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

Asim, Jabari

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316436429 ISBN 13: 9780316436427

Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2018

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author:

Jabari Asim is the author of several adult and children's books, including Preaching to the Chickens which was named one of the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2016 and Fifty Cents and a Dream-an NAACP Image Award Nominee, CCBC Choice, School Library Journal Editor's Choice, and Kirkus Best Book. He is an associate professor at Emerson College in Boston and the former executive editor of The Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP. He recently was honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.


Lynn Gaines is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art and has been illustrating greeting cards for more than 20 years. She lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, mother, and two crazy cats. This is her first picture book.

From 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

About this edition

• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0316436429
• ISBN 13: 9780316436427
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96
• Illustrator: Gaines Lynn