Pat McKissack

Clotee, a twelve-year-old slave on a Virginia plantation in 1859, teaches herself to read and write while fanning the master's son during his daily lessons, and determines to use her secret knowledge to help herself and her friends reach freedom.

Presents the diary of thirteen-year-old Nzingha, a sixteenth-century West African princess who loves to hunt and hopes to lead her kingdom one day against the invasion of the Portuguese slave traders.

Simple text and illustrations of a variety of insects introduce the numbers one through five.

In 1886 in Alabama, an eleven-year-old African American girl and her family befriend and give refuge to a runaway Apache boy.

Messy Bessey discovers that with proper care her garden will flourish.

Messy Bessey learns a lesson about sharing when she cleans out her closet.

Traces the history of baseball in the Negro Leagues and its great heroes, including Monte Irwin, Buck Leonard, and Cool Papa Bell.

Bessey finally cleans up her messy room.

Young David Earl always knows what day of the week it is, because his mother, Ma Dear, has a different apron for every day except Sunday.