Books for Kids Featuring Black Characters
Africa DreamThis ia about a girl who visits Africa one night in her dreams. She explains some of the sights in “long-ago Africa” as she visits her ancestors. The kids complained about the black and white drawings, but I thought they were striking! However, a fun idea is to have the kids close their eyes and use their imagination while reading the book aloud to them!
Can You Dance, Dalila?This is a fun little story about a girl and her developing interest in dance. She attempts many forms of dance including the jig, line dancing, ballet, and tap dancing. However, all of her attempts were “unsuccessful.” Dalila’s gramma decides to take her to a festival to see a West African dance troupe perform. Enthralled in the dance, Dalila joins in and realizes that she is in the center of a huge circle and that everyone is “caught by the stirrings of her spirit.” Yes, Dalila can dance!
The Princess and the PeaThis book is the retelling of the classic Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale with a beautiful African setting! We really enjoyed reading this book together!
Papa, Do You Love Me?A young boy from the Maasai culture in Africa asks his father, “Papa, do you love me?” The father explains all the ways he loves his son and all the things he would do for him. “I’ll care for you, love you, and teach you. Always. Because I am your Papa, and you are my Tender Heart.” This is a great book to celebrate fathers.
Can You Hear the Sea?This story is very bright and fun! It would go great with a unit on sea shells. Sarah’s grandpa gives her a “magic” sea shell and tells her that if she listens closely she would be able to hear the sea. Well, Sarah goes through the entire week and hears all different kinds of sounds, but NOT the sea. Finally a week later, sitting quietly with her grandpa, she closes her eyes and is able to hear the sea. I think we will definitely use this book when we work on the character trait attentiveness!
Ndito RunsLike many children in Kenya, Ndito runs a long distance to get to school. As she runs through her village, she calls up animal dreams to keep her company. For example, she floats through the tall grass like a gazelle and scampers over the savanna like a goat. She gallops up the hillside like a wildebeast and more until she finally arrives at school.
Note: There does appear to be a topless woman on the first full illustrated page of the book, but it is difficult to notice due to the acrylic canvas style painting.
