Have you decided to give something up for Lent this year? How about giving up one or more books to donate to a local school in need. The Deacons are gathering books for elementary school children in Wilkinsburg, where roughly 40% of students are known to be functionally homeless (living in unstable situations or in temporary locations). Most are children of ethnic minorities, so the goal is to gather books with positive portrayals of children of color and their families, so these kids might easily relate to the stories and see themselves in the characters they read about.
We are not asking you to weed through your children’s book selection at home, but rather to consider seeking out some specific books to inspire minority children in grades K through 6, or approximately age 5 through 12.
Please pick up a flyer with a list of book ideas, generated by some web research and suggestions from our friendly neighborhood child librarian, Megan. Additional books featuring minority children would also be welcomed, particularly ones portraying friendship, adventure, kindness, finding strength to do what’s right in difficult situations, etc. Some suggested titles are posted below.
Also, feel free to browse through the books on display in the sanctuary. Consider shopping at Half Price Books, on Amazon.com, or in other discounted locations or websites…books can be gently used or new. We want to make sure we have books for each age group so if you are buying more than one, please consider representing more than one age group.
Books can be donated at the church any time during Lent. The books will be delivered shortly after Easter. As a mom of a 6-year-old, I experience daily how enjoyable reading together can be for us both. Watching my daughter learn to sound out words and read some on her own is really exciting. Our hope is that the book donation will have a positive impact on some of our most vulnerable and marginalized local young people, and help foster a life-long love of reading. Thank you for your consideration!
—Jen Wheitner
Here is a list of Suggested Books for our Book Drive. We are looking for books that have positive role models for children especially of African –American identity. Other books with a similar theme are welcome. If you plan to buy more than one book, please pick from different age groups. You may be able to buy books for less money from Half Price books or through used book sites that come up on Amazon
Ages 2-5
- Bippity Bop Barbershop by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
- Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats
- Whose Knees are These? by Jabari Asim
- When I Am Old With You by Angela Johnson
- A Beach Tail by Karen Williams
- Shades of Black- A Celebration of our Children by Sandra Pinkey
Ages 4-7
- Keisha Ann Can by Daniel Kirk
- Last Stop On Market Street by Matt de la Pena
- Windflyers by Angela Johnson
- Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan
- You Can Do It by Tony Dungy
- Brothers of the Night by Debbie Allen
- Big Jabe by Jerdine Nolen
- Hewitt Anderson’s Great Big Life by Jerdine Nolen/Kadir Nelson
- Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty
- Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson by Sharon Robinson
- Not Norman: A Goldfish Story by Kelly Bennett
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
- A Sick Day For Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead
- Summer Jackson Grown Up by Theresa E. Harris
- Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn
- Little Diva by LaChanze
- Jump at the Sun fairytale classics such as Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, Cinderella, etc., that feature African American leading ladies.
- Please Baby Please and Please Puppy Please by Spike and Tanya Lee
- Princess Truly and the Hungry Bunny Problem by Kelly Greenawalt
- Dancing In the Wings by Debbie Allen
- Chocolate Me by Taye Diggs
- I’ve Got Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison
- We All Sing With The Same Voice by J. Philip Miller and Sheppard M. Greene
Ages 8-12
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
- The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods
- Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- The Three Questions by Jon J Muth *
- The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
- Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson, Fumi Kosaka
- Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
- Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
- Have You Filled A Bucket Today? A Guide To Daily Happiness For Kids by Carol McCloud
- Barber Game Time Books by Tiki and Ronde Barber
- Static Shock series- chapter books by Tracey West. Adapted from the comic series by Scott McDaniel.
- STAT: Standing Tall and Talented series by Amare Stoudemire
- Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm Xby Ilyasah Shabbazz
- Kid Caramel series by Dwayne Ferguson
- Clubhouse Mysteries series by Sharon Draper
- Julian series by Ann Cameron
- Miami Jackson series by Patricia McKissack
- The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill
- Donovan’s Word Jar and Donovan’s Double Trouble by Monalisa DeGross
- Sugar Plum Ballerinas series by Whoopi Goldberg
- Ruby and the Booker Boys series by Derrick Barnes
- Keena Ford books by Melissa Thomson
- Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon
- President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston
- Liberty Porter, First Daughter series by Julia DeVillers
- Amy Hodgepodge series by Kim Wayans
- Full Cicada Moon by Marylyn Hilton
Here are some websites to learn more about the books:
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