/15/books/20050515_BEBOP_AUDIOSS.html
Chugga Chugga Chugga Chugga Choo! Choo!

Welcome aboard the Bebop Express! This is your travel ticket for a journey through the American Jazz scene. Dance to the tune of drummers, singers, bassists, and the infamous Sax Man. Don't forget to stop in at New Orleans for the street jam show!

Be prepared for the ride of your life as you introduce your students to the sounds of Scat. See if they can guess who the famous musicians are! Why not research the 1940s and discover how these different musicians influenced their generation? Then, for the grand finale and presentation, invite your school's jazz band to perform, or have some of your band students put together a jazz ensemble.

Rat a tat! Rat a tat! Blam! Bop Blam! This book really teaches you how to get down with our jazz side! It connects you to the rhythm in a way that no other book can. It just makes you want to get up and dance! dance! dance!

Panahi, H.L. (2005). Bebop Express. New York, New York: Laura Geringer Books