The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Tim Ladwig

Abstract: The Beatitudes form the backdrop for Weatherford's free-verse poem that traces the African American journey from slavery to civil rights.









Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 1 v. (unpaged)

Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Shane W. Evans

Abstract: Art and poetry combine to tell the story of boxer Jack Johnson, who became the first African-American world heavyweight boxing champion in the early part of the twentieth century.









Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 1 v. (unpaged)

You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys by Sharon G. Flake

Abstract: Tow-Kaye just learned that the love of his life is pregnant--and though he knows what the right thing to do is, he's scared to death to do it. Jeffrey hates having a mom who dresses like a teenager, but when another sexy mom moves in next door--well, that's a different kind of problem. In these and twenty-two other short stories and poems, readers plumb the inner lives of African American teenage boys.






Publisher: Jump at the Sun, 195 p.