James Christoph

Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was a poor African American looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever. He taught himself how to take pictures and before long, people noticed.

Charlie the origami bee may be new to the bug world, but he knows all about plants. When the other bugs lose their ball, his plant smarts come in handy. Buzz around with Charlie, and learn all about plant parts!

Thirty-seven stories on the Black experience. They range from Ralph Ellison's Backwacking, A Plea to the Senator, which is a satire on racism, to Sherley Anne William's Meditations on History, the story of a slave uprising, to Toni Cade Bambara's The Lesson, on a poor girl's visit to a toy shop for the rich.