Books with author Angela Johnson

Experience the joy of Juneteenth in this celebration of freedom from the award-winning team of Angela Johnson and E.B. Lewis.Through the eyes of one little girl, All Different Now tells the story of the first Juneteenth, the day freedom finally came to the last of the slaves in the South. Since then, the observance of June 19 as African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. This stunning picture book includes notes from the author and illustrator, a timeline of important dates, and a glossary of relevant terms. Told in Angela Johnson’s signature melodic style and brought to life by E.B. Lewis’s striking paintings, All Different Now is a joyous portrait of the dawn breaking on the darkest time in our nation’s history.

Welcome to Magnolia Street, where Charlie has just moved into her new home. It isn't long before Charlie's exploring, meeting all of her new neighbors, and getting herself into trouble. Her adventures with her bound-to-be best friend Billy--tricking Charlie's older brother, making a racket on a bus trip to the museum, or digging up a box of buried treasure--make even ordinary exciting. This collection of interrelated short stories is a true delight, perfect for newly emerging independent readers. Both girls and boys will cheer for this spunky girl as she takes on Magnolia Street and blossoms day by day.

The story goes... Grandmama could hit the ball a mile, catch anything that was thrown, and do everything else -- just like Josh Gibson. But unfortunately, no matter how well a girl growing up in the 1940s played the game of baseball, she would have faced tremendous challenges. These challenges are not unlike those met by the legendary Josh Gibson, arguably the best Negro-League player to never make it into the majors. In a poignant tribute to anyone who's had a dream deferred, two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson and celebrated artist Beth Peck offer up this reminder -- that the small steps made by each of us inspire us all.

Discussion Points1. Most people think of the desert as a "dead" place, but for Emmie, it is filled with life. Why does she have such a different perception of the arid landscape? What does the desert mean to her? What is the importance of Ola's kudzu growing in the desert?2. Emmie's vision of her grandfather comes from an old black and white photograph. How does this record differ from the videotape that Emmie is making for Ola? Do these two methods of capturing the past reflect how the characters feel about the people depicted? Why is it important to Emmie to make the videotape?3. What is "toning the sweep?" Why is it so important for Emmie and her mother to perform this ceremony? For whom are they toning?4. Discuss Ola's various friends. What do they have in common? How do they relate to Emmie? Why do you think that they were drawn to Ola?

Three-time Coretta Scott King Award–winner Angela Johnson writes a wrenching, honest book about surviving the unimaginable and finding a way to go on.Scotty compares herself to tofu: no flavor unless you add something. And it’s true that Scotty’s friends, Misha and Falcone, and her brother, Keone, make life delicious. But when a terrible accident occurs, Scotty feels responsible for the loss of someone she hardly knew, and the world goes wrong. She cannot tell what is a dream and what is real. Her friends are having a hard time getting through to her and her family is preoccupied with their own trauma. But the prospect of a boy, a dance, and the possibility that everything can fall back into place soon help Scotty realize that she is capable of adding her own flavor to life.With artfully spare prose, acclaimed and award-winning author Angela Johnson explores the ramifications of unexpected death in this compelling coming-of-age story.

All he ever wanted to do was fly. Three-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson and New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long invite readers to ponder a band of undercelebrated World War II heroes -- the Tuskegee Airmen. With fleeting prose and transcendent imagery, this book by the masterful author/artist duo reveals how a boy's love of flight takes him on a journey from the dusty dirt roads of Alabama to the war-torn skies of Europe and into the hearts of those who are only now beginning to understand the part these brave souls played in the history of America.