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

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

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1998

"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

These are exciting times for African American children's literature. Never before have there been so many titles available. Now the three mothers who founded Black Books Galore! --the nation's leading organizer of festivals of African American children's books --share their expert advice on how to find and choose the best. This fully annotated guide opens the door to a wonderful world of reading for the children in your life. Here are the most positive, the best-written, and the most acclaimed books in every category, including board books, story and picture books, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, history, biography, fables, and more.

Invaluable for parents, teachers, and librarians, this easy-to-use, illustrated reference guide features:
* Quick, lively descriptions of 500 books, plus 200 additional recommendations
* Helpful guidelines for encouraging young readers
* Easy-to-find listings organized by age level and indexed by title, topic, author, and illustrator
* Portraits of selected authors and illustrators
* Listings of award winners and Reading Rainbow Books.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

The books listed and described here "have been carefully chosen by black parents for black parents, for children from birth through early teens." The 500 titles have complete citations, concise annotations, and a list of any award(s) received. The bright, attractive cover and black-and-white photos of book jackets, along with well-chosen quotes from featured books, make this bibliography both interesting and appealing. The volume is well organized, with commonly used age groupings, e.g., "Books for Babies and Preschoolers." The title, author, illustrator, and topic indexes are cross-referenced to the entry number for each book, not the page number. The entries are largely current titles and tend to overlook folklore and library standards such as Ashley Bryan's The Dancing Granny (Atheneum, 1977; o.p.) and Sharon Bell Mathis's The Hundred Penny Box (Viking, 1975). Nevertheless, this is a worthy addition for libraries that serve children or support a curriculum for the study of children's literature.
Marie Wright, University Library, Indianapolis, IN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"BLACK BOOKS GALORE! is distinct from similar efforts ...in that selections are 'children's' books, as opposed to works of Black literature that youth should be encouraged to read."--Emerge, October 1998

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471193534
• ISBN-13: 978-0471193531
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource- comprehensive and age specific, November 9, 1998

By A Customer

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

This is a one-of-a-kind resource written by parents for parents. 500 books are reviewed and categorized by age and reading ability. The descriptions are uniquely kid-focused and include key indicators such as "contains Carribean dialect" or "use of the 'N word'"). This book would make a great gift to friends with African American children or a school library. Even those with an extensive collection of books featuring African American children and adults will find something new and promising.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference- MUST HAVE- Authors did the work for busy parents, April 22, 2006

By 

Consumer advocate - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

Excellent book for fine children's literature with African-Americans.

For busy parents, this is an excellent reference book. There are many lists which to choose and select books.

The book has separate categories by age. Wonderful.

Each reference of the book, the author lets you know if the book has received any awards such as the Coretta Scott King, Caldecott, Newbury, Reading Rainbow.

What a great idea!! The authors have done all the research for the busy parent who wants to buy fine literature for their kids.

I want to thank the authors!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal Resource for Teachers, May 19, 2009

By 

SafeMommy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

This book is an amazing resource for teachers who are conscious of the importance of diverse literature. It's very well referenced, and I am already making great use of it--checking books out from the library to peruse them and then buying the ones that I want in my classroom library.