Books that give voice to the black life experience



 There are so many books that shed light on life’s experiences, but it is always a joy when a book is written that a specific culture or group of people can truly relate to.  A realistic fiction picture book that I would like to highlight is titled Amazing Grace.  This book is written by Mary Hoffman and illustrated by Caroline Binch,  Each of us is wonderfully made in the sight of God and each of us are given our own individual gifts.  We are all created equally.  This book let’s Grace know that it is conceivable for an African American girl to believe that she can be anything that she wants to be, with hard work.  This supports the concept that she should not allow racial prejudice to discourage her from working toward her dreams.  The reason that I truly enjoyed this book is because it encourages girls of color to not set limits on their potential in life.

The second book that I would like to highlight a contemporary realistic chapter book.  The book is titled The Crossover and is written by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Dawaud Anyabwile.  This book delves into the life of two twin brothers that have very different personalities who are growing up in a home with different relationships with their parents (more specifically their father).  Although this could be considered a simple story about a family with a sport interest, the lesson from the book is it's not about winning but how you play the game matters.  The reason that I like this book is because I can relate to the story because a lot of black families place high importance on sports and this story represents an everyday family that is going through what I would consider normal life struggles.

These are two great books that show glimpses of the black life experience for young African-American readers to be able to relate to and understand. 



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