Kids' Home Library by Lee Littlewood

Black History Month is coming up. Spend some time in February introducing the children in your life to the historic heroism of some of America's strongest citizens.

"January's Sparrow" by Patricia Polacco; Philomel/Penguin Young Readers Group; 95 pages; $22.99.

A gorgeous book through and through, Polacco's oversized picture book tells the true tale of 8-year-old Sadie, part of the slave Crosswhite family. After witnessing the cruel beating of a young slave friend named January, the Crosswhites flee the Kentucky plantation, headed for freedom in Marshall, Mich. But along the way, the family fears slave catchers and battles an arduous journey.

Polacco makes her spellbinding tale personal when young Sadie receives a mysterious package — her coveted toy sparrow, whittled long ago by January, now believed dead. The sparrow, with a note saying, "I found you," offers hope to the weary family, just in time to face, and stand up to, slave catchers in Marshall.

Full of heroism and drama, Polacco also makes her tale clear and hopeful for young children. A fabulous lesson plan for Black History Month, "January's Sparrow" brings a serious topic down to the level of elementary-school children, who'll hang on every word, day by day, to follow Sadie's plight.

"Back of the Bus" by Aaron Reynolds; illustrated by Floyd Cooper; Philomel/Penguin; 32 pages; $16.99.

Most children know the story of Rosa Parks. This unique retelling of her story on the bus, as seen by a young boy, offers another view. The boy, rightfully apprehensive, is inspired by Parks' calm resolve as she refuses to give up her front seat to a white man. The boy continues playing with his shiny marble, all the while noticing his mama's "worked-all-day eyes and strong chin," though Mrs. Parks eyes have become "all fierce like a lightnin' storm."

Inspiringly penned in poetry-like stanzas, Reynold's text proves the power that a single act, by a single person, can have on others. The boy's weary mother now has "lightnin' storm eyes," and he finds his toy marble seems shinier than before, "like it's smilin,' 'cuz it ain't gotta hide no more."

Cooper's beautiful oil paintings evoke an era of vintage film, topping off this lovely picture book sweetly.

"Marching for Freedom" by Elizabeth Partridge; Viking/Penguin; 72 pages; $19.99.

Critically acclaimed and award-winning, Partridge's dramatic photographic essay takes young readers directly into the line of fire during the three months of protests in 1965 for the Voting Rights Act.

Focusing on the children who faced violence in order to march alongside Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., Partridge draws on vivid recollections and up-close, black-and-white photographs to tell the story.

A stunning visual portrayal of true, recent history, Partridge's concise, inspiring text is perfect fodder for Black History Month reading.

"Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in the World" by Marilyn Nelson; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney; Dial Books/Penguin; 80 pages; $21.99.

To lighten up the mood substantially, Newbery Honor-winning author Marilyn Nelson and Caldecott Award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney join formidable forces to tell the amazingly true tale of this all-female swing band, which offered solace to a country at war in the 1940s. Presented in a unique combination of syncopated rhyme and entertaining, retro paintings, "Sweethearts of Rhythm" is lighthearted and musical, but is also a homage to this interracial women's group, asserting their talents despite the cruelties of Jim Crow laws.

Super cool and thought provoking at the same time, it's no surprise this fabulous picture book is already festooned with praise.

KIDBITS

Many other books are worthy of celebrating Black History Month.

"Child of the Civil Rights Movement" — by Paula Young Shelton and Raul Colon (Schwartz & Wade Books) — is an insightful picture book that looks at Shelton's trip back to her childhood as the daughter of civil rights leader Andrew Young.

Langston Hughes' "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Disney/Jump at the Sun Publishing), presents Hughes' timeless poem that beautifully captures the strength of black people in America.

"Ashley Bryan: Words to My Life's Songs" (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster) is a life-affirming homage to an African-American artist who sees beauty in everything. Proving that the color of one's skin doesn't need to be a hindrance, Bryan shows off his sea glass collection, puppets, stained-glass windows, as well as how he kept pastel crayons in his gas mask during World War II on the beaches of Normandy.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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