Americas

Materials from the Americas

No Crystal Stair

A documentary novel of the life and work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem bookseller

‘You can’t walk straight on a crooked line. You do you’ll break your leg. How can you walk straight in a crooked system?’

Lewis Michaux was born to do things his own way. When a white banker told him to sell fried chicken, not books, because Negroes don’t read,’ Lewis took five books and one-hundred dollars and built a bookstore. It soon became the intellectual center of Harlem, a refuge for everyone from Muhammad Ali to Malcolm X.

In No Crystal Stair, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson combines meticulous research with a storyteller’s flair to document the life and times of her great uncle Lewis Michaux, an extraordinary literacy pioneer of the Civil Rights era.

‘My life was no crystal stair, far from it. But I’m taking my leave with some pride. It tickles me to know that those folks who said I could never sell books to black people are eating crow. I’d say my seeds grew pretty damn well. And not just the book business. It’s the more important business of moving our people forward that has real meaning.’

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 5, Issue 1

One Crazy Summer

In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 5, Issue 1

Carolina’s Gift: A Story of Peru

Today is a very important day! It is market day, and Carolina and her mother are going to the plaza to find a birthday gift for Carolina’s abuelita, or grandmother. But there are so many things to see and so many gifts to choose from! Would Abuelita like a pretty hat? No, these hats are not for Abuelita. Would Abuelita like a bird that chirps and sings? No, a bird might keep Abuelita up when she is trying to sleep at night. Finally, Carolina finds the perfect gift! Won’t Abuelita be surprised?

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 5, Issue 1

My Name Is Jorge: On Both Sides of the River

A collection of 27 insightful poems that illuminates the migrant experience from the point of view of a grade school child from Mexico. Jorge doesn’t want to be called George. He thinks the name sounds strange. “What an ugly sound!/Like a sneeze!” His struggles to fit in result in a friendship with a boy named Tim; a tentative coming to terms with American society; and some degree of sadness when, upon his grandmother’s death, his family must cross the river again.

This book has been included in WOW’s Language and Learning: Children’s and Young Adult Fiction Booklist. For our current list, visit our Booklist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.

Dave The Potter

To us it is just dirt, the ground we walk on…But to Daveit was clay, the plain and basic stuffupon which he formed a lifeas a slave nearly 200 years ago. Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill’s elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier’s resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave’s story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.

Hide & Seek

As the light shines through the leaves of the forest, the animals gather for a game of hide-and-seek.  Elephant counts as all the animals run and hide!  But when it’s time to seek, will Elephant find everyone…including Chameleon?  Practice counting from 1 to 10 and search for Chameleon in the pages of this delightful new book from celebrated illustrator Il Sung Na.

Mexico (Cultures of the World)

Provides comprehensive information on the geography, history, wildlife, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, peoples, religion, and culture of Mexico.

Brave Music of a Distant Drum

Ama is a slave. She is old and dying and has an incredible story to tell. It is about violence and heartaches, but it is also a story of courage, hope, determination and ultimately, love. Since Ama is blind, she cannot write down her story for future generations. Instead, she summons the son from whom she has been long separated. at first he thinks she’s old and tiresome. But as Ama’s astonishing journey unfolds in her own words, his world changes forever, until he can never see it with the same eyes again. Nor will those who read Ama’s story.