ABRAMS
Romare Bearden: Collage of Memories (Sept., $17.95, all ages) by Jan Greenberg. Bearden's collage art and family photos illustrate this biography of the artist, who was born in the South and raised in Harlem.
Wake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of African American Artists (Feb., $24.95, 10-up) by Tonya Bolden. Published in association with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, this book spotlights the work of 20th-century African-American painters, photographers and sculptors.
ALLEN PUBLISHING
(212) 971-1346
Series: Topeka Heights starts up with Princess's Journey and Christopher's Dilemma (Nov., $10.99 each, 13-18) by Jennifer Burton.
ALLEN & UNWIN
Gezani and the Tricky Baboon (Sept., $14.95, 4-7) by Valanga Khoza, illus. by Sally Rippin. In this tale set in Africa, a boy and a baboon match wits.
BARRON'S
Series: Lives in Crisis debuts with The African-American Slave Trade by R.G. Grant and The Civil Rights Movement by Nigel Ritchie (Sept., $14.95 each, paper $8.95, 12-up).
BOYDS MILLS PRESS
Series Reissues: The Town series reissues South Town, North Town, Whose Town? and Return to South Town (Sept., $16.95 each, 12-up) by Lorenz Graham, foreword by Rudine Sims Bishop, afterword by Ruth Graham Siegrist.
CANDLEWICK
Free at Last! Stories and Songs of Emancipation (Jan., $19.99, 9-12) by Doreen Rappaport, illus. by Shane W. Evans, focuses on African-Americans who fought for equality between 1863 and 1954.
CLARION
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights (Mar., $18, 9-12) by Russell Freedman views Anderson's life and musical career in the context of the civil rights movement.
Board Book Reprint:Feast for 10 (Oct., $4.95, up to 2) by Cathryn Falwell.
Board Book in Spanish: Fiesta para 10 (Feast for 10) (Mar., $4.95, up to 3) by Cathryn Falwell.
Paperback Reprint: Christmas for 10 (Oct., $6.95, 3-8) by Cathryn Falwell.
DIAL
Encore, Grace! (Jan., $14.99, 7-11) by Mary Hoffman, illus. by June Allan. As the school year begins, Grace deals with a new girl who makes her feel jealous and the fear that her mother might remarry.
Violet's Music (Jan., $16.99) by Angela Johnson, illus. by Laura Huliska-Beith.
Violet's love of music brings her together with a true friend.
DUTTON
Portraits of African-American Heroes (Jan., $18.99, 7-up) by Tonya Bolden, illus. by Ansel Pitcairn, profiles 20 African-Americans, including Frederick Douglass, Paul Robeson and Shirley Chisholm.
The Ring of the Slave Prince (Jan., $21.99, 12-up) by Bjarne Reuter, trans. by Tiina Nunnally, centers on a hero who learns he is a prince and rescues a slave from drowning.
GALLOPADE INTERNATIONAL
Series: Black Jazz, Pizzazz, and Razzmatazz adds The BIG Book of African American Activities (Nov., $9.95 paper, 7-12) by Carole Marsh.
GROSSET & DUNLAP
Paperback Series: Smart About Scientists welcomes George Washington Carver: The Peanut Wizard (Jan., $5.99, 5-8) by Laura Driscoll, illus. by Jill Weber.
HARCOURT/SILVER WHISTLE
Thunder Rose (Sept., $16, 5-8) by Jerdine Nolen, illus. by Kadir Nelson. Set in the Old West, this is a tall tale about a feisty girl who tames beasts and subdues outlaws.
Shining (Oct., $17, 6-9) by Julius Lester, illus. by John Clapp. Born in a mountain village long ago, a girl destined for greatness remains silent throughout her childhood.
HARPERCOLLINS
York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American's Part in the Great Expedition (Jan., $17.99, 8-up) by Rhoda Blumberg chronicles the role William Clark's slave played in this historical expedition.
HARPERCOLLINS/AMISTAD
God Bless the Child (Jan., $16.99, all ages) by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr., illus. by Jerry Pinkney. Packaged with a CD, this book presents this song with art depicting a family moving from the rural South to the urban North in the 1930s.
In the Land of Words: New and Selected Poems (Jan., $16.99, 4-8) by Eloise Greenfield, illus. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. This collection of 21 poems pays tribute to the written word.
I've Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Jan., $15.99, 5-8) by Walter Dean Myers, illus. by Leonard Jenkins, is a biography of this civil rights crusader.
A Pride of African Tales (Jan., $16.99, 6-10) by Donna Washington, illus. by James Ransome. Watercolors illustrate this roundup of stories from various regions in Africa.
No Laughter Here (Jan., $15.99, 12-up) by Rita Williams-Garcia is a novel about two best friends, one of whom visits her native Nigeria, where she undergoes the ritual of female circumcision.
HARPERCOLLINS/GREENWILLOW
A Nest Full of Stars: Poems (Mar., $15.99, 7-up) by James Berry, illus. by Ashley Bryan. Berry draws on memories of his Caribbean childhood in this collection of 60 poems.
Memories of Sun: Stories of Africa and America (Jan., $15.99, 10-up) by Jane Kurtz. Stories and poems view Africa and America through the eyes of children from each continent.
HARPERCOLLINS/GREENWILLOW/AMISTAD
The Neighborhood Mother Goose (Jan., $15.99, 5-8) by Nina Crews collects classic tales and photo-collages featuring contemporary children.
Beauty, Her Basket (Jan., $15.99, 5-up) by Sandra Belton, illus. by Cozbi Cabrera. A girl learns about her family and about African-American history when she spends a summer with her grandmother in the Sea Islands.
HARPERCOLLINS/HARPERTROPHY/AMISTAD
Paperback Reprints: Black is brown is tan (Jan., $5.99, 4-8) by Arnold Adoff, illus. by Emily Arnold McCarthy; Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly (Jan., $5.99, 5-8) by Walter Dean Myers; and Big Jabe (Jan., $6.99, 6-up) by Jerdine Nolen, illus. by Kadir Nelson.
HOLIDAY HOUSE
My Family Plays Music (Sept., $16.95, 4-8) by Judy Cox, illus. by Elbrite Brown. A girl discovers the ideal percussion instrument to play along with each member of her musical family.
A Kenya Christmas (Sept., $16.95, 4-8) by Tony Johnston, illus. by Leonard Jenkins. A girl living in an African town longs to see Father Christmas.
Papa's Mark (Feb., $16.95, 4-8) by Gwendolyn Battle-Lavert, illus. by Colin Bootman. After learning to write his name, a man in the South casts his vote in the first election in which African-Americans could vote.
A Good Night for Freedom (Feb., $16.95, 4-8) by Barbara Olenyik Morrow, illus. by Leonard Jenkins. When Hallie discovers two runaway slaves, she must choose between protecting them or her family.
Enemies of Slavery (Mar., $16.95, 6-9) by David A. Adler, illus. by Donald A. Smith. This companion to Heroes of the Revolution profiles 13 individuals who fought against slavery.
HYPERION/JUMP AT THE SUN
Dancing the Ring Shout! (Sept., $15.99, 5-8) by Kim Siegelson, illus. by Lisa Cohen. A boy discovers how he can participate in the traditional ritual marking the end of the harvest.
Fishing Day (Nov., $15.99, 5-9) by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illus. by Shane W. Evans. A black girl and a white boy overcome their mutual fear and mistrust when she helps him after his fishing reel breaks.
Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone: The Brown v. Board of Education Decision (Dec., $15.99, 10-up), ed. by Joyce Carol Thomas, illus. by Curtis James. Ten children's authors offer their personal reflections, stories or poems celebrating this court decision.
Board Book Reprint: A Child Is Born (Sept., $6.99, up to 4) by Margaret Wise Brown, illus. by Floyd Cooper.
Paperback Series: The Cheetah Girls issues Livin' Large: Books 1-4 and Supa-Dupa Sparkle: Books 5-8 (Sept., $9.99 each, 8-12) by Deborah Gregory.
JUST US BOOKS
The March on Washington (Oct., $10.95 paper, 9-up) by James Haskins examines this 1963 landmark event in the fight for civil rights.
Follow-Up Letters to Santa from Kids Who Never Got a Response (Oct., $6.95 paper, 10-up) by Tony Medina, illus. by R. Gregory Christie, collects 21 letters from children who want Santa to bring them answers to the issues they face daily.
Paperback Series: Kid Caramel, Private Investigator returns in Mess at Loch Ness (Oct., $4.50, 8-12) by Dwayne Ferguson. And Poetry from the Masters debuts with The Pioneers (Oct., $9.95, 9-up), ed. by Wade Hudson.
Paperback Reprint: Dear Corinne, Tell Somebody! Love, Annie (Oct., $6.95, 8-12) by Mari Evans.
LEE & LOW
Sweet Potato Pie (Sept., $16.95, all ages) by Kathleen Lindsey, illus. by Charlotte Riley-Webb. Sadie and her family raise money to save their farm by selling Mama's pies.
Janna and the Kings (Sept., $16.95, 6-up) by Patricia Smith, illus. by Aaron Boyd. A girl finds a way to cope with her grief after her beloved grandfather dies.
LITTLE BROWN
Harlem Stomp: A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance (Jan., $18.95, 12-up) by Laban Carrick Hill, with a foreword by Nikki Giovanni. This period in history is chronicled with poetry, prose, photographs, paintings and reproductions of historical documents.
OVERMOUNTAIN PRESS
(423) 926-2691
Bark & Tim: A True Story of Friendship (Dec., $14.95, 3-8) by Audrey Glassman Vernick and Ellen Glassman Gidaro, illus. by Tim Brown. Mississippi folk artist Brown's paintings illustrate this tale based on his childhood.
PUFFIN
Paperback Reprints: They Led the Way: 14 American Women (Feb., $5.99, 7-up) by Johanna Johnston, illus. by Deanne Hollinger; and Spellbound (Dec., $5.99, 12-up) by Janet McDonald.
PUTNAM
Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry (Oct., $16.99, 5-up) by Bebe Moore Campbell, illus. by E.B. Lewis, centers on a girl coping with her mother's mental illness.
Reissues:The House You Pass on the Way (Nov., $16.99, paper $5.99, 12-up) and The Dear One (Jan., $16.99, paper $6.99, 12-up) by Jacqueline Woodson.
SCHOLASTIC/BLUE SKY
Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl (Oct., $16.95, 4-up) by Virginia Hamilton, illus. by James E. Ransome. Bruh Wolf devises a plan to keep Bruh Rabbit out of his garden in this retelling of a trickster tale.
SCHOLASTIC/CARTWHEEL
Series: HipKIDHop continues with The Mirror and Me (Jan., $13.95, 7-10) by Common.
SCHOLASTIC NONFICTION
Powerful Words: More than 200 Years of Extraordinary Writing by African Americans (Feb., $19.95, 9-12), ed. by Wade Hudson, illus. by Sean Qualls, features writing by Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison and others.
SCHOLASTIC/ORCHARD
Board Book Reprint: Charlie Parker Played Be Bop (Mar., $6.99, 1-5) by Chris Raschka.
SCHOLASTIC PRESS
Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America (Feb., $16.95, 9-12) by Sharon Robinson. Jackie Robinson's daughter provides a portrait of this legendary baseball player.
The Beast (Oct., $16.95, 14-up) by Walter Dean Myers. After a semester at a prep school, Anthony returns to Harlem to discover that his girlfriend is addicted to drugs.
SIMON & SCHUSTER
Li'l Dan, The Drummer Boy: A Civil War Story, Book and CD (Sept., $18.95, all ages) by Romare Bearden. Henry Louis Gates Jr. contributes a foreword to this recently discovered tale about slavery, packaged with a CD read by Maya Angelou.
ellington was not a street (Jan., $15.95, all ages) by Ntozake Shange, illus. by Kadir Nelson. The author pays tribute to Duke Ellington, W.E.B. DuBois and other men "who changed the world."
I Dream of Trains (Sept., $16.95, 5-7) by Angela Johnson, illus. by Loren Long. At the turn of the 20th century, a boy dreams of escaping his hard life to travel with his hero Casey Jones.
Just Like Josh Gibson (Jan., $15.95, 5-7) by Angela Johnson, illus. by Beth Peck. A legendary baseball player inspires a girl to follow her dreams of playing ball.
Sarah's Ground (Feb., $15.95, 12-up) by Ann Rinaldi. Based on a true story, this tells of a girl who oversees Mount Vernon while Civil War battles rage around her.
SIMON & SCHUSTER/ALADDIN
Fires of Jubilee (Nov., $4.99 paper, 8-12) by Allison Hart. In 1865, a newly freed teenager in the South attempts to solve the mystery of her parents' disappearance.
Paperback Series: Milestone Books presents Hard Labor, the First African Americans, 1619 (Jan., $3.99, 7-10) by Patricia C. and Fredrick McKissack, illus. by Joseph Daniel Fiedler.
Paperback Reprints: Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream (Nov., $6.99, all ages) by Deloris Jordan with Roslyn Jordan, illus. by Kadir Nelson; Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman (Jan., $6.99, 9-up) by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger, illus. by Teresa Flavin; Double Dutch (Jan., $4.99, 10-14) by Sharon M. Draper; and Betrayed! (Feb., $4.99, 10-14) by Patricia Calvert.
Paperback Series Reprints: Childhood of Famous Americans reprints A Lesson for Martin Luther King Jr. (Dec., $3.99, 5-7) by Denise Lewis Patrick, illus. by Rodney S. Pate; and Wilma Rudolph, Olympic Runner (Jan., $4.99, 8-12) by Jo Harper, illus. by Meryl Henderson.
SIMON & SCHUSTER/ATHENEUM/JACKSON
Some Friend (Jan., $15.95, 9-12) by Marie Bradby is a tale about a girl's difficulty finding a friend and the surprising results of acting with the best of intentions.
SIMON & SCHUSTER/ATHENEUM/SCHWARTZ
Major Taylor Champion Cyclist (Jan., $16.95, 6-10) by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illus. by James E. Ransome, chronicles the life of this man who battled racism to become a renowned cyclist.
SIMON & SCHUSTER/MCELDERRY
The Legend of Buddy Bush (Jan., $15.95, 12-up) by Shelia P. Moses. A girl's life changes forever with the arrival of her uncle, who is jailed for a crime he didn't commit.
SIMON & SCHUSTER/SIMON PULSE
Paperback Reprints: Looking for Red (Nov., $4.99, 12-up) by Angela Johnson; and Taking Liberty: The Story of Oney Judge, George Washington's Runaway Slave (Jan., $5.99, 12-up) by Ann Rinaldi.
SIMON & SCHUSTER/SIMON SPOTLIGHT
Paperback Series: Little Bill adds A Visit to the Farm (Jan., $3.50, 4-8) by Lara Bergen, illus. by Dan Kanemoto.
VIKING
The Sunbird (April, $16.99, 12-up) by Elizabeth Wein is the third installment in the Arthurian/Aksumite cycle.
WALKER
Liberty Street (Oct., $16.95, 6-9) by Candice Ransom, illus. by Eric Velasquez, is a picture book about slaves in the South who fought for freedom.