Black History Month 2012 Giveaway Part 2. Ends Feb 29th

In keeping with the celebration of Black History Month, Mymcbooks is giveaway four books to 1 lucky winner. 

 

Metal Man by Aaron Reynolds

Sparksliterally fly asDevonmakes the leap from observer to creator. With the help of the Metal Man, canDevonweld a sculpture of his own, or will the scrap metal amount to a pile of junk as his Mom suspects? The unique voice and gritty illustrations capture the urban atmosphere and the heat of the welder’s torch.

Oni’s Good Hair Day

Oni was very excited about going to the Alphabet Kids Afterschool Center for the first time, But when Allegra hurt her feelings, she did not want to go back. What happens the next day? Find out what happens in Oni’s Good Hair Day

 

Home Now by Lesley Beake

Sieta remembers a happy home far away over the mountains, but now she is living with her Aunty in a place she must call Home Now. Her new home is a busy, friendly place but Sieta can’t seem to smile. One day she meets an orphaned baby elephant at the elephant park, Sieta begins to see things in a different light. This book includes a note about the plight of millions of African children who, just like Sieta, have lost their parents to the AIDS epidemic.

The Dream and the Struggle: Separate but not Equal by Jim Haskins

A moving history of the struggle of African-Americans for equal education rights from colonial times to the present, from the award-winning author of over eighty nonfiction books for young readers.

Giveaway (USA Resident Only)

Must be a follower of this blog or twitter to enter this giveaway.

Winner will be selected via Random.org. Ends February 29th.

Mandatory Entry: Follow this blog by clicking on ‘Follow Blog’ and leave your comments and email address for shipping contact. No email No contact.

To enter please fill out the form below.

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Entries - 12

 

This Giveaway Has Ended!

 

Winner is #8 – Kelly L

Winner of the Black History Month 2012 Giveaway Part 1.

Congratulations to the following winners.

The Winners were selected using Random.org 

#15 – Melissa  L is the Winner of Black History Month 2012 Giveaway

Thanks to all those who took part in this giveaways.

Winners has been notified.

http://mymcbooks.wordpress.com/category/giveaway-winners/

Black History Month: Great African-American Fiction: Grades 3-5

Compelling characters and interesting tales are perfect reads for Black History Month or any time of year.

Abby Takes a Stand

by Patricia McKissack

Gee recalls for her grandchildren what happened in 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee, when she, aged ten, passed out flyers while her cousin and other adults held sit-ins at restaurants and lunch counters to…

Scraps of Time series: book 1

Circle of Gold

by Candy Dawson Boyd

Mattie is determined to get her mother a beautiful gold pin for Mother’s Day, even though she has not saved enough money and has just lost her job.

Freedom Crossing

by Margaret Goff Clark

A young Southern girl finds her loyalties challenged when she returns to her home in the North and discovers her father and brother have been helping runaway slaves.

Gloria’s Way

by Ann Cameron

This delightful collection of short stories centers on Gloria’s adventures with her friends Julian, Huey, and Latisha. Parrots, squirrels, and fractions plague Gloria and her friends, but Gloria finds…

Koya Delaney and the Good Girl Blues

by Eloise Greenfield

Koya Delaney, an eleven-year-old African-American girl, has trouble expressing anger until her cousin, a popular male singer, comes to town.

More Than Anything Else

by Marie Bradby

Nine-year-old Booker works with his father and brother at the saltworks but dreams of the day when he’ll be able to read.

http://www.scholastic.com/resources/booklist/great-african-american-fiction-grades-3-5/?eml=/PNL/e/20120203//txtl/Elementary_Control//compelling_characters////&ym_MID=1396261&ym_rid=6903567

Black History Month 2012: History of Black Education

Washington and DuBois

Immediately following the Civil War, African Americans were faced with great discrimination and suffering. The newly free slaves were faced with the dilemma of carving a niche in a society that once regarded them as nothing more than property. During this period, two figures emerged as the preeminent leaders of two different philosophical camps. Booker T. Washington of Virginiaand William Edward Burghardt DuBois of Massachusetts, held two very different proposals regarding the best way for African Americans to improve their situations. While their methods may have differed, both of these remarkable men had a common goal in the uplift of the black community.

Born in Franklin County, Virginia in the mid-1850s, Booker T. Washington spent his early childhood in slavery. Following emancipation, Washington (like many Blacks) felt that a formalized education was the best way to improve his living standards. Due to social segregation, the availability of education for blacks in was fairly limited. In response, Washington traveled to Hampton Institute where he undertook industrial education. At Hampton, his studies focused on the acquisition of industrial or practical working skills as opposed to the liberal arts. Because of his experiences at Hampton, Washington went on to become an educator as well as an adamant supporter of industrial education, ultimately founding the Tuskegee Normal and Agricultural Institute. Washington felt that the best way for blacks to stabilize their future was to make themselves an indispensable faction of society by providing a necessity. “The individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in the end, make his way regardless of his race” (Washington 155).

As a Southerner himself,Washington was familiar with the needs of southern blacks as well as the treatment that they received.Washington stressed that Blacks should stop agitating for voting and civil rights not only in exchange for economic gains and security, but also for reduced anti-black violence. As such, his philosophies were more popular amongst southern blacks than northern blacks.Washington also garnered a large following from both northern and southern whites. Northern whites appreciated his efforts in a time when they were growing increasingly weary of the race problem; one that they associated with the South. Southern whites appreciated his efforts, because they perceived them as a complete surrender to segregation and self-uplift.

http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Amerstud/blackhistoryatkenyon/Individual%20Pages/Washington%20and%20DuBois.htm

http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Amerstud/blackhistoryatkenyon/Individual%20Pages/History%20of%20Black%20Education.htm

Mymcbooks Talks About Education: Beginnings of Black Education

Very few black Virginians received any education at all until public schools were established during Reconstruction. Public schools in Virginia were segregated from the outset, apparently without much thought or debate, on the widely-held assumption that such an arrangement would reduce conflict. Of course, public schools were segregated in many other states, both North and South.

When public schools were a novelty, most black Virginians were thrilled to have any free education at all. Moreover, they liked having schools of their own, not subject to white interference, in which black children would feel comfortable and not be taunted with racial epithets.

These schools, however, were at the mercy of the white-controlled state government for funding. Many whites did not want blacks to become educated, fearing they would challenge white supremacy and not be content with jobs working in the fields or in domestic service. Black schools therefore received far less financial support than did white schools. Black schools had fewer books, worse buildings, and less well paid teachers. Ramshackle, segregated schools marked black Virginians with a stigma of inferiority and the status of second-class citizenship that they would have to endure throughout their lives. http://www.vahistorical.org/civilrights/education.htm

 

		Early 20th century group portrait The Virginia Constitution of 1870 mandated a system of public education for the first time, but the newly established schools were operated on a segregated basis. Despite social and economic challenges, African Americans pursued education with great fervor. Courtesy Valentine Richmond History Center, Cook Collection.

 

		Interior, African American schoolhouse In this typical southern classroom of the early 1900s, barefoot children work under the supervision of a single teacher, who taught all subjects, ages, and grades. Courtesy Library of Congress.

 

		African American school, Halifax County Both the state and local governments supported the public school system, but black schools were chronically underfunded. Compare this primitive, wooden African American school in South Boston, Virginia, to the nearby photographs of white schools in South Boston from the same time period, the 1920s and 1930s. Courtesy Library of Congress.

 

		African American school, Halifax County School attendance, particularly in rural areas, tended to be erratic, and Virginia had one of the lowest rates of attendance in the nation in the years before World War II. Black schools, however, were so underfunded that most of them were overcrowded. In 1900 the average black school had 37 percent more pupils in attendance than the average white school. Shown here is a black school in South Boston, Virginia, in the 1920s or 1930s. Courtesy Library of Congress.

 

		Elementary school for whites, Halifax County In the 1937–38 school year, about the time of this photo of a white elementary school in South Boston, Halifax County had eight brick, stone, or concrete schools for whites but only two similar buildings for blacks. Courtesy Library of Congress.

 

		Elementary school for whites, Halifax County In 1937–38, in Halifax County, the total value of white school property was $561,262, contrasted to only $176,881 for the county’s black schools. Shown here is a white elementary school in South Boston. Courtesy Library of Congress.

 

Virginia Randolph Cottage, Henrico County In 1908, Henrico County Training School instructor Virginia Estelle Randolph became the nation’s first Jeanes Supervising Industrial Teacher. Anna Jeanes, a wealthy Philadelphia Quaker, established a fund to employ black “supervisors” to upgrade vocational training in black public schools in the South. This was a natural extension of the educational philosophy Randolph herself had developed, which followed the precepts of Booker T. Washington, emphasizing job training and home economics. Shown here is the 1939 cottage in which Miss Randolph taught home economics and which she used as an office. It is a now a national historic landmark. Courtesy Department of Historic Resources.

 

St. Paul’s Chapel School, Brunswick County Julius Rosenwald, an early partner in Sears, Roebuck & Company, and later its president, met with Booker T. Washington in May 1911 and then established a fund to improve the education of southern blacks by building schools. Rosenwald specified the size and height of rooms, the placement of desks and blackboards, and even the paint colors. Large banks of windows characterize the so-called Rosenwald schools, of which 5,357 were built in the South by the time of his death in 1932. His $4,400,000 contribution was matched by $18,000,000 in state and local government funds, $1,200,000 from other foundations, and $4,700,000 from the African American community itself. Shown here is St. Paul’s Chapel School in Brunswick County, the only one-room school of the thirteen Rosenwald schools constructed in that county. Courtesy Department of Historic Resources.

 

		Doswell Elementary School, Hanover County Doswell Elementary School for African Americans in Hanover County as it appeared in 1955. Courtesy Martha Moore.

 

		Holley Graded School, Northumberland County Holley Graded School, an African American school in Northumberland County, was built 1914–17 on the site of the original school founded by Sallie Holley of New York in 1869. The current four-room structure is on a two-acre tract. The school is being conserved to serve as a museum and adult-education facility. Courtesy Department of Historic Resources.

 

		Harrison High School, Roanoke In 1916 the Roanoke School Board authorized the construction of Harrison High School. “Public high schools for Negroes were then few and not yet welcomed with much enthusiasm by the white public,” wrote J. L. Blair Buck. Prior to the school’s completion, black students seeking secondary education had to travel to Virginia State College in Petersburg. Plans are underway to convert the building into a multi-use community center with apartment units. Courtesy Department of Historic Resources.

 

Riverhill School, Grayson County In 1951, the humble, one-room, segregated Riverhill School in Grayson County served African American students from the first through seventh grades. Here, with their teacher, Mrs. Emma D. McCray, pupils walk down to meet the county bookmobile, also offered on a segregated basis. Courtesy Library of Virginia.

Black History Month 2012 Giveaway Part 1. Ends Feb 14th

In keeping with the celebration of Black History Month, Mymcbooks will feature 2 set of Giveaways for Black History Month. The 1st of February and the 15th of February. There will be 1 winner taking home four books.

The Golden Pathway by Donna M. McDine

Raised in a hostile environment where abuse occurs daily, David attempts to break the mold and befriends the slave, Jenkins, owned by his Pa. Fighting against extraordinary times and beliefs, David leads Jenkins to freedom with no regard for his own safety and possible consequences dealt out by his Pa. To read the review click http://mymcbooks.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/book-review-the-golden-pathway-by-donna-m-mcdine/#comments

 

Priscilla and the Hollyhocks by Anne Broyles

Priscilla is a slave in the Big House. The hollyhocks her mother planted by the cow pond are all Priscilla has left to remember her by. When Master dies, Priscilla is sold to a Cherokee family. Another plantation, same life. Based on a true story, Priscilla and the Hollyhocks follows Priscilla from her early years on a Southern plantation to her forced march along the Trail of Tears to the chance encounter that leads to her freedom. On her journey from slave to free woman, Priscilla carries something precious with her: hollyhock seeds… and hope. To read the review click http://mymcbooks.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/book-review-and-giveaway-priscilla-and-the-hollyhocks-ends-february-2012/#comments

 

The Soul of a Butterfly by Tia Capers

A beautiful collection of affectionate, serene, joyous, motivational, and lively poems created especially for you. Signed copy by the author!

Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers

Jimmy hasn’t seen his father in nine years. But one day he comes back — on the run from the law. Together, the two of them travel across the country — where Jimmy’s dad will find the man who can exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted. Along the way, Jimmy discovers a lot about his father and himself — and that while things can’t always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood and forgiven.

A teenage boy accompanies his father, who has recently escaped from prison, on a trip that turns out to be an, often painful, time of discovery for them both.

Giveaway (USA Resident Only)

Must be a follower of this blog or twitter to enter this giveaway.

Winner will be selected via Random.org. Ends February 14th.

Mandatory Entry: Follow this blog by clicking on ‘Follow Blog’ and leave your comments and email address for shipping contact. No email No contact.

To enter please fill out the form below.

 

Name(required)

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Comment(required)

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Entries - 24

 

This Giveaway Has Ended!

 

Winner is #15 – Melissa L

Mymcbooks Celebrates Black History Month 2012

Black History Month 2012 Theme: “Black Women in American History and Culture”

Artist Hubert Sam created this year’s image which depicts the 2012 National Theme for Black History Month. “Our poster recognizes “Black Women in American History and Culture” who we honor through their achievements.”

Click link to learn more: http://www.oneamerica.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5_74

Mymcbooks introduces 2012 Black Women in American History and Culture.

 

Bessie Coleman, the daughter of a poor, southern, African American family, became one of the most famous women and African Americans in aviation history. “Brave Bessie” or “Queen Bess,” as she became known, faced the double difficulties of racial and gender discrimination in early 20th-century America but overcame such challenges to become the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license. Coleman not only thrilled audiences with her skills as a barnstormer, but she also became a role model for women and African Americans. Her very presence in the air threatened prevailing contemporary stereotypes. She also fought segregation when she could by using her influence as a celebrity to effect change, no matter how small.

Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, to a large African American family (although some histories incorrectly report 1893 or 1896). She was one of 13 children. Her father was a Native American and her mother an African American. Very early in her childhood, Bessie and her family moved to Waxahachie, Texas, where she grew up picking cotton and doing laundry for customers with her mother.

The Coleman family, like most African Americans who lived in theDeep South during the early 20th century, faced many disadvantages and difficulties. Bessie’s family dealt with segregation, disenfranchisement, and racial violence. Because of such obstacles, Bessie’s father decided to move the family to “Indian Territory” inOklahoma. He believed they could carve out a much better living for themselves there. Bessie’s mother, however, did not want to live on an Indian reservation and decided to remain in Waxahachie. Bessie, and several of her sisters, also stayed inTexas. To read more click link below http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Explorers_Record_Setters_and_Daredevils/Coleman/EX11.htm

 

Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a fearless anti-lynching crusader, suffragist, women’s rights advocate, journalist, and speaker. She stands as one of our nation’s most uncompromising leaders and most ardent defenders of democracy. She was born inHollySprings,Mississippi in 1862 and died inChicago,Illinois 1931 at the age of sixty-nine.

Although enslaved prior to the Civil War, her parents were able to support their seven children because her mother was a “famous” cook and her father was a skilled carpenter. When Ida was only fourteen, a tragic epidemic of Yellow Fever swept throughHollySpringsand killed her parents and youngest sibling. Emblematic of the righteousness, responsibility, and fortitude that characterized her life, she kept the family together by securing a job teaching. She managed to continue her education by attending near-byRustCollege. She eventually moved toMemphisto live with her aunt and help raise her youngest sisters.

It was in Memphiswhere she first began to fight (literally) for racial and gender justice. In 1884 she was asked by the conductor of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Company to give up her seat on the train to a white man and ordered her into the smoking or “Jim Crow” car, which was already crowded with other passengers. Despite the 1875 Civil Rights Act banning discrimination on the basis of race, creed, or color, in theaters, hotels, transports, and other public accommodations, several railroad companies defied this congressional mandate and racially segregated its passengers. It is important to realize that her defiant act was before Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the U.S. Supreme Court decision that established the fallacious doctrine of “separate but equal,” which constitutionalized racial segregation. Wells wrote in her autobiography:

I refused, saying that the forward car [closest to the locomotive] was a smoker, and as I was in the ladies’ car, I proposed to stay. . . [The conductor] tried to drag me out of the seat, but the moment he caught hold of my arm I fastened my teeth in the back of his hand. I had braced my feet against the seat in front and was holding to the back, and as he had already been badly bitten he didn’t try it again by himself. He went forward and got the baggageman and another man to help him and of course they succeeded in dragging me out.

Wells was forcefully removed from the train and the other passengers–all whites–applauded. When Wells returned toMemphis, she immediately hired an attorney to sue the railroad. She won her case in the local circuit courts, but the railroad company appealed to the Supreme Court of Tennessee, and it reversed the lower court’s ruling. This was the first of many struggles Wells engaged, and from that moment forward, she worked tirelessly and fearlessly to overturn injustices against women and people of color. To read more click on the link below:

http://www.duke.edu/~ldbaker/classes/AAIH/caaih/ibwells/ibwbkgrd.html

 

Cara Barton born on December 25, 1821 in Oxford, Mass., the youngest of 5 children in a middle-class family, Barton was educated at home, and at 15 started teaching school. Her most notable antebellum achievement was the establishment of a free public school in Bordentown, N.J. Though she is remembered as the founder of the American Red Cross, her only prewar medical experience came when for 2 years she nursed an invalid brother. In 1861 Barton was living in Washington, D.C., working at the U.S. Patent Office. When the 6th Massachusetts Regiment arrived in the city after the Baltimore Riots, she organized a relief program for the soldiers, beginning a lifetime of philanthropy.    

When Barton learned that many of the wounded from First Bull Run had suffered, not from want of attention but from need of medical supplies, she advertised for donations in the Worcester, Mass., Spy and began an independent organization to distribute goods. The relief operation was successful, and the following year U.S. Surgeon General William A. Hammond granted her a general pass to travel with army ambulances “for the purpose of distributing comforts for the sick and wounded, and nursing them.”
       

For 3 years she followed army operations throughout theVirginiatheater and in theCharleston,S.C., area. Her work inFredericksburg,Va., hospitals, caring for the casualties from theBattleof the Wilderness, and nursing work at Bermuda Hundred attracted national notice. At this time she formed her only formal Civil War connection with any organization when she served as superintendent of nurses in Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butlers command. http://www.civilwarhome.com/bartonbio.htm

 

The woman we know as Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in New York as Isabella Baumfree (after her father’s owner, Baumfree). She was sold several times, and while owned by the John Dumont family in Ulster County, married Thomas, another of Dumont’s slaves. She had five children with Thomas. In 1827, New York law emancipated all slaves, but Isabella had already left her husband and run away with her youngest child. She went to work for the family of Isaac Van Wagenen.

While working for the Van Wagenen’s — whose name she used briefly — she discovered that a member of the Dumont family had sold one of her children to slavery in Alabama. Since this son had been emancipated under New York Law, Isabella sued in court and won his return.

Isabella experienced a religious conversion, moved to New York City and to a Methodist perfectionist commune, and there came under the influence of a religious prophet named Mathias. The commune fell apart a few years later, with allegations of sexual improprieties and even murder. Isabella herself was accused of poisoning, and sued successfully for libel. She continued as well during that time to work as a household servant. To read more click on the link below:

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/sojournertruth/a/sojourner_truth_bio.htm

 

Born in New Orleansin 1911, Mahalia Jackson grew up in a shotgun home shared by 13 people. Raised by her Aunt Duke after her mother died in 1917, economic circumstances forcedJackson to quit school and work at home when she was in fourth grade. Her earliest influences were the sights and sounds of Uptown New Orleans: banana steamships on theMississippi River, acorns roasting inAudubonPark, hot jazz bands, the beat-driven music of theSanctifiedChurch, and Bessie Smith’s bluesy voice wafting from her cousin Fred’s record player. ButJackson found her greatest inspiration atMt.MoriahBaptistChurch, where she sang on Wednesday, Friday, and four times on Sunday. Even at age 12, her powerful voice could be heard all the way to the end of the block. “You going to be famous in this world and walk with kings and queens,” said her Aunt Bell, predicting an illustrious future for a voice that would change the face of American music, empower the Civil Rights movement, and bring Mahalia Jackson worldwide renown. To read more click on the link below: http://www.mahaliajackson.us/

 

On Sept. 17, 1956, Ann Gregory teed off in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis, becoming the first African-American woman to play in a national championship conducted by the United States Golf Association.

Other talented female black players would follow, including professionals Renee Powell and Althea Gibson, the great tennis player who turned to golf at the age of 32.  But Gregory was the first black woman to compete on the national scene and, arguably, the best.

“She was a determined and confident golfer,” said Powell, “and she was such a warm-hearted, inspirational individual that she helped me by her example, by the kind of person she was.  She set the stage for every other black female who came into golf after her.”

In 1963, Gregory was competing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur in Williamstown, Mass.  A handsome woman with great warmth, she was by then a veteran who mingled easily with the other contestants, but there had been an embarrassing moment earlier in the week.

Polly Riley, a contestant, was unpacking a suitcase when she saw Gregory, dressed entirely in white, walking in the hall of the inn in which they were both staying. To read more click on the link below: Story by Rhonda Glenn, USGA.  

http://www.lasentinel.net/Pioneer-Gregory-Broke-Color-Barriers.html

 

Frances (Fannie) Barrier was the youngest of three children born to Anthony and Harriet Barrier. Her father, born in Pennsylvania,  
came to Brockport, New York. Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to…
as a child. He claimed to be partially of French descent. He worked as a barber and later became a coal dealer. Her mother Harriet was born in Chenango, New York and the couple married in Brockport. The family attended the First Baptist Church in Brockport, and was the only black family in the congregation. Fannie recalled her Brockport youth as a time of innocence, but her personal experience and growing awareness of the unfair treatment received by women of color led her to pursue a lifetime of activism.

All three Barrier children attended Brockport public schools. After graduation, Fannie Barrier went on to theBrockportNormal School, a teachers college (now SUNY Brockport), and was the first black to graduate in 1870. After graduation, Fannie Barrier went to theWashingtonD.C. area to teach joining the emerging education movement which focused on freedmen and freedwomen. She reported that she was “shattered” by the discrimination she encountered in the more southern city. She also experienced significant difficulties due to her race when she enrolled in theSchoolofFine ArtsinWashingtonto study portrait painting, and had a similar experience when she attempted to study at the New England Conservatory of Music inBoston,Massachusetts.Chenango is a town in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 11,454 at the 2000 census.The Town of Chenango is in the eastern part of the county, northeast of Binghamton.- History :The town was first settled around 1787….

While teaching in Washington, D.C., she met her future husband S. Laing Williams of Georgia. He worked in the United States Pension Office while studying law at Columbian University (later George Washington University Law School). They were married in Brockport in August 1887, returned to Washington, and eventually settled in Chicago, Illinois where Williams was admitted to the Illinois bar and began a successful law practice. The couple joined All Souls (Unitarian) Church inChicago. To read more click on link below:

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Fannie_Barrier_Williams

http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/africanamerican/9.html

Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story by Author Janet Halfmann

From the website: http://www.janethalfmann.com/

The Story
Growing up a slave in South Carolina, Robert Smalls always dreamed of the moment freedom would be within his grasp. Now that moment was here.

Robert stood proudly at the Planter’s wheel. Only seven miles of water lay between the ship and the chance of freedom in Union territory. With precision and amazing courage, he navigated past the Confederate forts in the harbor and steered the ship toward the safety of the Union fleet. Just one miscalculation would be deadly, but for Robert, his family, and his crewmates, the risk was worth taking.

Seven Miles to Freedom is the compelling account of the daring escape of Robert Smalls, a slave steamboat wheelman who became one of the Civil War’s greatest heroes. His steadfast courage in the face of adversity is an inspiring model for all who attempt to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges.

The Story Behind the Story
I was inspired to write Seven Miles to Freedom while researching African American achievements during the Civil War. “What a gripping adventure!” I thought, as I read about how Robert Smalls stole a Confederate steamboat right from under the noses of the Confederates and delivered it to the Union Navy. I was sure young readers would be as spellbound by his daring escape to freedom as I was. And at the same time, they would learn the story of an important African American hero seldom found in history books.

Meet the Author

Janet Halfmann (Fur and Feathers, Fall 2010, and Little Skink’s Tail) is the award-winning author of more than thirty children’s books, both fiction and nonfiction. Other recent titles include Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, Good Night, Little Sea Otter, Little Black Ant on Park Street, and Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story. Janet is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Before becoming a children’s author, Janet was a daily newspaper reporter, children’s magazine editor, and a creator of coloring and activity books for Golden Books. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of four. When Janet isn’t writing, she enjoys gardening, exploring nature, visiting living-history museums, and spending time with her family. She grew up on a farm in Michigan and now lives in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For more information, visit her website: http://www.janethalfmann.com

You can purchase this and other of her books at Amazon

We will like to welcome Author Janet Halfmann to Mymcbooks.

Biography

Janet Halfmann (Fur and Feathers, Fall 2010, and Little Skink’s Tail) is the award-winning author of more than thirty children’s books, both fiction and nonfiction. Other recent titles include Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, Good Night, Little Sea Otter, Little Black Ant on Park Street, and Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story. Janet is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Before becoming a children’s author, Janet was a daily newspaper reporter, children’s magazine editor, and a creator of coloring and activity books for Golden Books. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of four. When Janet isn’t writing, she enjoys gardening, exploring nature, visiting living-history museums, and spending time with her family. She grew up on a farm in Michigan and now lives in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For more information, visit her website: http://www.janethalfmann.com

Interview:

What is the last book you read?

The last book I read was a novel for tweens titled Saint Training, by Elizabeth Fixmer, a member of my Wisconsin group of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). The novel is about a young girl growing up Catholic in the turbulent 1960s. I just had to read this book because I grew up Catholic just a decade earlier. I found that some of Mary Clare’s struggles and triumphs were similar to my own. The book is a page turner, and hard to put down.

What were your earliest memories of writing?

I’ve liked to write as long as I can remember. In elementary school, I wrote a story about a black cat, but I can’t remember the details now.

Were you encouraged to write or was it something that came natural?

Writing always came natural. I even liked writing research papers. And to this day, I enjoy doing research.

Are you working on a new book?

Yes, I’m working on a picture book biography similar to my book about Robert Smalls, which I talk about a little later in this interview. The new project is about an amazing African-American woman who was a slave in Civil War times. I’m just about finished finding primary source material about her, which has been difficult and has taken a long time.

I’m also participating in the month-long picture book writing marathon which takes place worldwide each February.

This May, I also have a new nonfiction picture book, Star of the Sea, coming out from Henry Holt. It is a Junior Library Guild Selection, which I am very excited about.

Many of your books are on animals and nature why is that?

I grew up on a farm in mid-Michigan, and I think my love of animals and nature developed from that. I am constantly amazed at the wonders to be found in nature. Each time I research a new animal or plant, the details of its makeup and behavior leave me in awe. I especially try to find out the little details about an animal’s life, such as how does a baby bat practice to learn to fly, to make the story come alive for the reader.

What inspired you to write Seven Miles to Freedom? Was it a break from writing about animals and nature?

No, it really wasn’t a break. I’ve always been interested in history and I wanted to write about a minority person who had done something amazing but was little known. In my research, I kept seeing little tidbits about Robert Smalls. So I researched further and found this amazing escape story that I was sure kids would love. And at the same time, they would learn the story of an important African-American hero who spent his life trying to make the world better for all people.

What advice would you give parents on selecting the right books for their children to read?

There are many ways for parents to find good books for their kids. Blogs like this are one good way. There are also many lists put out by organizations that specialize in reading, such as the Bank Street College of Education list and the Children’s Choices Reading List. Parents also can browse through the “New Arrival” shelf found in most children’s sections of the library. I think it’s good to choose a wide variety of books, as well as both new and older books. I also think it’s important to let kids, even very young ones, do some of the selecting from the library shelves.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

I have two new fiction picture books out now that I am very excited about: Fur and Feathers (Sylvan Dell Publishing) and Good Night, Little Sea Otter (Star Bright Books).

Fur and Feathers, which recently won Gold in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, is a fun story of creativity, friendship, and animal coverings. When whipping winds whisk the clothes off Sophia’s animal friends in a dream, she shares her clothes with them. But the animals can’t walk or fly in the kid clothes, so Sophia comes up with a creative plan, thanks to her grandma’s huge sewing box.

Good Night, Little Sea Otter is a soothing and fun bedtime story featuring a baby sea otter who stalls going to sleep by saying “good night” to each and every one of his ocean friends. It seems like he’ll never close his eyes! But finally he settles down to sleep cuddled in his mama’s loving arms in a cradle of kelp.

I try to make all of my books come alive for the reader. I hope that I am successful and that my books are wonderful experiences for children.

Thank you Janet for this interview.

nick jr celebrates Black History Month!

Helping our children to celebrate Black History Month. Click on the link for your child to learn more.
http://www.nickjr.com/black-history/

Suzan Lori Parks
Suzan-Lori Parks is one of the most exciting and acclaimed playwrights in American drama today!

Alexa Canady
Alexa Canady was the first African-American woman to become a neurosurgeon.

Barack Obama
Learn a few fun facts about our first African-American President, Barack Obama!

Dr. Lonnie Johnson
This playful scientist made a splash with his warm-weather invention: The Super Soaker

Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman was the first African American woman to get a pilot’s license

Jack Johnson
This world famous boxer invented a strong tool that’s pretty cool: the wrench!

George Crum
This inventor made a delicious discovery most of us cannot live without: The Potato Chip!

Garrett Morgan
Learn about the inventor of the “stop” and “go” gadget we’re all familiar with: the traffic light!

Funs and Activities for Kids

Black History Cards: Artists, Writers, & MusiciansPrint out these cards and mount them on posterboard or cardboard and teach your kids about these talented African Americans who have made important contributions to the arts. http://www.nickjr.com/printables/black-history-artists.jhtml

African-American Dreamers Activity PackPrint out the activity pack, have fun and learn about these important African-American women whose dreams have come true.
http://www.nickjr.com/printables/african-american-dreamers-pack.jhtml

Black History Month Coloring PagesPrint this coloring pack and read to your kids about these heroes of Black History.
http://www.nickjr.com/printables/black-history-coloring-pages.jhtml

Quotes of Martin Luther King

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

” I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have a dream that one day the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“f you will protest courageously, and yet with dignity and Christian love, when the history books are written in future generations, the historians will have to pause and say, “There lived a great people – a black people – who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.