News & Reviews

How Harriet Tubman Rescued Her Brothers A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Abrams Books for Young Readers (pub. 1.13.2026) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Glennette Tilley Turner Illustrator: Laura Freeman Character: Harriet Tubman Overview: "Harriet Tubman was always a keen observer. She learned to use the North Star for a compass, to tell time by the stars, and to find her way by natural signs as well as any hunter could. She could navigate dense forests, locate waterways in t

The B. B. King Story A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins) (pub. 1.27.2026) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Alice Faye Duncan Illustrator: Carl Joe Williams Character: B.B. King Overview: "At twelve years old, Riley B. King borrowed fifteen dollars from his boss to buy a used guitar. Before long, he was playing his music for jubilant crowds all over the world. Blues Boy chronicles B. B. King’s inspiring journey from his childhood in the Jim Crow So

The Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster) (pub. 5.12.2026) 48 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Joan Schoettler Illustrator: Steffi Walthall Character: Vivien Thomas Overview: " Vivien Thomas always loved solving problems and figuring out how things worked. In high school, inspired by his family physician, he decided he would become a doctor. Despite losing his college savings during the 1930

How Septima Clark Led the Civil Rights Movement to Justice A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N T OP Quill Tree Books (Harper Collins) (pub. 1.27.2026) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthors: Yvonne Clark-Rhines with Monica Clark-Robinson Illustrator: Abigail Albano-Payton C haracter: Septima Clark O verview : " Septima Clark was born poor, Black, and a girl. Being one of those things in 1898 was hard, but all three meant that access to education was going to be a fight. But with stron

Barack Obama's First Presidential Seder A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N T OP Crown Books for Young Readers (pub. 3.4.2025) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthor: Richard Michelson Illustrator: E.B. Lewis C haracters: President Barack Obama and Seder guests O verview : " In 1800, President John Adams held the first formal Christmas dinner at the newly built White House. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes observed Easter with a public “Egg Roll." But it wasn’t until 2009 that a US

Patrick Kelly Designs His Dreams A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N T OP Abrams Books for Young Readers (pub. 1.13.2026) 48 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthor: Eric Darnell Pritchard Illustrator: Shannon Wright C haracter: Patrick Kelly O verview : " Patrick Kelly was one of the most influential fashion designers of the twentieth century, but growing up in Vicksburg, Mississippi, he didn’t see many boys who liked to sew. That didn’t stop him from sitting down at his grandma’s table and

The Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N T OP Carolrhoda Books (Lerner) pub. 11.4.2025 40 pages Ages 7 -11 A uthor: Sun Yung Shin & Melina Mangal Illustrator: Leslie Barlow C haracter: James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs O verview : " James Boggs was a worker from rural Alabama in the segregated South. Grace Lee Boggs was a philosopher from urban Rhode Island and New York City. Both found their life’s work, and each other, in Detroit. James

How the Apollo Moon Missions Made Alma Thomas's Art Soar A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N T OP Millbrook Press (Lerner Publishing) (pub. 11.4.2025) 32 pages Ages 6-10 A uthor and Illustrator: Nina Crews C haracter: Alma Thomas O verview : " In 1969, people around the world watched as the Apollo 10 astronauts sent the first-ever live color television broadcasts from space. Abstract painter Alma Thomas was among those watching, and afterward, she began a series of bright, bold p

A True Story of the Black Woman Battalion of World War II A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N T OP Harper (HarperCollins) (pub. 10.7.2025) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthor: Tonya Abari Illustrator: Lance Evans C haracters: The Black Woman Battalion of WWII O verview : " In 1944, the United States was facing a unique wartime crisis—too much mail! Millions of letters and packages, stacked from floor to ceiling, sat unsent in cold, dark warehouses, with no one to sort through the bac

Toni Morrison's Life in Stories A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N T OP Little, Brown Books for Readers (pub. 1.7.2025) 48 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthor: Andrea Davis Pinkney Illustrator: Daniel Minter C haracter: Toni Morrison O verview : " From imaginative child to visionary storyteller, Toni Morrison was a fiercely inspiring writer that helped change the world. This poetic picture book is part love letter and part biography, praising the power of this Nobel Prize winner. With i