Brave: S. Cherry

Athena Davenport is a young woman going nowhere fast. On the outside, everything seemed to be perfect, but on the inside, there was an outcry for more than her average job, normal safe home and she was still in search of real love. She could feel a storm brewing and it was becoming impossible to ignore. Come step into her accidental journey of self-discovery and wild trial and error romances. Have you ever wondered what you were born to do? Well, so did she and through wobbly knees and shaking hands she went in search of the life she wanted but discovered exactly what she needed. Will she choose what’s comfortable or will she go get the life she secretly covets in her dreams? You will laugh, you will cry, but most of all you will come to understand we are all a part of the greatest love story that has ever been told and we are all Brave!

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1536856576

Operation-Back to the Field

It is always good to see a new book on the shelf that's worth the read. But this book is a little different because the author is only seven years of age. Yes, his name is Amare Small and he has written his first book which focuses on getting back onto the field of one of his favorite sports.

“No football this year” said dad. These words rang in Amare’s ears like bells. All Amare ever wanted to do was to become a great football player and go to the National Football League one day like his favorite player Cam the Man, and his parents were crushing his dream. He know if he was going to play football he had to convince his parents that he needed to be on that field with his teammates. He needed to come up with a plan…. Not just any plan… the best plan ever! OPERATION BACK TO THE FIELD is a go!

Source: http://www.operationback.com/

Universal Talk Laws

KINJADIXON.COM Everyone who's attained wealth, regardless of how, had to SPEAK to someone. Whether the aspiration was to start a company, acquire a promotion or seal a multimillion dollar deal, it was by means of skillful communication that their lives were forever changed. The most influential person you know has a way with WORDS that causes everyone to be drawn to him or her no matter what the situation. We have all heard of the person who can SELL anything to anyone at anytime with seemingly no effort. The secret to how these people do this is in your hands right NOW •How to gain disciplines and create actions to ensure that each day of your life is productive •How to vitalize your family's core value with proven mindset principles dated back as far as the 18th century •How to recognize and utilize opportunities in your current role as preparation for your next position •How to manage all fears •How to become self-reliant in a sales environment and in life •What Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Andrew Carnegie, and many more successful people have in common •How to turn each of your employees into independent bosses •How to live a more joyous life regardless of your conditions •How to turn pain into positive production. Kinja Dixon is a motivational speaker, life coach, and sales guru with more than a decade of consistent sales excellence. Most recently awarded the 2013 Stevie Award for Sales Represenative of the year and 2013 ARDY for Inhouse Salesperson of the year. Kinja has personally helped thousands of families from all over the globe enhance their quality of living by spending more time together away from home.

Source: http://www.kinjadixon.com/

25 Empowering Books for Little Black Girls

Age 2-4

Girl of Mine - Jabari Asim

This companion book to Boy of Mine shows a dazzling little girl enjoying playtime in the moon's soft glow. As daddy cradles his baby girl, she is suddenly whisked away on a fantastical adventure, swinging above lush floral gardens under the golden moonlight. The sweet text, inspired by "Rock-A-Bye Baby," will whisk little ones off to peaceful slumber.

Lola at the Library - Anna Mcquinn

On Tuesdays, spunky Lola and her mommy go to the library. Come with Lola on her favorite weekly trip in this celebration of books and the people who love them.

I Can Do It Too! - Karen Baicker

This heartwarming story reminds us how satisfying it is to grow up surrounded by love. I Can Do It Too! affirms a little girl's growing independence as she, too, can begin to do all the things she sees her parents, relatives and neighbors do: pouring juice at breakfast, strumming a guitar, and even riding a bike! The simple cadence of text and direct-to-the-heart art result in a book as warm and generous as its message, providing reading pleasure for toddlers, older siblings, and the grown-ups who love them.

Preschool

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale - John Steptoe

This is the tale of Mufaro's two daughters, two beautiful girls who react in different ways to the king's search for a wife - one is aggressive and selfish, the other kind and dignified. The king takes on disguises to learn the true nature of both girls and of course chooses Nyasha, the kind and generous daughter, to be his queen.

Something Beautiful - Sharon Dennis Wyeth

A little girl longs to see beyond the scary sights on the sidewalk and the angry scribbling in the halls of her building. When her teacher writes the word beautifulon the blackboard, the girl decides to look for something beautiful in her neighborhood. Her neighbors tell her about their own beautiful things.

The Colors of Us - Karen Katz

Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.

Nappy Hair - Carolivia Herron

A lively, empowering story about Brenda's knotted-up, twisted, nappy hair and how it got to be that way! Told in the African-American "call and response" tradition, this story leaps off the page

I Love My Hair! -  Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

This whimsical, evocative story about a girl named Keyana encourages African-American children to feel good about their special hair and be proud of their heritage

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky - Faith Ringgold

Cassie, who flew above New York in Tar Beach, soars into the sky once more. This time, she and her brother Be Be meet a train full of people, and Be Be joins them. But the train departs before Cassie can climb aboard. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie retraces the steps escaping slaves took on the real Underground Railroad and is finally reunited with her brother at the story's end.

Kindergarten to Second Grade

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt - Deborah Hopkinson

As a seamstress in the Big House, Clara dreams of a reunion with her Momma, who lives on another plantation--and even of running away to freedom. Then she overhears two slaves talking about the Underground Railroad. In a flash of inspiration, Clara sees how she can use the cloth in her scrap bag to make a map of the land--a freedom quilt--that no master will ever suspect.

Come On, Rain - Karen Hesse

Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse recreates the body and soul-renewing experience of a summer downpour after a sweltering city heat wave.



Amazing Grace - Mary Hoffman Grace loves stories, whether they're from books, movies, or the kind her grandmother tells. So when she gets a chance to play a part in Peter Pan, she knows exactly who she wants to be. Remarkable watercolor illustrations give full expression to Grace's high-flying imagination.

Jamaica's Find - Juanita Havill

Jamaica finds a stuffed dog at the playground and after taking him home without trying to find the owner discovers her conscience as well. Jamaica’s honest and appealing character inspired five more books, each about a childhood ethical dilemma.

Princess Truly and The Hungry Bunny Problem - Kelly Greenawalt

Princess Truly and The Hungry Bunny Problem is a picture book for children, especially girls, ages 4-8. It's an enchanting tale about a clever, problem-solving princess with magical curly hair featuring the delightful illustrations of Amariah Rauscher.

Dancing in the Wings - Debbie Allen

Sassy is a long-legged girl who always has something to say. She wants to be a ballerina more than anything, but she worries that her too-large feet, too-long legs, and even her big mouth will keep her from her dream. When a famous director comes to visit her class, Sassy does her best to get his attention with her high jumps and bright leotard. Her first attempts are definitely not appreciated, but with Sassy's persistence, she just might be able to win him over.

Rosa - Nikki Giovanni

Fifty years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is still one of the most important figures in the American civil rights movement. This tribute to Mrs. Parks is a celebration of her courageous action and the events that followed.

Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story - Ruby Bridges The extraordinary true story of Ruby Bridges, the first African-American child to integrate a New Orleans school--now with simple text for young readers!



White Socks Only - Evelyn Coleman In the segregated south, a young girl thinks that she can drink from a fountain marked "Whites Only" because she is wearing her white socks.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom - Carole Boston Weatherford

This poetic book is a resounding tribute to Tubman's strength, humility, and devotion. With proper reverence, Weatherford and Nelson do justice to the woman who, long ago, earned over and over the name Moses.

The Other Side - Jacqueline Woodson

Clover's mom says it isn't safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But the two girls strike up a friendship, and get around the grown-ups' rules by sitting on top of the fence together.



A Sweet Smell of Roses - Angela Johnson There's a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered, ready to march for freedom and justice. Inspired by countless children and young adults who took a stand, two Coretta Scott King honorees offer a heart-lifting glimpse of children's roles in the civil rights movement.

Ruth and the Green Book - Calvin Alexander Ramsey

Ruth was so excited to take a trip in her family's new car! In the early 1950s, few African Americans could afford to buy cars, so this would be an adventure. But she soon found out that black travelers weren't treated very well in some towns. Many hotels and gas stations refused service to black people. Daddy was upset about something called Jim Crow laws...

The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom - Bettye Stroud

Now that Hannah’s papa has decided to make the run for freedom, her patchwork quilt is not just a precious memento of Mama — it’s a series of hidden clues that will guide them along the Underground Railroad to Canada. A fictionalized account of a fascinating oral history, THE PATCHWORK PATH tells the story of a two of the thousands who escaped a life of slavery and made the dangerous journey to freedom — a story of courage, determination, and hope.

Tar Beach - Faith Ringgold

"Ringgold recounts the dream adventure of eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies above her apartment-building rooftop, the 'tar beach' of the title, looking down on 1939 Harlem. Part autobiographical, part fictional, this allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture.

Second Grade to Fourth Grade

Sugar Plum Ballerinas #1: Plum Fantastic - Whoopi Goldberg

Alexandrea Petrakova Johnson does not want to be a beautiful ballerina, and she does not want to leave her friends in Apple Creek. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop her ballet-crazy mother from moving them to Harlem, or from enrolling Al at the Nutcracker School of Ballet. 

Ruby and the Booker Boys #1: Brand New School, Brave New Ruby - Derrick Barnes

Eight-year-old Ruby Booker is the baby sis of Marcellus (11), Roosevelt (10), and Tyner (9), the most popular boys on Chill Brook Ave. When Ruby isn't hanging with her friend, Theresa Petticoat, she's finding out what kind of mischief her brothers are getting into. She's sweet and sassy and every bit as tough as her older siblings.

Source: http://www.forharriet.com/2013/10/25-empowering-books-for-little-black.html