• Oral traditions encapsulate and nurture African-American culture. Passed down from generation to generation, these traditions remain rich with history. Through the use of narrative, music and art, children's books about African-American traditions keep history and heritage alive. They illustrate and sometimes celebrate a way of life, along with the strength of the human spirit.
  
  

"The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales"

• African-American oral traditions maintain a common thread connecting history, customs and traditions with family. "The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales" won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book award. Suitable for ages eight to 10, this book contains 24 folktales that highlight themes such as family, heritage, spirit and freedom. Passed on orally by African-American slaves, these tales illustrate the storytellers' desire for freedom and their triumph from strength of mind, which gave the African-American hope for their future. The bold black-and-white drawings establish the tone and complement each story's themes.
  
  

"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing"

• During the slavery era, African-Americans found strength from their struggle through song. In 1900, civil rights leader, poet and principal James Weldon Johnson wrote a compelling song for the school's chorus in celebration of Lincoln's birthday called "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing." African-Americans later embraced it as the "Negro National Anthem." The pictorial tribute of "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" marks the 100th anniversary of this anthem. Suitable for children four and older, this picture book offers earth-tone illustrations with two-tone borders to accompany the musical score and lyrics.
  
  

"I See the Rhythm"

• African-American musical compositions take their roots from early African cultures to the present day. "I See the Rhythm" won the National Association of Multicultural Education Best Book of the Year. With visually stunning illustrations, this book takes young readers on a journey through African-American music history. Art, poetry and a timeline supplement the illustrations. Beginning with musical origins of Africa, it progresses to the working songs of the South. Readers jive to New Orleans jazz and swing to the rhythms of Harlem. The story advances to Sunday gospel and concludes with hip-hop. This story, suitable for ages seven to 11, embodies the importance of African-American music and its impact on society.
  
  

"Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt"

• Patterns, designs and symbols stitched on quilts raise awareness and impart religious meaning; sometimes the quilts conveyed secret codes in regards to the Underground Railroad, all part of African-American traditions. "Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt" won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor. Told in freeverse, this narrative follows generations of women from rural Gee's Bend, Alabama, and their 100-year tradition of quilting. Baby Girl listens to the stories, recipes and songs of her community, waiting for the honor to sit and join the other women at the quilting frame. Readers discover the cloth's symbolism together with the strength the activity brings to its community. Readers ages six to 10 can learn about Baby Girl's family and hear the stories and history of Gee's Bend and the community's ancestral fight for freedom.