African American Families

One question must be answered before Afia can slip into a peaceful sleep: What does love look like? With the companionship of her loving papa, Afia journeys to find love and learns that it is the warmth of the sun’s hugs, the brook’s soothing song, and other mesmerizing gifts of nature. But Afia’s quest also teaches her that she may not have to go too far to see the emotion at the heart of the world’s wonders.

Charlie and Ralph’s mom has waited a long time to vote because countless obstacles have been put in Black people’s way to stop them from having a say in elections—obstacles that it took a lot of hard work to tear down. But now, in 1969, Madear is going to vote for the very first time, and the boys are coming along on this exciting day. A day that puts a new bounce in their mom’s step, and enables them all to begin to dream of a better future.

Tonya is like any other woman in search of love, while raising her children and taking care of herself and her household. As easy as it is assumed to be, at times, life has a way of slowing you down in ways you can’t imagine. Sometimes, forever. Throughout the years, Tonya had to deal with an enormous amount of stressful situations that should have broken her, but she didn't even bend. She lost friends who she thought would never betray her and a family that talked behind her back.

Every holiday, aunties, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and neighbors come over to eat, sing, and celebrate life. But all our main character can think about is the sweet potato pie Granny makes just for her. As tables fill with baked macaroni and cheese, chitlins, and other sides a-steaming, she and Granny move the pie to keep it intact. The task becomes trickier as the room grows with dancing and card games and pie cravings. Just when all seems lost and there’s no more pie, Granny pulls out a sweet surprise.

When Julie hears her favorite cousin is in town, she's ready for girly nights, glamor, and gossip. But when she learns her distant cousin Melina is also around, things don't seem as exciting. Melina is a conniving gold digger, and not the kind of woman you'd want to leave around your man! So how will the "too kind for his own good" Steven hold up?

Thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators - including Renee Watson (Piecing Me Together), Grace Lin (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon), Meg Medina (Merci Suarez Changes Gears), and Adam Gidwitz (The Inquisitor's Tale) - engage young people in frank discussions about racism, identity, and self-esteem. Featuring stories filled with love, acceptance, truth, peace, and an assurance that there can be hope for a better tomorrow, The Talk is an inspiring anthology and must-have resource published in partnership with Just Us Books.

When Grandma Mimi comes to visit, she always brings warm hugs, sweet treats...and her purse. You never know what she'll have in there - fancy jewelry, tokens from around the world, or something special just for her granddaughter. It might look like a normal bag from the outside, but Mimi and her granddaughter know that it's pure magic! In this adorable, energetic ode to visits from grandma, Vanessa Brantley Newton shows how an ordinary day can become extraordinary.

The Bell family has had their ups and downs, though most have found solace far away from each other. When Patricia Bell, their Mama Bell, dies from cancer, it draws the disbanded family together to discuss a family reunion. As the undisputed matriarch, Mama Bell had been the force of good in the family and for her, even people who normally do not get along will come together and try to find common ground.

Vanessa Reed had been at odds for years with Evelyn Underwood. Despite the woman's affair with her husband, Vanessa had moved on and forgiven Justice Reed. She's even accepted Jax Reed, the son born of the affair as if he were one of her own children. As Vanessa prepares to bring her family together for the holidays, she contemplates one of her greatest tests of faith and the consequences.

In 1920, as art and writing flourished during the Harlem Renaissance, W. E. B. Du Bois published The Brownies’ Book: A Monthly Magazine for Children of the Sun—the first periodical for African American youth, collecting original art, stories, letters, and activities to celebrate their identities and inspire their imaginations and ambitions. Building upon Du Bois’s mission, esteemed professor and scholar Karida L. Brown and celebrated artist Charly Palmer reimagine the groundbreaking publication with The New Brownies’ Book, gathering the work of more than 50 contemporary Black writers.

It's a new day, and Ayaan has woken up on the wrong side of the bed where nothing feels quite right. What if he doesn't know the answer at school? What if he messes up? But as he sets out that morning, all it takes is a few reminders from his mom and some friends in the neighborhood to remind him that a new day is a good day because...he is smart, he is blessed, and he can do anything!

In this moving book from multi-award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson, a young girl and her grandmother prepare for a very special day - the one day a month they get to visit the girl's father in prison. "Only on visiting day is there chicken frying in the kitchen at 6 a.m., and Grandma in her Sunday dress, humming soft and low".

Life on the farm with Granddaddy is full of hard work, but despite all the chores, Granddaddy always makes time for play, especially fishing trips. Even when there isn't a bite to catch, he reminds young Michael that it takes patience to get what's coming to you. One morning, when Granddaddy heads into town in his fancy suit, Michael knows that something very special must be happening. For the very first time, Granddaddy is allowed to vote, and he couldn't be more proud. But can Michael be patient when it seems that justice just can't come soon enough?

What happens in this house follows a young girl Vivian Smith throughout her childhood. While dealing with problems at home, Vivian is forced to spend time with different family members and family friends. Going from one place to another, she soon realizes, her family isn't the only one living with secrets and lies. It's not unusual for families to have secrets. Because secrets have no boundaries. The secrets we hide can have enormous power over our lives.

In the past year Detective Josephine "Jo" Reed-Powell brought down one of the most notorious serial killers in a decade in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. When Jo arrives at a new crime scene, something seems very familiar to her. She immediately thinks she may be dealing with a copycat killer. Or is she? How can she keep her mind on finding a killer when her life is falling apart? Jo is struggling with her shattered marriage knowing her husband, Bryan Powell, has had an affair. As Jo questions the twists and turns of her murder investigations, can she let God mend her broken heart?

Forensic artist Toni Reed loves when her work helps the police catch criminals. Tasked with helping a traumatized woman identify her attacker, Toni is troubled when she sketches a face that resembles a man from her past. Is it the same man who brutally attacked her two years ago? Despite longtime family friend Detective Cam Noble's insistence that she not interfere with the case, Toni becomes obsessed with seeking justice. Will she let God lead her to come to terms with her past?

Saturday is for harvesting. And one little boy is excited to work alongside his Papa as they collect eggs, plums, peppers and pumpkins to sell at their stand in the farmer's market. Of course, it's more than a farmer's market. Papa knows each customer's order, from Ms. Rosa's pumpkins to Mr. Johnny's peppers. And when Papa can't make it to the stand, his community gathers around him, with dishes made of his own produce.

Cami has an albatross holding her hostage to the memory of her dead parents: a 1713 golden period Stradivarius violin! Jim has an affinity towards the Strad and a desire to help Camille become a success. Though she is pursued by Jack, a cretin ruffian whom she thinks she loves, will this boaz, Jim, sell everything to keep her safe and protect his most prized possession? Romance, drama, and laughter are very much alive in this coming-of-age novella filled with heart, conscience, and trust.

Lauren realizes she does not have enough money to buy a stuffed unicorn. She does chores and saves her allowance to get the stuffed animal of her dreams.

In this Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year, Paula Young Shelton, daughter of Civil Rights activist Andrew Young, brings a child’s unique perspective to an important chapter in America’s history. Paula grew up in the deep south, in a world where Whites had and Blacks did not. With an activist father and a community of leaders surrounding her, including Uncle Martin (Martin Luther King), Paula watched and listened to the struggles, eventually joining in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery.