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Books in Carter G Woodson Award Book series

  • Sacagawea

    Liselotte Erdrich, Julie Buffalohead

    Hardcover (Carolrhoda Books ®, Aug. 1, 2003)
    Taking a rare look beyond the myths and legends surrounding Sacagawea's life, this extraordinary illustrated history recounts the known facts about a remarkable woman and her contribution to one of America's greatest journeys of exploration. Combining beautifully wrought oil paintings, a moving true story, and a unique larger format, Sacagawea will captivate readers of all ages. Kidnapped from her Shoshone tribe when she was just eleven or twelve, Sacagawea lived with her captors for four years before being given in marriage to a French Canadian fur trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau. With him, she served as interpreter, peacemaker, and guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Northwest in 1805-1806. Braving hunger and fierce blizzards, Sacagawea traveled thousands of miles with a baby on her back. By the end of the legendary journey, Sacagawea's steadfast courage and capable guidance had ensured her place in history.
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  • Remembering Manzanar: Life in a Japanese Relocation Camp

    Michael L. Cooper

    Hardcover (Clarion Books, Nov. 25, 2002)
    In this close look at the first relocation camp built for Japanese evacuees living on the West Coast after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, social historian Michael Cooper makes extensive use of the actual wordsfrom diaries, journals, memoirs, and news accountsof the people who were held behind barbed wire in the high California desert. Many were American citizens who felt betrayed by their country. They had to leave their jobs, their homes, and their friends and go live in crowded barracks, eat in noisy mess halls, and do without supplies or books for work or schooling. They showed remarkable bravery and resilience as they tried to lead normal lives, starting their own schools, playing baseball, attending Saturday night dances, and publishing their own newspaper. Archival photographs, some by Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, augment the informative text. Manzanar is now a National Historic Site and hosts an annual pilgrimage that is attended by former internees, their families, and friends. Endnotes, Internet resources, index.
  • Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty

    Tonya Bolden

    Hardcover (Harry N. Abrams, Jan. 1, 2013)
    Published on the anniversary of when President Abraham Lincoln’s order went into effect, this book offers readers a unique look at the events that led to the Emancipation Proclamation. Filled with little-known facts and fascinating details, it includes excerpts from historical sources, archival images, and new research that debunks myths about the Emancipation Proclamation and its causes. Complete with a timeline, glossary, and bibliography, Emancipation Proclamation is an engrossing new historical resource from award-winning children’s book author Tonya Bolden.Praise for Emancipation Proclamation:FOUR STARRED REVIEWS "A convincing, handsomely produced argument..." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Bolden makes excellent use of primary sources; the pages are filled with archival photos, engravings, letters, posters, maps, newspaper articles, and other period documents. Detailed captions and a glossary interpret them for today’s readers." —School Library Journal, starred review "The language soars, powerfully communicating not just the facts about the Emancipation Proclamation but its meaning for those who cared most passionately." —Booklist, starred review "Bolden tackles these questions in a richly illustrated overview of the lead-up to the Proclamation, organizing and reiterating information already familiar to many middle-schoolers, while introducing material that will probably be eye-opening to students who have taken their textbook’s version of history at face value." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred reviewAward School Library Journal Best Book of 2013 Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbons List 2013 Notable Children's Books from ALSC 2014 2014 Carter G.Woodson Middle Level Book Award
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  • Mountain Chef: How One Man Lost His Groceries, Changed His Plans, and Helped Cook Up the National Park Service

    Annette Bay Pimentel, Rich Lo

    Hardcover (Charlesbridge, Aug. 2, 2016)
    The true story of a Chinese American mountain man who fed thirty people for ten days in the wilderness--and helped inspire the creation of the National Park Service. Tie Sing was born in the mountains. The mountains were in his blood. But because he was of Chinese descent at a time in America when to be Chinese meant working in restaurants or laundries, Tie Sing’s prospects were limited. But he had bigger plans. He began cooking for mapmakers and soon built a reputation as the best trail cook in California. When millionaire Stephen Mather began his quest to create a national park service in 1915, he invited a group of influential men—writers, tycoons, members of Congress, and even a movie star—to go camping in the Sierras. Tie Sing was hired to cook. Tie Sing planned diligently. He understood the importance of this trip. But when disaster struck—twice!—and Tie Sing’s supplies were lost, it was his creative spirit and quick mind that saved the day. His sumptuous menus had to be struck and Tie Sing had to start over in order to feed the thirty people in the group for ten whole days. His skills were tested and Tie Sing rose to the challenge. On the last night, he fed not just the campers' bodies, but also their minds, reminding them to remember and protect the mountains. 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, created by Congress on August 25, 1916. Today, you can hike to Sing Peak, named for Tie Sing, in Yosemite National Park.
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  • Coming Home: A True Story of Josh Gibson, Baseball's Greatest Home Run Hitter

    Nanette Mellage, Cornelius Van Wright, Ying-Hwa Hu

    Hardcover (Troll Communications, Dec. 31, 1999)
    A beautifully illustrated tribute to baseball's greatest home run hitter tells how he hit more home runs than Mark McGwire but was never allowed to play in the Major Leagues, and he died four months before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier.
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  • The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial

    Susan E. Goodman, E. B. Lewis

    Hardcover (Bloomsbury USA Childrens, Jan. 5, 2016)
    2017 Orbis Pictus Honor Book2017 Jane Addams Peace Association Honor Book2017 Teachers' Choice Pick, International Literacy AssociationAn NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book of 2017 In 1847, an African American girl named Sarah Roberts attended school in Boston. One day she was told she could never come back. She didn't belong. The Otis School was for white children only.The Roberts family fought this injustice and made history. Roberts v. City of Boston was the first case challenging our legal system to outlaw segregated schools. Sometimes even losing is a victory. They lost their case but Sarah's cause was won when people, black and white, stood together and said, No more. Now, right now, it is time for change!With gorgeous art from award-winning illustrator E. B. Lewis, The First Step is an inspiring look at the first lawsuit to demand desegregation--long before the American Civil Rights movement, even before the Civil War.Backmatter includes: An integration timeline, bios on key people in the book, list of resources, and author's note.
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  • Jim Thorpe's Bright Path

    Joseph Bruchac, S D Nelson

    Hardcover (Lee & Low Books, April 1, 2004)
    A biography of Native American athlete Jim Thorpe, focusing on how his boyhood education set the stage for his athletic achievements which gained him international fame and Olympic gold medals. Author's note details Thorpe's life after college.
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  • Prince Estabrook, Slave and Soldier

    Alice Hinkle

    Paperback (Lexington Historical Society, April 1, 2001)
    The National Council on the Social Studies will present "Prince Estabrook" with the 2002 Carter G. Woodson Book Award (middle school division) at the NCSS annual meeting in Nov. NCSS awards go to the most distinguished social science books depicting ethnicity in the United States appropriate for young people.
  • In America's Shadow

    Kimberly Komatsu, Kaleigh Komatsu, Mitchell T. Maki, Kevin Starr

    Hardcover (Thomas George Books, Feb. 19, 2003)
    This critically acclaimed and widely used educational resource chronicles the history and experiences of Japanese Americans from immigration to the World War II internment camps. Told through the eyes of a young girl and her grandfather, it shows how those in the camps preserved their dignity, sense of family, and American identity. Included is a collection of historic photographs that detail the Japanese American experience.
  • A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson

    Michelle Y. Green, Kadir Nelson

    Hardcover (Dial Books, July 22, 2002)
    Mamie Johnson looks the batter in the eye. Sizes him up for a curve- or a fastball. Stretches her 5'2" frame. And pops a surefire, windup, coming-right-at-ya pitch smack dab over the plate. One that lets the batter know that this "peanut of a girl" means business. Fueled by her passion for the game and buoyed by the inspiration of Jackie Robinson, Mamie Johnson is determined to be a professional baseball pitcher. From the time she insists on trying out for the all-male all-white Police Athletic League team until she becomes one of only three women to play in the Negro Leagues, this biography of Mamie Johnson's life shows that courage-and a fierce curveball-can make a childhood dream come true. Illustrated with nineteen black-and-white photographs.
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  • Remembering Manzanar: Life in a Japanese Relocation Camp

    Michael L. Cooper

    Hardcover (Clarion Books, Nov. 25, 2002)
    In this close look at the first relocation camp built for Japanese evacuees living on the West Coast after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, social historian Michael Cooper makes extensive use of the actual words—from diaries, journals, memoirs, and news accounts—of the people who were held behind barbed wire in the high California desert. Many were American citizens who felt betrayed by their country. They had to leave their jobs, their homes, and their friends and go live in crowded barracks, eat in noisy mess halls, and do without supplies or books for work or schooling. They showed remarkable bravery and resilience as they tried to lead normal lives, starting their own schools, playing baseball, attending Saturday night dances, and publishing their own newspaper. Archival photographs, some by Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, augment the informative text. Manzanar is now a National Historic Site and hosts an annual pilgrimage that is attended by former internees, their families, and friends. Endnotes, Internet resources, index.
  • Gwendolyn Brooks: Poet from Chicago

    Martha E. Rhynes

    Hardcover (Morgan Reynolds Pub, Feb. 1, 2003)
    Presents a biography of the African American poet who has received the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
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