Children's+Literature

Source:  [|http://www.multiculturalchildrenslit.com]  //Allie’s Basketball Dream// by B. E. Barbara is about an African-American girl who wants to play basketball, but first she has to get past being told that it is a sport for boys. This book will go well with the Mary McLeod Bethune unit because it is about achievement despite stereotypes, and it features an African-American as the main character.

//Amazing Grace // by M. Hoffman is about an African American girl who wants to play the lead in a school play.

// Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House // by F. Ringgold is about a girl that goes to her aunt’s house and meets famous African-American women from some portraits at the house, including Mary McLeod Bethune.

// Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories // by E. Levine is a collection of stories by African-Americans who grew up in the 1950s, talking about segregation. While it is geared more towards older students (fourth through sixth graders), I think it would be good to read a couple of the accounts out loud in class because it will show the children that they can make a difference no matter how old they are.

For students who enjoy fantasy fiction, // Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales // by V. Hamilton is a collection of stories that feature strong African-American female characters. I might just read a short story from the book out loud and then leave it out for the students to enjoy during independent reading time. It only loosely ties in with the unit, but I think it’s important to have many different types of literature available to appeal to any of the students’ interests.