BCALA - Top 20 Children's Books of 2000.Bibliography - ) Top 20 Children's Books of 2000

A Child Is Born by Margaret Wise Brown, Illus. Floyd Cooper

Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children October 2000, $16.99, ISBN 0-786-80673-7, Ages 4-8

A multicultural cast of angels, wise men, and shepherds pay homage to a brown baby Jesus in this rhythmic text celebrating the ancient miracle of the birth of Christ.

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anne Rockwell, Illus. R. Gregory Christie

Alfred A. Knopf, December 2000, $16.95 ISBN 0-679-89186-2, Ages 8-12

This moving picture boOk biography expresses the sorrow, anger and strength of the woman who made herself Sojourner Truth.

Sweet, Sweet Memory by Jacqueline Woodson, Illus. by Floyd Cooper

Jump At the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children December 2000, $14.99, ISBN 0-7868-02410-3, Ages 4-8

A child and her grandmother feel sad when Grandpa dies, but as time passes, funny memories of him make them laugh and they feel better.

Dancing In the Wings by Debbie Allen, Illus. By Kadir Nelson

Dial Books For Young Readers, September 2000 $16.99 ISBN 0-8037-2501-9, Ages 4-8

Sussy tries out for a summer dance festival in Washington, D.C., despite the other girls taunting that she is much too tall.

Osceola Memories of a Sharecropper's Daughter collected and edited by Alan Governar, Illus. Shane W. Evans

Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children March 2000, $15.99, ISBN 0-786-80407-6, Ages 9-12

A sharecropper's daughter describes her childhood in Texas in the early years of the twentieth century.

Grandma's Purple Flowers written and illus. by Adjoa J. Burrowes

Lee & Low Books, Inc., October 2000, $15.95 ISN 1-880-00073-3, Ages 4-8

After the passing of Grandma, a young African American girl finds comfort in the return of spring and the bloom of Grandma's favorite purple flowers.

Quinnie Blue by Dinah Johnson, Paintings by James Ransome

Henry Holt & Company, May 2000, $16.95 ISBN 0-8050-4378-0, Ages 4-8

A young girl wonders about the activities of her grandmother, Quinnie Blue, when she was little.

Hallelujah! A Christmas Celebration text by W. Nikola-Lise, Paintings by Synthia Saint James

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, October 2000 $16.00, ISBN 0-689-881673-1, Ages 4-8

Describes the plum-purple sky, yew-green hills, silver strands of moonlight, and other colorful things, which provide the setting for the birth of a black baby Jesus.

In the Hollow of Your Hand Slave Lullabies collected and sung by Alice McGill Pictures by Michael Cummings

Houghton Mifflin Company, September 2000 $18.00 ISBN 0-395-8577-4, Ages 4-8

A collection of lullabies orally transmitted by African American slaves revealing their hardships and sorrows as well as soothing notes of well-being and belief in a better time to come.

When Mule Flew on Magnolia Street by Angela Johnson, Illus. John Ward

Alfred A. Knopf, December 2000, $14.95 ISBN 0-798-9077-7, Ages 9-12

In the summertime Charlie goes fishing with her friends, investigates the mysterious disappearance of the entire Carter family, meets new neighbors, and finds that she and her older brother can be friends.

African American Lullabies Hush Songs by Joyce Carol Thomas. Illus. by Brenda Joysmith

Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, 2000 $15.99, ISBN 0-786-80562-5, All ages

The Shaking Bag by Gwendolyn Battle Lavert Illus. by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robertson

Albert Whitman & Company, March 2000, $15.95 ISBN 0-807-57328-0, Ages 4-8

An old African American woman willingly shares all she has and is repaid with a bag that provides for all her needs.

Satchel Paige by Lesa Cline-Ransome, Paintings by James E. Ransome

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers January 2000, $16.00, ISBN 0-689-81151-9, Ages 9-12

Examines the life of the legendary baseball player, who was the first African American to pitch in a Major League World Series.

Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard, Illus. by E.B. Lewis

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, January 2000, $16.00, ISBN 0-689-80076-2, Ages 4-8

In the post-Civil War South, a young African American girl is determined to prove that she can go to school just like her older brothers.

The Girl Who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton, Illus. by Leo & Diane Dillon

The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic Inc., September 2000 $16.95, ISBN 0-590-47378-6, Ages 4-8

A variant of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, this rich sumptuous creation from award-winning illustrators, shimmers with gold acrylic artwork.

Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Illus. by Stephon Alcorn

Gulliver Books, September 2000, $20.00 ISBN 0-152-01005-X, Ages 9-12

This combination of oral stories and historical facts re-create the lives of ten African American women "freedom fighters."

Uptown by Bryan Collier

Henry Holt & Company, Inc., June 2000, $16.95 ISBN 0-8050-5721-8, Ages 4-8

Discover the vibrant world of Harlem as seen through the eyes of one little boy who lives there.

Freedom River by Doreen Rappaport. Illus. by Bryan Collier