A Child's Introduction to African American History: The Experiences, People, and Events That Shaped Our Country (Child's Introduction)

by Jabari Asim (Author) Lynn Gaines (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4^th − 5^th Grade

A comprehensive, entertaining look at heroes, heroines, and critical moments from African American history -- from the slave trade to the Black Lives Matter movement -- by award-winning author Jabari Asim.

Jabari Asim goes beyond what's taught in the classroom to reveal a fact-filled history of African American history through politics, activism, sports, entertainment, music, and much more. You'll follow the road to freedom beginning with the slave trade and the middle passage through the abolitionist movement and the Civil War where many African Americans fought as soldiers. You'll learn how slave songs often contained hidden messages and how a 15-year-old Jamaican-born young man named Clive Campbell helped to create hip-hop in the early 1970's.

You'll experience the passionate speeches, marches, and movements of the Civil Rights era along with and the sacrifices of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, and many others. Along the way there are dozens of profiles of political trailblazers like Shirley Chisholm, the first black women elected to Congress in 1968; dominants athletes like Tiger Woods who, in 1995, was only the second African American to play in a Master's Golf Tournament which he went on to win in 1997; popular musicians like Miles Davis, one the most influential artists of the twentieth century; and inspiring writers like Toni Morrison, the first African American to win the Nobel Prize in literature.

Filled with beautiful illustrations by Lynn Gaines that bring these figures and events to life, plus a removable historical timeline poster, A Child's Introduction to African American History is a fascinating and comprehensive guide to this often overlooked yet immensely important part of American history.

Common Sense Media Review

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Publishers Weekly

Asim (Preaching to the Chickens) thoroughly explores influential events, political and social movements, and individuals in African-American history, beginning with the ugly legacy of slavery: "African Americans are the only ethnic group whose ancestors were brought to this country against their will." Moving forward in time, Asim discusses topics that include abolitionism, the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights movement; highlights African-American activists, artists, and athletes; and contextualizes events such as the airing of the 1977 miniseries Roots and the Los Angeles riots. A closing section carries readers into the 21st century with Hurricane Katrina, the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, and Black Lives Matter. Newcomer Gaines's portraits are often stiff and awkward, but Asim's thoughtful, wide-ranging commentary makes this a useful and accessible resource. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Agency. Illustrator's agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Jan.)

School Library Journal

Gr 3 Up--An amazing amount of information is packed into this compendium of African American history. In addition to the larger chronological narrative, the book also features short biographies of famous leaders, artists, and athletes. Key issues, events, and concepts are explored succinctly. Asim explains in a straightforward manner what lynching is and covers other injustices imposed upon Black Americans, including the destruction of towns and wrongfully conducted medical experiments. Each topic is set off by a bold title with plenty of white space and an abundance of decorative borders and colorful illustrations to keep the information from becoming too overwhelming. It's the kind of book that can be browsed at random or read straight through. The work includes a comprehensive index and a pull-out time line. VERDICT A comprehensive introduction to African American history and a solid purchase for nonfiction collections.--Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

Jabari Asim

Jabari Asim (therealjabariasim.com) is an accomplished poet, playwright, and writer, and has been described as one of the most influential African American literary critics of his generation. Asim has served as the editor-in-chief of Crisis magazine--the NAACP's flagship journal of politics, culture, and ideas--and as an editor at The Washington Post. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Arts and is the author of many award-winning books for adults and children, including Preaching to the Chickens (art by E.B. Lewis), which was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book. He is an Associate Professor of writing, literature, and publishing at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.

AG Ford (agfordillustration.com) is a three-time New York Times bestselling children's book illustrator and recipient of two NAACP Image Awards. He has illustrated picture books by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sharon Robinson, Ilyasah Shabazz, Martin Luther King III, Nick Cannon, Jonah Winter, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He lives with his family in Frisco, Texas.

Classification

Non-fiction

ISBN-13

9780316436427

Lexile Measure

Guided Reading Level

Publisher

Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers

Publication date

January 02, 2018

Series

Child's Introduction

BISAC categories

JNF018010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JNF025170 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | United States/General

Library of Congress categories

History
African Americans
JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / United States
JUVENILE NONFICTION / People & Places / Unite

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