Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

By Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

2010

40 pages

From the publisher (courtesy of www.titlewave.com):

It was February 1, 1960. They didn't need menus. Their order was simple. A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side. This picture book is a celebration of the 50thanniversary of the momentous Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement. Andrea Davis Pinkney uses poetic, powerful prose to tell the story of these four young men, who followed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words of peaceful protest and dared to sit at the "whites only" Woolworth's lunch counter. Brian Pinkney embraces a new artistic style, creating expressive paintings filled with emotion that mirror the hope, strength, and determination that fueled the dreams of not only these four young men, but also countless others.

I Have a Dream

By Martin Luther King, Jr.

Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

2012

32 pages

What better way to introduce students to Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech than by having them listen to the enclosed CD recording while looking at Kadir Nelson's stunning art work? A great alternative "read-aloud" - MLK and Kadir Nelson do all of the work for you! (Expect a meaningful conversation to follow).

2013 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrators honors

Underground

By Shane W. Evans

2011

32 pages

With just a few words of text on each pages, the darkly illustrated images tell the story of a journey toward the light and its symbol for freedom. A good introduction to the underground railroad, there are many opportunities for questions and meaningful conversation.

2012 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator winner

Rosa's Bus

By Jo S. Kittinger

Illustrated by Steven Walker

2010

40 pages

This in not your typical civil rights biography. Though a story about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, this is a biography of a bus, the bus that played an important role in history. This is a great way to grab the attention and interest of younger readers, and to introduce them to events of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

By Mordicai Gerstein
2003
40 pages

A beautifully illustrated story of Phillipe Petit, the man who walked a tightrope between the World Trade Center towers, this is an excellent (and suspenseful) read-aloud, and a perfect introduction to a discussion on the September 11th terrorist attacks.

2004 Caldecott Medal winner

Nelson Mandela

By Kadir Nelson
2013
40 pages

Gorgeous, life-like illustrations (just look at that cover!) support the text in this mesmerizing biography of Nelson Mandela.

Publisher's description (courtesy of www.titlewave.com):

One day when Nelson Mandela was nine years old, his father died and he was sent from his village to a school far away from home, to another part of South Africa. In Johannesburg, the country's capital, Mandela saw fellow Africans who were poor and powerless. He decided then that he would work to protect them. When the government began to keep people apart based on the color of their skin, Mandela spoke out against the law and vowed to fight hard in order to make his country a place that belonged to all South Africans.

Kadir Nelson tells the story of Mandela, a global icon, in poignant verse and glorious illustrations. It is the story of a young boy's determination to change South Africa and of the struggles of a man who eventually became the president of his country by believing in equality for people of all colors. Readers will be inspired by Mandela's triumph and his lifelong quest to create a more just world.