New Crayons:What's New On Our Shelves

Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. I think crayons is a pretty cool metaphor for multicultural lit. Every week we receive a book at Color Online is a good week.

We had another great week of donations. Check these out:

6 pack from Lee & Low:
The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby by Crystal Hubbard,Illustrated by Robert McGuire
Born into an African American sharecropping family in 1880s Kentucky, Jimmy Winkfield grew up loving horses. The large, powerful animals inspired little Jimmy to think big. Looking beyond his family’s farm, he longed for a life riding on action-packed racetracks around the world.


Night Golf by William Miller, Illustrated by Cedric Lucas
James loves sports, but he's too short for basketball and too small for football. However, he finds an old golf club one day, and quickly realizes that golf comes naturally to him.



Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis,Illustrated by George Ford
As a young boy he fell in love with music, and as a man, the world fell in love with his music. Ray Charles and his soulful, passionate rhythm and melodies have been embraced around the globe for decades.




Love to Langston by Tony Medina, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Fourteen original poems offer young readers an exciting glimpse into the life of Langston Hughes, one of America's most beloved poets. Each of Medina's engaging poems explores an important theme in Hughes' life — his lonely childhood, his love of language and travel, his dream of writing poetry.



Howard Thurman's Great Hope by Kai Jackson Issa, Illustrated by Arthur L. Dawson
Born in segregated Daytona, Florida, in 1899, Howard Thurman grew up dreaming of a better life—a life where his mother and grandmother would not have to cook and clean for other people; a life where he could become a college man, honoring his late father’s wishes and his own dreams.

Junettenth Jamboree by Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Yvonne Buchanan
As she helps prepare red velvet cake, fried chicken, and piles of other dishes, she wonders what makes June 19th so important. It isn't until Cassie and her family arrive downtown that she discovers what the commotion is about.

What did you get this week in the mail, at the bookstore or on trade? Post a link to your crayon post and your name is entered in a monthly random drawing for a free book.