Across the Alley

Richard Michelson (Putnam, c2006)
Shelf Number: EASY/MIC

E.B. Lewis's striking, atmospheric watercolors bring to life a moving story of baseball, music, and how two young people try to bridge the divide of prejudice.

An Apple for Harriet Tubman

Glennette Tilley Turner (A. Whitman, c2006)
Shelf Number: EASY/TUR

Like other enslaved African-American children, young Harriet Tubman had to work hard. In her master's orchard, she spent long hours picking the juicy apples she loved but was forbidden to eat. Many people know about Harriet Tubman's courage and daring, but few know about her love for apples, and the freedom they symbolized.

The Baby on the Way

Karen English (Farrar, c2005)
Shelf Number: EASY/ENG

A Coretta Scott King Honor author presents a conversation between a young African-American boy named Jamal and his grandmother, who tells the story of the traditions that accompanied her birth.

Bessie Smith and the Night Riders

Sue Stauffacher (Putnam, c2006)
Shelf Number: EASY/STA

Stauffacher and Holyfield tell a powerful story of facing down danger and standing up for what's right as it relates an event in which legendary blues singer Bessie Smith stood up against the Ku Klux Klan.

Daddy Goes to Work

Jabari Asim (Little, Brown, c2006)
Shelf Number: EASY/ASI

This loving depiction of an African-American family shows what happens when a little girl accompanies her father to his office and describes the pride they both feel at the end of the day.

Grandmama's Pride

Becky Birtha (A. Whitman, c2005)
Shelf Number: EASY/BIR

Set in the South of the 1960s, this picture book tells the story of young Sarah Marie, who visits her Grandmama every summer. One summer in particular, Sarah Marie faces a hard realization about the segregated South. By the next summer, things are different.