The Reign: North & South America

I’ve been waiting for a book like this for over a decade now. Back when I had the honor of teaching first grade, my students engaged in research projects all year long. Black history was also taught all year long. Understanding the influence of the African Diaspora is a beneficial component for any classroom population, but the topic was essential for, and enthusiastically embraced by, my students because our community was made up of first generation Africans, Latin-Americans, and all of us to some degree are descendants of Africa. The Reign: North & South America published by PanAfrican Publishing House and written by C.Nichole, is a non-fiction gem comprised of history, illustrations, and a timeline of the African Diaspora throughout the Americas. The text is organized by nation, 20 altogether; from the Argentine to the Wampanoag.

The Reign: North & South America by C. Nichole. Illustrated by Sailesh Acharya. Published by Pan African Publishing House. Dallas, TX. 2021

For younger students

Depending on the age of my audience, I would include this book in my classroom two different ways. 1) for younger students, I would keep it behind my desk and bring it out only for read alouds and whole group instruction. Then eventually it would make it to the browsing bins and lending library, but only after it is intentionally taught, discussed, and processed. During read alouds, students always draw and write about the stories they listen to. Unsolicited commentary is allowed as well. I rarely shush. We like to keep learning multisensory around these parts.

“During read alouds, students always draw and write about the stories they listen to.”
Samples of kindergarteners’ comprehension of the read aloud, A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver.

I made a read aloud comprehension sheet for The Reign: North & South America. You can download it
for free here. 

For older students,

I would be sure to have at least four copies available for students to access during our research. The Reign: North & South America will be an essential resource for several different research topics that students may be engaged in. Some examples of research themes are: The African Diaspora, My Culture, Country Study, My People, Native Tribes, The Americas.

I greatly appreciate that the book has page numbers. One wouldn’t expect most children’s books to not have page numbers, but rarely they do. I prefer page numbered books for research purposes. To teach research skills while also teaching history, I add color-coded sticky notes to pages in the book where specific information can be found. I then have a corresponding classroom chart that displays each stickynote color’s content area. This is a great way to structure and guide independent work time or social studies centers.

Although comprehensive, this book will also spark many questions in it’s readers of any age and inspire them to want to research more:

Where can I learn more about Nacimiento de Los Negros?

Is there still a Maroon community in Nova Scotia?

What else did Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) accomplish in Jamaica?

Am I part of the Diaspora?

I particularly appreciated learning about the Seminole and Mascogo because my great great grandmother, Sallie Hamilton, was, according to family legend, 100% Seminole and lived in Pensacola Florida with her husband, John Boyle and their two daughters. I have a picture of her at the beach with my grandfather in the early 1930s. When I find it, I’ll add it to this post.

The 18 other ethnic groups included are: Argentine, Cherokee, Cuban, Curacaoan, Ecuadorian, Garifuna, Haitian, Jamaican, , Miskito, Narragansett, Panamanian, Pequot, Quilombola, Saint Lucian, Saamaka, Shinnecock, Trinbagonian, and Wampanoag. Hopefully, this book will provide you with more information on your ancestral group too.

Thanks for reading.

– The Picture Book Pusher.

Rodney’s Bookstore: Books are just the beginning

I visited Rodney’s Bookstore, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, last week. Went with a good friend of mine, Aja Jackson, founder of MindUTeach. Whenever I venture to Rodney’s, I never leave empty-handed. They specialize in used books, and their prices are very reasonable. Here’s what I picked up:

Bed Crumbs: Sweet Dreams and Nightmares by John Kruth. Jackalope Press. 1986.

So Bed Crumbs: Sweet Dreams and Nightmares, by John Kruth, is chalk full of witty and wonderful poems. I saw this book sitting by the register. I opened it up and turned to this poem, that sold me on the purchase:

“Lucifer’s Puberty

I’m not sure why

I’m beginning to sprout horns

and unknown alphabets

appear from my pen

~~~

Mama used to call me

her “little angel”

now I put tabasco

on everything”

– Kruth pg. 9

Bed Crumbs by John Kruth

Published by Jackalope Press 1986

I recommend this book for: 7th grade and up.

Retail Paperback: $6.00 Rodney’s: $2.82

Juneteenth Jamboree by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Yvonne Buchanan. Lee & Low Books, Inc. 1995

Personally, I’ve never seen a picture book about the United States’ holiday, Juneteenth. The fact that the book is published by one of my most favorite and trusted publishers, Lee & Low, made it an immediate purchase even more so. Out of all the captivating illustrations that artist, Yvonne Buchanan gives us, the illustration below stood out to me the most. Look how fun the kitchen can be! This book should be a staple in all elementary classrooms, in the United States.

“Cassandra raced into the kitchen, then stopped in her tracks. Dishes lined the countertop. From the looks of the place, her parents had big plans.” – Weatherford. ~ Illustration by Yvonne Buchanan in Juneteenth Jamboree

Juneteenth Jamboree by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Yvonne Buchanan.

Lee & Low Books, Inc. 1995.

I recommend this for: All ages.

Retail Paperback: $7.95. Rodney’s: $2.82

Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse by Walter Dean Myers. Harper Collins 1993.

Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse, by Walter Dean Myers, stole my heart. This collection, of pictures and verse, is a celebration of youth, in times past, in African-American communities. It highlights the joys and beauties, reminding us that not everything was a hardship, in the black communities of the United States. This book scaffolds a sense of thriving and fulfillment; and can contribute to young children’s sense of resiliency. If I still had a Kindergarten classroom, I would keep this book in the Dramatic Play/Housekeeping center. I keep books in all my centers. Here are some excerpts from the book:

Excerpt from Brown Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Excerpt from Brown Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse by Walter Dean Myers

HarperCollins. 1993.

I recommend this book for: All ages.

Retail Hardcover: ? Rodney’s: $6.00 

Ashley Bryan: Words to my Life’s Song – an autobiography. Photographs by Bill McGuinness. Illustrations by Ashley Bryan. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing 2009.

This book can be used in any age classroom. It is dynamic. I picture high school art classes critiquing Bryan’s many medium’s used in his art. I picture elementary school classrooms engaged in it’s storyline and vibrant images, learning to appreciate art & history. Ashley Bryan is a celebrated artist and picture book illustrator, a three-time Coretta Scott King award winner. He was raised in the Bronx, New York. His parents were from Antigua, British West Indies.

Excerpt from Ashley Bryan: Words to my Life’s Song

Excerpt from Ashley Bryan: Words to my Life’s Song. Illustration of Langston Hughes by Ashley Bryan

“I set the sea-glass pieces on tinfoil and connected the pieces with pulp. When the maché dried, I peeled the tinfoil away and the maché held the pieces together. When held to the light, the pieces glowed like stained glass.” – Ashley Bryan.

“During the Depression, children often made their own toys. They made soap-box wagons with old carriage wheels, scooters with boards and skates. And so did I.”

“The Ashanti tribe have a saying they use to end their AFrican tales, which is just right for me to close mine with: This is my story. Whether it be bitter or whether it be sweet, take some of it elsewhere and let the rest come back to me.”- Ashley Bryan

Ashley Bryan: Words to my Life’s Song. An autobiography.

Photographs by Bill McGuinness. Illustrations by Ashley Bryan.

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. 2009.

I recommend this for: All ages.

Retail Hardcover: $18.99. Rodney’s: $6.00

If you use any of the above mentioned books in your classroom, or with your children, please comment below.

Thanks for reading,

The Picture Book Pusher.

BHM Children’s Read Alouds: Day 5: A Celebration of Black Dolls

February 5 – Sitting Pretty: A Celebration of Black Dolls by Dinah Johnson. Photographs by Myles C. Pinkney.

Genre: History. Poetry.

Historical Time Period: 1800’s. 1900’s. 2000’s.

Geographical Relevance: Global.

Authenticity: The author Dinah Washington is professor of English and Children’s Literature at the University of South Carolina. Many of the dolls that she writes poetry about in Sitting Pretty, are dolls that she, or loved ones, owned. At the back of the book, the Author’s Notes include much provenance about individual dolls.

Sitting Pretty. Published by Henry Holt and Co. 2000

From Dinah Johnson’s Sitting Pretty. Photographs of dolls by Myles C. Pinkney.

Author Dinah Johnson

Photography Myles Pinkney

I recommend this book for all ages. It’s a gem.

Thanks for reading The Picture Book Pusher.

BHM Teacher Reads: The Other Black Bostonians.

The Other Black Bostonians: West Indians in Boston, 1900-1950. by Violet Showers Johnson.

Author Violet Showers Johnson – Professor of History at Texas A&M.

Since I am sharing a picture book a day, during Black History Month, I thought it selfish of me to not include books that the teacher is reading too.  I need to read up on the history that I teach . I found this book almost a year ago, at Tom Sawyer Old Books and Prints in Allston, MA.

Thanks for reading The Picture Book Pusher.