Diverse Books - African/Black Experience in the World

A boy helps his father keep their very old car running as they make a trip to Havana for his newborn cousin's zero-year birthday. Includes author's note about cars in Cuba.

Every day, Angelina dreams of her home in Jamaica and imagines she is there, until her mother finds a wonderful way to convince her that New York is now their home. Angelina's heart aches for Jamaica, and no matter how much Mama talks of having a better life in New York, Angelina still dreams about mangos, johnnycake, rainbow-colored birds, and the warmth of the sand under her feet. Then one day Mama sees something in the paper about Carnival in Brooklyn,...

"Anna fetches water from the spring every day, but she can't carry it on her head like her older brothers and sisters. In this charming and poetic family story set in Jamaica, Prize-winning author Olive Senior shows young readers the power of determination, as Anna achieves her goal and overcomes her fear." --Publisher.

Join Baby and his doting mama at a bustling southwest Nigerian marketplace for a bright, bouncy read-aloud offering a gentle introduction to numbers.

When Bintou, a little girl living in West Africa, finally gets her wish for braids, she discovers that what she dreamed for has been hers all along.

As a young girl growing up in Havana, Celia Cruz is determined to become a successful salsa singer. Relying on the help and support of her parents, teachers, and friends, Celia works her way to the top, eventually making it big by becoming the lead singer in a famous Cuban band.

Awakened by strange sounds, Anyaugo discovers a giant chicken in her kitchen and has to muster the courage to remove it before the chicken destroys her family's preparations for the New Yam Festival.

"A story inspired by events in the boyhood of Winston "Spree" Simon, a pioneer in the development of the steel drum, in which he discovers he can create tunes by banging on discarded cans. Includes author's note, glossary, and sources"--Provided by publisher.

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people--but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today,...

"Joseph misses sharing meals with lots of people like he did back in the refugee camp, so when the neighbors finally come over, it's a feast! A companion book to Joseph's Big Ride, described in Kirkus as "a joyful, upbeat tale." When Joseph and Mama lived in a refugee camp in East Africa, everyone cooked and ate together. And Joseph could always hear someone playing the awal. It's much too quiet and lonely in his new home. Though Whoosh, the girl...