Picture Book Review: Biographies for Black History Month

 

Here are a few great picture book biographies - for all year, but also for Black History Month 

Barbara lived in a world of can not cannot. She learned about the world from books and found big dreams. She learned how to make her dreams come true and she trained hard.

There's a great message here: never give up. She's so inspiring. A fantastic read about making your dreams happen. 

Carter Woodson did not have an easy life but he never stopped learning. He challenged a professor who said that Black people had no history and he spent the rest of his life sharing that history.

A great book about one person changing history and challenging the reader that they too can make a different. 

When Patrick Kelly was a boy, he lost a button on his shirt. His mother sewed another one on for him, but it didn't match. Then she sewed a bunch more on the shirt so that the other kids wouldn't laugh at him. Patrick Kelly realized the power of fashion and the importance of looking good makes you feel good. He decided he wanted to learn how to sew.

I loved this story - there's so much joy here. I confess, I didn't know about Patrick Kelly. I did a little more research on him and saw pictures of the clothes he made. And they do make people smile. Mission accomplished. 

Shay wants to be just like Tina Turner. When the town has a festival for Tina, she and her friends are going to perform. But when they're practicing, they get into a big fight. Luckily, Shay's grandmother shares some wisdom from Tina to help save the day.

While this isn't a biography of Tina Turner, it does share lots of information about her. Her life influences Shay to be the best she can be.