Recommended by the Children's Librarians at The Ferguson Library.

Ages Birth - 3 Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang A little girl and her Dad engage in a simple countdown before bed that is warm and comforting. BB So Much by Trish Cooke When relatives begin arriving for Daddy's surprise party, they are unable to resist kissing, hugging and playing with the baby. EPIC

My Aunt Came Back by Pat Cummings
An adventurous auntie travels the world and always brings back something for her adoring niece. BB

Tickle Tickle by Hru Dakari
There is nothing better than a little tickle time spent between father and son. EPIC

Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora
A busy toddler spends the morning joyfully playing hide and seek and shouting "peekaboo." EPIC

Please, Baby, Baby Please by Spike and Tonya Lee
Keeping up with an energetic toddler is not easy, but a mother's patience goes a long way. EPIC

These Hands by Hope Lynn Price
Hands have a lot of power and beauty, no matter how small. EPIC

Brown Sugar Babies by Charles Smith
A celebration of caramel, chocolate and honey colored babies cute enough to eat. EPIC

My Girl by Charles Smith
Vibrant photographs and classic Motown lyrics come together in this delightful board book that you will want to share with your own "baby love." BB

Joy by Joyce Thomas
The seasons may come and go but a mother always finds joy in her little boy. BB

Age 3 - 5

Grandfather and I by Helen Buckley
While everyone else in the family always seems to be in a rush, a loving grandfather understands the importance of spending unhurried time with his grandson. EPIC

Heaven's All-Star Jazz Band by Don Carter
A little boy imagines that his jazz-loving grandpa is in heaven making music with all the legendary jazz greats. EPIC

Boy on the Beach by Niki Daly
Instead of jumping waves with his parents a little boy goes off by himself and finds his own fun on the beach - until he realizes that he is lost. EPIC

Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles - Think of That! by Leo and Diane Dillon
In this artistic tribute, legendary dancer Bill Bojangles Robinson seems to tap across the pages along with the words. EPIC

Bintou's Braids by Sylvianne Diouf
Bintou desperately wants to wear her hair in long braids but is not old enough according to village tradition. Her wise grandmother however, finds a way to make her ordinary hairstyle extraordinary. EPIC

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
When two classmates try to discourage her from auditioning for the lead role in a class play, Grace triumphantly shows them that gender and color have nothing to do with being the best. EPIC

Lulu's Birthday by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
Although Aunt Lulu is having trouble deciding how to spend her birthday, her young niece and nephew know exactly what to do. EPIC

Ready? Set. Raymond! by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
In this beginning reader, Raymond does everything fast, including brushing his teeth and making new friends. EPIC

Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen
If you want to learn the secret to growing balloons, just take a few tips from a mysterious farmer named Harvey Potter. EPIC

Hugs and Hearts by Tony Parker
Charming photographs and simple rhymes celebrate the sweetest day of the year. EPIC

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
Everyone says that Mufaro has two equally beautiful daughters. So when the king announces his wish to marry the most beautiful and worthy maiden in the land, he is delighted. But is their beauty truly equal? EPIC

Elizabeti's Doll by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
While her mother tends to her baby brother, Elizabeti lovingly cares for her own baby which happens to be a rock. EPIC

Bippity Bop Barbershop by Natasha Tarpley
Miles is excited and a bit anxious about his first trip to the barbershop. Lucky for him, his dad has the perfect solution. EPIC

Max's Starry Night by Ken Wilson-Max
A little boy helps an elephant overcome his fear of the dark. EPIC

Do You Know What I'll Do? by Charlotte Zolotow
An old children's favorite that shows the love between siblings, newly illustrated with striking collage art by Javaka Steptoe. EPIC


Age 6-8

The Big Bike Race by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
When he receives a big clunky used bike for his tenth birthday, Ernie's dream of being a bike racer seems beyond his reach at first. JBEG

Gloria Rising by Ann Cameron
Gloria's chance meeting with a famous astronaut makes a big impression on her and helps her cope with a difficult teacher. JBEG

Ananse and the Lizard: A West African Tale by Pat Cummings
Ananse, the tricky little spider, gets out-tricked by a clever lizard in this folktale from Ghana. E398.2 C

The Village that Vanished by Ann Grifalconi
In order to save their village from the approaching slave traders, the Yao people set aside their fears and devise a plan that requires them to use their heads as well as their hearts to survive. JBEG

Just Like Mike by Gail Herman
When his mother remarries, Michael's last name is changed from Brown to Jordan and the kids at his new school can't seem to stop comparing his poor basketball skills to the "other Michael." JBEG

Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
Following the Civil War, a little girl named Virgie is determined to go to school along with her brothers, despite the seven mile walk and their reluctance to take her. JBEG

Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack
During the era of segregation, Tricia Ann pays a visit to the one place in town that is open to all. JBEG

Big Jabe by Jerdine Nolen
While fishing, a young slave named Addy finds a little boy in a basket floating down the river and life on the plantation is never the same again. JBEG

Cosmo and the Robot by Brian Pinkney
What is a kid on Mars supposed to do when his beloved robot starts acting like a monster and must be cast off to the asteroid dump? Cosmo's brand new solar system utility belt may help. EPIC

Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
On warm nights Cassie escapes to tar beach (her rooftop) and envisions herself flying over the George Washington Bridge. EPIC

In the Time of the Drums by Kim Siegelson
When a group of newly captured slaves arrives at Sea Island, they are greeted by drums and led back home by a mysterious conjure woman. JBEG

Imani's Music by Sheron Williams
When an African grasshopper finds himself aboard a slave ship, the only thing he has to offer the captives is is music which they take with them to the new world. EPIC

Ages 9-12

Mansa Musa: Lion of Mali by Khephra Burns
The early life of Mali's great 14th century leader is told through this lavishly illustrated fictionalized account. JBEG

The Watson's Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Kenny and the "weird Watsons" (his family) head south to visit Grandma and unexpectedly witness history. JFIC

Francie by Karen English
Life isn't easy for Francie, a quiet, smart girl, who loves trains and scooter pies and who is growing up in rural Alabama during the 1930's. JFIC

Yolonda's Genius by Carol Fenner
While most people view Yolonda's little brother as being "slow," she believes that he is musically gifted and decides to show the world. JFIC

The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake
Teased because of her extremely dark skin, thirteen year old Maleeka slowly learns a lesson in self-acceptance when a new teacher (with a prominent birthmark on her face) arrives at her school. JFIC

Jazmin's Notebook by Nikki Grimes
While growing up in Harlem during the 1960's, a fourteen year old girl discovers that writing can be empowering. JFIC

The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton 
After moving into a house that was once used as part of the underground railroad, the Small family experience a series of strange happenings and sense danger. JFIC

When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street by Angela Johnson
Charlie spends her summer fishing, solving a mystery and making new friends. JFIC

Here We Go Round by Alice McGill
When her mother is put on bed rest during the last month of her pregnancy, seven year old Roberta is sent to stay with her grandparents in the country. Already feeling ambivalent about the new baby, will this separation make matters worse? JFIC

Junebug in Trouble by Alice Mead
After moving away from a tough housing project, Junebug discovers that one of his old buddies is showing an interest in gangs. Wanting to help, Junebug finds himself reaching out to his troubled friend and surprisingly to his own imprisoned dad as well. JFIC

Slam! by Walter Dean Myers
A talented high school basketball player realizes the need to improve his "off court" skills just as much as his ball playing skills. JFIC

Trouble Don't Last by Shelley Pearsall
Being a slave is the only life that eleven year old Samuel knows. Unexpectedly awakened one night by his old friend Harrison, he is forced to leave behind his miserable familiar life in exchange for a perilous journey and a faint hope of freedom. JFIC

The Land by Mildred Taylor
Paul Edward, son of a white plantation owner and a slave, is determined to succeed on his own in post Civil War Mississippi. A prequel to the Newbery Award-winning Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. JFIC

Willimena and the Cookie Money by Valerie Wilson Wesley
In her attempt to help the less fortunate, Willimena spends the money that she has collected selling girl scout cookies. Now she and her sister must find a way to raise the money before anyone finds out. JFIC

Between Madison and Palmetto by Jacqueline Woodson
When Maizon returns from boarding school, two best friends are reunited and try to continue their friendship despite new people and pressures. JFIC

A Piece of Heaven by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Despite having an unstable home life, thirteen year-old Haley remains optimistic because of a special friendship. JFIC

Easy Nonfiction

The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children by Davida Adedjouma, editor
A collection of twenty poems by children, celebrating "black" in their lives. J821.08 P

Brothers of the Knight by Debbie Allen
The classic tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses gets a new setting, Harlem, and a new cast, twelve boys who dance holes in their high tops.  J398.208 A

Rock of Ages: A Tribute to the Black Church by Tonya Bolden
The history and importance of the Black Church is thoughtfully presented in poetic words and stirring pictures. E821 B

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
In 1960, when she was six, Ruby Bridges was the first black student at an all-white school in New Orleans. Here, she describes that experience and her life since. J379.263 B

Satchel Paige by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Legendary pitcher Leroy (Satchel) Paige played in the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues, and was the first African American inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. J 796.357 P

Coming Home: From the Life of Langston Hughes by Floyd Cooper
In this story of the famous poet's childhood, young Langston lives mainly with his grandmother and a foster family and dreams of a permanent home with his parents. EB Hughes

Rosa Parks by Eloise Greenfield
An illustrated biography of the woman who, by bravely refusing to give her bus seat to a white person in 1955, is credited with beginning the Civil Rights Movement. J323.4 G