New Releases by Patricia C. McKissack

An amazing chapter in American history is now available in Step into Reading, the premier leveled reader line. In 1838, a slave ship named the Amistad took hundreds of kidnapped Africans on a long journey across the Atlantic. But the brave captives would not give up their freedom, taking over the ship so they could sail back to their homeland. This History Reader is not to be missed. Step 4 Readers use challenging vocabulary and short paragraphs to tell exciting stories. For newly independent readers who read simple sentences with confidence.

My Story: A Picture of Freedomis a tale based on the real-life memoirs of Clotee Henley, a young slave who helped over 150 slaves escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. It''s 1859 and Clotee is a slave in a Virginia plantation. It''s illegal for slaves to read and write, but Clotee is teaching herself in secret. ''Freedom'' is just another word she''s learned to write. Then she finds out about the Underground Railroad, a network of people who help runaway slaves, and discovers that freedom is more than just a word... Experience history first-hand with My Story in this all-newlook!

CORETTA SCOTT KING – JOHN STEPTOE ILLUSTRATOR AWARD FOR NEW TALENT WINNER This final, magnificent picture book from three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and Newbery Honor author Patricia McKissack is a poignant and uplifting celebration of the joy of giving. "Misery loves company," Mama says to James Otis. It''s been a rough couple of months for them, but Mama says as long as they have their health and strength, they''re blessed. One Sunday before Valentine''s Day, Reverend Dennis makes an announcement during the service-- the Temples have lost everything in a fire, and the church is collecting anything that might be useful to them. James thinks hard about what he can add to the Temple''s "love box," but what does he have worth giving? With her extraordinary gift for storytelling, McKissack--with stunning illustrations by Harrison--delivers a touching, powerful tale of compassion and reminds us all that what is given from the heart, reaches the heart.

"Part songbook, part research text, this work is perfect for families to share together or for young scholars who seek to discover an important piece of cultural history."— School Library Journal, starred review From Newbery Honor winner Patricia C. McKissack and two-time Caldecott Honor winner Brian Pinkney comes an extraordinary must-have collection of classic playtime favorites. This very special book is sure to become a treasured keepsake for African American families and will inspire joy in all who read it. Parents and grandparents will delight in sharing this exuberant book with the children in their lives. Here is a songbook, a storybook, a poetry collection, and much more, all rolled into one. Find a partner for hand claps such as “Eenie, Meenie, Sassafreeny,” or form a circle for games like “Little Sally Walker.” Gather as a family to sing well-loved songs like “Amazing Grace” and “Oh, Freedom,” or to read aloud the poetry of such African American luminaries as Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. And snuggle down to enjoy classic stories retold by the author, including Aesop’s fables and tales featuring Br’er Rabbit and Anansi the Spider. "A rich compilation to stand beside Rollins’s Christmas Gif’ and Hamilton’s The People Could Fly." —The Horn Book "An ebullient collection.... There is an undeniable warmth and sense of belonging to these tales." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred

In the slave quarters of Virginia''s cotton plantations, people pray for freedom. Everybody''s mind is on freedom. But when will it come?

Clotee is a slave in a Virginia plantation. To her, freedom is the greatest word in the world. In the slave quarters, people pray for freedom, or as they call it ''heaven''. But when will it come?

In this eerie ghost story, a cruel and greedy man is pursued by an unseen stalker. He can hear the hooves of the specter''s horseclippity-cloppity, clippity-cloppity. The faster he rides, the faster the ghost follows, until at last he arrives home. Is he safe at last, or is Ol'' Clip-Clop gonna SWALLOW HIM WHOLE?!!!!!

"Come join me as I take you back to Charleston, South Carolina, to my father''s forge in the early 1800''s. Sit with me on the woodpile as he tells a tale of faith, hope, or love." In this extraordinary collection, Charlotte Jefferies and her father Price, a former slave, introduce us to twelve best loved Bible tales, from Genesis to Daniel, and reveal their significance in the lives of African Americans--and indeed of all oppressed peoples. When Charlotte wants to understand the cruel injustices of her time, she turns to her father. Does the powerful slaveholder, Mr. Sam Riley, who seems to own all that surrounds them, also own the sun and moon? she wonders. Price''s answer is to tell the story of Creation. How can God allow an evil like slavery to exist? she asks. Price responds by telling the story of the Hebrews'' Exodus -- and shows Charlotte that someday their people, too, will be free. With exquisite clarity, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack and James Ransome -- a Newbery Honor winner and all Coretta Scott King Award winners -- brilliantly illuminate the parallels between the stories of the Jews and African-American history. Let My People Go is a triumphant celebration of both the human spirit and the enduring power of story as a source of strength. Our hope is that this book will be like a lighthouse that can guide young readers through good times and bad....The ideas that these ancient stories hold are not for one people, at one time, in one place. They are for all of us, for all times, everywhere. --from the Authors'' Note to Let My People Go

Newbery Honor–winning author McKissack and Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator Pinkney have outdone themselves in this heart-warming picture book infused with humor and the true spirit of Christmas. Christmas always comes to Nella’s house, but Santa Claus brings gifts only once in a while. That’s because it’s the Depression and Nella’s family is poor. Even so, Nella’s hoping that this year she and her two sisters will get a beautiful Baby Betty doll. On Christmas morning, the girls are beside themselves with excitement! There is Baby Betty, in all her eyelash-fluttering magnificence. “Mine!” Nella shouts, and claims the doll for herself. But soon she discovers that Baby Betty isn’t nearly as much fun as her sisters. Would it be more fun to share this very best gift with them after all?

A 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book This gorgeous picture book by Newbery Honor winner Patricia C. McKissack and two-time Caldecott Medal-winning husband-and-wife team Leo and Diane Dillon is sure to become a treasured keepsake for African American families. Set in West Africa, this a lyrical story-in-verse is about a young black boy who is kidnapped and sold into slavery, and his father who is left behind to mourn the loss of his son. Here''s a beautiful, powerful, truly unforgettable story about family, memory, and freedom. "Forceful and iconic," raves Publishers Weekly in a starred review.

Gee recalls for her grandchildren what happened in 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee, when she, aged ten, passed out flyers while her cousin and other adults held sit-ins at restaurants and lunch counters to protest segregation.

1989 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner and 1989 Caldecott Honor Book. This tale captures the life and culture forty years after the end of slavery, through the determination of a little girl.

Because she is the oldest, Carolyn assumes she is loved the best. But she has doubts when her mom spoils Carolyn''s little sister when she''s sick and posts her brother''s perfect math quiz on the fridge. Illustrations.

From Coretta Scott King Award–winning author Patricia C. McKissack comes a humorous and poignant picture book about the right time to tell the truth. “Tell the truth and shame the devil,” Libby’s mama has told her. So whatever is Libby doing wrong? Ever since she started telling only the truth, the whole world seems to be mad at her. First, it’s her best friend, Ruthie Mae, who gets upset when Libby tells all their friends that Ruthie Mae has a hole in her sock. Then Willie gives her an ugly look when she tells the teacher he hasn’t done his homework. It seems that telling the truth isn’t always so simple. Can Libby figure out what it really means to be truthful and make amends?

Using simple text and photographs, this volume briefly examines the life and work of American poet Langston Hughes.

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

Simple text and illustrations describe the life and accomplishments of the scientist who promoted the idea of crop rotation and found many uses for peanuts.

Set in the 1880s in a little-known period of black and Native American history, this riveting novel tells the story of a young Apache boy who escapes a train taking him to a reservation, only to become a special part of a young black girl''s family.

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