Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books about Girls [Paperback]

Donna Rand (Author), Toni Trent Parker (Author)

Book Description

Series: Black Books Galore

A Treasury of Hundreds of Books That Help Girls Grow and Flourish

"When raising my own children, I made sure they were surrounded by images that reflected them."-Iyanla Vanzant, bestselling author

"As a child, I loved to read....I see many books available now that I would also have loved."-Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund

How do you know which books are the best for girls at every age? Now, two of the mothers who founded the esteemed Black Books Galore!-the nation's leading organizer of African American children's book festivals-and the authors of the highly acclaimed Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books, share their expert advice. Let BBG! help you open the door to a wonderful world of reading for the girls in your life.

Invaluable for parents, teachers, and librarians, this easy-to-use, delightfully illustrated reference guide features:
* Quick, lively descriptions of over 350 books
* Hundreds of young black heroines and positive role models
* Reflections from kids, famous authors, illustrators, and public figures about their favorite childhood books
* Easy-to-find listings organized by age level and indexed by title, topic, author, and illustrator
* Recommended reading for parents of girls


"This is a great resource that fills a tremendous need. It should be on parents' shelves at home as well as in every school."-Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., Harvard Medical School, on Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Imagine hundreds and hundreds of books just for you! For African American girls, this dream can come true with Black Books Galore! Authors Donna Rand and Toni Trent Parker, founders of the nation's leading organizer of African American children's book festivals, have created an invaluable resource and companion to Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books About Boys. The girls' version spotlights 360 books for girls from birth through eighth grade, featuring African American heroines such as the granddaughter in No Mirrors in My Nana's House and high-spirited Charlene (a.k.a. Charlie) in Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street.

Selections are arranged alphabetically by title and numbered sequentially for easy cross-referencing. Each entry includes title, subtitle, author, illustrator, publisher of hardcover and paperback editions, original publication date, and a brief, lively synopsis of the book. Significant awards are noted, as well as any sequels, prequels, companions, or series titles. Book descriptions often include text excerpts and pictures of book covers to impart the flavor of the books. Special features, such as "The Creator's Reflections," spotlight talented authors and illustrators like Patricia C. McKissack and Jerry Pinkney, as well as well-known African American personages and even young readers. --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Black Books Galore! offers a Guide to Great African American Children's Books About Girls and a Guide to Great African American Children's Books About Boys, both by Donna Rand and Toni Trent Parker. Beginning with introductions that include quotes about the importance of reading from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Marian Wright Edelman and Ed Bradley, the volumes then break into a list of recommended titles, divided by age group, with liberal illustrations of the titles' covers. Occasional spreads feature certain authors or illustrators, such as Pat Cummins, Karen English and Fredrick L. McKissack (in Girls); and Tom Feelings, Eloise Greenfield and Julius Lester (in Boys). A sprinkling of title endorsements from readers themselves is also included. A helpful index of titles by topic concludes these thoughtful volumes. (Wiley, $15.95 paper each 256p ages 5-up ISBN 0-471-37526-8; -37527-6; Jan.)

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (December 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471375268
• ISBN-13: 978-0471375265
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,871,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reference, March 10, 2006

By 

Cynthia Marshall (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books about Girls (Paperback)

I found this book to be extremely helpful in allowing me to readily access book titles that my students might enjoy reading and the book also went the extra step to identify books by reading level, which is extremely helpful in guiding my reluctant readers to quality reading material.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource!, May 14, 2011

By 

V. Cull - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books about Girls (Paperback)

Now that I have a granddaughter who is half African American I am even more painfully aware that most of children's books feature light skinned girls. This is a great resource for finding books for her that highlight strong dark skinned girls with whom she can identify.