Mrs. Malecha Reads!

by Margot Lee Shetterly Lexile:  1120 Genre:  Informtational/Biography Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were mathematical pioneers who were responsible for many of the calculations that got the very first U.S. astronauts into space.  Read about how these inspirational African American women broke many barriers in their quest to be recognized for the important work they did.

Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh Genre: Biography Awards:  Robert F. Silbert International Book Medal, Orbis Pictus Honor Book, Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada (1852-1913) learned how to draw at a young age and eventually became a shop owner and the artist of cartoons.  Many of his cartoons were political and caused him problems as he lived in a country that was not known for embracing the freedom of speech.  His drawings of calaveras, skeletons, became popular throughout Mexico, the United States, and Canada.  His skeleton drawings have become synonymous with Mexico's Day of the Dead festival.

by Matt Tavares Lexile: AD820 Genre:  Biography Award:  Orbis Pictus Honoree Pedro and Ramon Martinez grew up in the Dominican Republic, along way from where they eventually end up.  As children, they loved to play baseball.  When Pedro's brother Ramon turned 16, he was offered a contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He used some of that money to buy Pedro his first real baseball glove.  Pedro tagged along after Ramon as often as he could and eventually he too caught the eye of the scouts from the Los Angeles Dodgers.  With a lot of hard work and the support of his brother, Pedro too got a chance to play in the major league.

The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson Illustrated by Sean Qualls Lexile:  AD770 Genre:  Biography Award: Schneider Family Book Award, 2016-17 Star of the North Picture Book Nominee Emmanuel was born with one leg and a dream.  His dream was to show the word that one person is enough to change the world.  When he was born, his father left and his mother taught him that if there was something he wanted, he would have to learn how to get it for himself.  So he learned to crawl and eventually hop.  Emmanuel wanted an education in a time when people with disabilities were not thought to be worthy of an education, but he didn't let that stop him.  When his mother got sick, he had to quit school and move to the city in order to support his family, but she gave him one final gift of words:  "Be respectful, take care of your family, don't ever beg.  And don't give up."

John McLendon and the Secret Game by John Coy Illustrated by Randy DuBurke Genre:  Biography Award:  Orbis Pictus Honoree In North Carolina in 1944, basketball was segregated.  White and Black colleges did not play against each other.  White and Black players could not play on the same team as each other.  But Coach John McLendon believed that "...we all play basketball, that we all played it well, and that we should be playing it together."  He arranged for a secret game to take place between the North Carolina College Eagles and Duke University.  What happened next, surprised just about everyone who knew about it.

Robert Battle's Journey to Alvin Ailey by Lesa Cline-Ransome Illustrated by James E. Ransome Lexile:  1060 Genre:  Biography Award:  Orbis Pictus Honoree My Story, My Dance is the biography of Robert Battle's journey from a young child with a disability to a famous dancer.  Robert had many obstacles to overcome as he started dancing at the age of 13 when most of the other students were age 5.  He was determined to achieve his dream which led him all the way to becoming the director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.