Picture Book 26 / Lily Brown's Paintings

Title	Lily Brown’s Paintings
Author	Angela Johnson
Illustrator	E.B. Lewis
Publication Year	2007
Awards	n/a
Publisher	Orchard Books
ISBN	978-0-545-09952-8
Readability Score (GLE = Grade Level Equivalent)	Lexile
	DRA
	GLE	3.3
	Guided Reading
Genre /      Sub-Genre	Picture Book/Realistic Fiction
Theme	Using your imagination.
Primary Character	Lily Brown
Secondary Characters	n/a
Classroom Use	I would use this book to teach about African Americans and visual arts.
Book Summary	Lily Brown likes to paint and uses her imagination when she does. Her things come to life in her paintings. The fruit speaks and the apples sing.

Picture Book 25 / Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

Title	Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Author	Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrator	James Ransome
Publication Year	1993
Awards	n/a
Publisher	Scholastic Inc.
ISBN	0-590-42485-8
Readability Score (GLE = Grade Level Equivalent)	Lexile	680L
	DRA	40
	GLE	4.5
	Guided Reading	S
Genre /      Sub-Genre	Picture Book/Historical Fiction/Multicultural
Theme	Overcoming obstacles.
Primary Character	Clara
Secondary Characters	Jack, Aunt Rachel, Momma
Classroom Use	I would use this book to teach about slavery, African Americans and overcoming obstacles.
Book Summary	Clara was working in the fields and was tired. Her Aunt Rachel started to teach her to sew. She was taken out of the field work to sew. She overheard some people talking about the underground railroad and a map. She was wondering how to make a map showing the way to freedom. She decided that sewing a map would work. Her and Jack drew pictures in the dirt to put on the quilt. Clara and Jack decided to run off. They stopped by Clara’s mom’s house to get her and her sister she didn’t know she had. They made it to the Ohio River. The quilt stayed at Home Plantation and several people went to look at it. This is how they got free. Some never made it.

Picture Book 24 / Black like Kyra White like Me

Title	Black like Kyra White like Me
Author	Judith Vigna
Illustrator	Judity Vigna
Publication Year	1992
Awards	n/a
Publisher	Albert Whitman & Company
ISBN	0-8075-0778-4
Readability Score (GLE = Grade Level Equivalent)	Lexile	350L
	DRA	30-34
	GLE	2.8
	Guided Reading	N
Genre /      Sub-Genre	Picture Book / General Fiction
Theme	The color of people’s skin should not matter
Primary Character	Christy
Secondary Characters	Kyra, Matt, Julie
Classroom Use	This book would be great to use for teaching social studies, culture, diversity, African American, character, value and friendship.
Book Summary	Christy is friend with a black girl named Kyra. Kyra’s family lives in a neighborhood that has a lot of violence. Christy tells Kyra that there is a house next door to her for sale. Kyra’s family moves in and some of the neighbors are upset because of the color of their skin.

Picture Book 23 / Mississippi Morning

Title	Mississippi Morning
Author	Ruth Vander Zee
Illustrator	Floyd Cooper
Publication Year	2004
Awards	n/a
Publisher	Eerdmans Book for Young Readers
ISBN	0-8028-5211-4
Readability Score (GLE = Grade Level Equivalent)	Lexile
	DRA
	GLE
	Guided Reading
Genre /      Sub-Genre	Picture Book/Diversity
Theme	Losing respect for a loved one
Primary Character	James William
Secondary Characters	Ma, Pa, Red, LeRoy
Classroom Use	This book would be good to use on teaching the Golden Rule and about the history of slavery.
Book Summary	James William is friends with Red and LeRoy. LeRoy is a little black boy and he tells James about a hanging tree and the way him and his family are treated along with the men in white hoods. James finds out that his father is one of the men that wears the white hoods and he never looks at him the same again.

Picture Book 22 / Brothers in Hope

Title	Brothers in Hope
Author	Mary Williams
Illustrator	R. Gregory Christie
Publication Year	2005
Awards	n/a
Publisher	Lee & Low Books Inc.
ISBN	978-1-58430-232-2
Readability Score (GLE = Grade Level Equivalent)	Lexile	670L
	DRA	40
	GLE	3.5
	Guided Reading	Q
Genre /      Sub-Genre	Picture Book / Diversity
Theme	There is always hope
Primary Character	Garang
Secondary Characters	Lost boys
Classroom Use	This would be a great book to discuss character, values, social studies and geography
Book Summary	Garang lives in Sudan. His village comes under attack and it kills all of his family members. He thinks that he is the only person left in this town but he finds that there are several hundreds of other boys. They take a journey to escape the attacks and face several challenges. The boys meet a man named Tom and he comes back several years later and tells the boys that the United States is offering them and the others a home.