Finding Lincoln by Ann Malaspina, Illustrated by Colin Bootman

Finding Lincoln by Ann Malaspina and illustrated by Colin Bootman is very similar to the picture book Ron’s Big Mission which I reviewed last week.  Both are about the desegregation of libraries in the south.
In Finding Lincoln, Louis needs to write an essay for school about Abraham Lincoln when he was a boy.  His small [...]

The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes, Illustrated by E.B. Lewis

Yesterday I just reviewed the book My People that was illustrated to a Langston Hughes poem, so why not another one today?  The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes and illustrated by E.B. Lewis is a beautiful book with simply stunning watercolor spreads.
Langston Hughes was just 18 when he composed The Negro Speaks of [...]

My People by Langston Hughes, Photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr.

I enjoy books that have excellent photography, which is why I was curious about My People by Langston Hughes with photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr.
Hughes 1923 poem is a simple one:
The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people
Beautiful, also, is the sun.
Beautiful, also, are the [...]

When I’m Not Reading . . .

. . .  I’m pretending to be the American dressmaker of a high-fashion studio in Paris during the World War II.  And of course, defend my innocence in the latest murder mystery.  And Taylor . . .  well, he’s a sword wielding duke who’s trying to invade his neighboring country.

And for the record.  Neither of [...]

The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

In The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon, thirteen-year-old Sam is the son of civil rights activist Roland Childs (who is a fictional character just to be clear), who is close to Martin Luther King Jr. Sam has grown up his whole life participating in demonstrations and stuffing more envelopes than he cares to [...]