April 2019 | MahoganyBook Children’s Bestsellers
#1 – I’m a Pretty Little Black Girl! by Betty K. Bynum
In this first book in Bynum’s planned I’m a Girl Collection, heroine Mia isn’t lacking in self-esteem: “When I see myself in the mirror, I twirl,/ And I yell, ‘I’m a pretty little black girl!’
I’M A PRETTY LITTLE BLACK GIRL! introduces adorable Mia, who wakes with her hair “just-a-going every which-a-ways!” With her abundant energy and joy leading the way, readers follow Mia as she plays with her friends who are all shades, shapes and sizes.
There’s tall Kia, Keisha the reader, Charlotte her best friend, Dina Rose-Marie the artist, Imani the dancer, Anna who loves sports, Ruby the singer, and honey-haired Tracy.
Mia finds that “Pretty” is within herself and her friends, and being pretty is way beyond what the mirror shows.
#2 – Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee
Now in a board book edition, this exuberant bestseller by the Academy Award-nominated director and his wife explodes with all the energy of childhood and concludes with the patience, understanding, and unconditional love of a parent.
A toddler’s antics keep his mother busy as she tries to feed him, watch him on the playground, give him a bath, and put him to bed.
Go back to bed,
baby, please, baby, please.
Not on your HEAD,
baby baby baby, please!…
From moments fussy to fond, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, producer Tonya Lewis Lee, present a behind-the-scenes look at the chills, spills, and unequivocal thrills of bringing up baby!
Vivid illustrations from celebrated artist Kadir Nelson evoke toddlerhood from sandbox to high chair to crib, and families everywhere will delight in sharing these exuberant moments again and again.
#3 – Spider-Man: Meet The New Spider-Man by Rory Keane
Miles Morales is just a regular kid from Brooklyn, until a spider bites him and gives him amazing powers! Could he really be the new Spider-Man?
Based on the critically-acclaimed film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, this leveled reader introduces Miles Morales as he juggles his normal high school life with the infinite possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.
Passport to Reading: Featuring a winning combination of favorite licensed characters and carefully controlled text–reading along or reading alone just got more fun with Passport to Reading! All books include a parent letter, word count, Guided Reading level, and number of sight words.
Level 2: Reading out Loud: encourages developing readers to sound out loud, includes more complex stories with simple vocabulary.
#4 – On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
This is the highly anticipated second novel by Angie Thomas, the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning The Hate U Give.
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill.
But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral…for all the wrong reasons.
Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn’t just want to make it–she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.
Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn’t always free.
#5 – Don’t Touch My Hair! by Sharee Miller
An entertaining picture book that teaches the importance of asking for permission first as a young girl attempts to escape the curious hands that want to touch her hair.
It seems that wherever Aria goes, someone wants to touch her hair. In the street, strangers reach for her fluffy curls; and even under the sea, in the jungle, and in space, she’s chased by a mermaid, monkeys, and poked by aliens…until, finally, Aria has had enough!
Author-illustrator Sharee Miller takes the tradition of appreciation of black hair to a new, fresh, level as she doesn’t seek to convince or remind young readers that their curls are beautiful–she simply acknowledges black beauty while telling a fun, imaginative story.
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