The Black Regiment of the American Revolution
Linda Crotta Brennan

During the Revolutionary War, an untested, predominatly African- American military unit valiantly faced off against professional Hessian soldiers in the fiercely-fought Battle of Rhode Island. The "Black Regiment" prevented the capture of a large Colonial force, influencing the very outcome of the war and establishing a proud tradition of African-American military service. Of national historical significance, this story has never before been detailed in a children's book. Illustrated with watercolors, maps, and historic images. Glossary, list of sources included.

All Ages

Fatuma's New Cloth
Leslie Bulion

Set in contemporary East Africa, a little girl helps her mother do the day's marketing, and looks forward to buying a piece of kanga cloth for a new dress. At the market, she meets many friendly vendors -- the tea-and-spice merchant, the dairy woman, and the pots-and-pans man. Each of them claims that his or her own product is the secret to a perfect cup of chai (tea). Whom should she believe? With her mother's calm guidance and some help from a Swahili proverb printed on her favorite kanga pattern, little Fatuma learns not to trust appearances, but to look deeper for true virtue.

The Invisible Seam
Andrew William Frew

M istress Shinyo, a renowned but aging kimono maker, values the talents of her new apprentice, Michi. The other apprentices resent Michi's skill, and they attempt to sabotage her work. But Michi has made a promise to always do her best, and she cannot allow peer pressure to break it. This historically accurate and culturally sensitive tale of jealousy, self-discipline, and forgiveness is based on a true incident in Japan around 1900.

Couldn't We Make A Difference
Michele Pace Hofbauer

Written by a parent and educator with the express purpose of teaching children the importance of accepting others, this lovely book begins with a world broken and literally deflated. Children of every race, religion, and ethnic background paint, clean, bandage, and work the pumps in an effort to re-inflate the world and restore it to health, harmony, and beauty. Colorfully illustrated and written in simple verse and rhyme, the narrative focuses on children discussing how they, working together, would fix the world's problems.

Ages: 3 - 8