Picture Books: History Books

Just a few picture books about the history of our nation...

There's a lot of history in this flag - some good and some bad. However, one child's grandfather tells him it's his choice how to see it. His ancestors did great things for the country, but the country also hurt his ancestors. While this is a picture book, it serves as a history book too - discussing segregation, slavery, equal rights, and Black lives matter. It's important to share that history too not just the history shared in textbooks. 

An A to Z alphabet history of Harlem. There is lots of knowledge here and this book is a great jumping off point to learn more about Harlem and it's history. 

Grown in a world of love, Diane Nash confronts racism in a peaceful way in Nashville  - with success. She fights for more - and ends up arrested while pregnant. She refuses bail. This is a powerful story, one I had not heard before. I'm happy to learn about this courageous woman. There is an author's note (which talks about gender bias), illustrator's note (which shows a picture), and a timeline at the back of the book. 

 Yaffa grew up in a community that share stories of their ancestors. But her childhood came abruptly to an end when the Germans arrived. She escaped with several family photographs in her shoes. The town was destroyed - the history gone. But not forgotten. Many years later Yaffa tracked down other survivors from the town and their family photographs. She collected the photographs for a memorial at the Holocaust Museum. Another woman I didn't know anything about until reading this powerful picture book.