Eric Velásquez

The author describes Christmas at his grandmother's apartment in Spanish Harlem the year she introduced him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Diego Velazquez's portrait of Juan de Pareja, which has had a profound and lasting effect on him. Overview: This prequel to Eric Velasquez's biographical picture book, Grandma's Records, is the story of a Christmas holiday that young Eric spends with his grandmother. After they prepare their traditional...

"The octopus Grandma is cooking has grown to titanic proportions. ¡Tenga cuidado! Ramsey shouts. Be careful! But it's too late. The octopus traps Grandma! Ramsey must use both art and intellect to free his beloved abuela. Then the story takes a surprising twist. And it can be read two ways. Open the fold-out pages to find Ramsey telling a story to his family. Keep the pages folded, and Ramsey's octopus adventure is real. This beautifully illustrated...

As a student, teacher, lawyer, and judge, Ruth often experienced unfair treatment. But she persisted, becoming a cultural icon, championing equality in pay and opportunity. Her brilliant mind, compelling arguments, and staunch commitment to truth and justice have convinced many to stand with her, and her fight continues to this day.

"Millie danced to jazz in her Italian neighborhood. Pedro danced to Latin songs in his Puerto Rican neighborhood. It was the 1940s in New York City, and they were forbidden to dance together . . . until first a band and then a ballroom broke the rules. Machito and His Afro-Cubans hit the scene with a brand-new sound, blending jazz trumpets and saxophones with Latin maracas and congas creating Latin jazz, music for the head, the heart, and the hips....

"As a mail carrier, Victor Hugo Green traveled across New Jersey every day. But with Jim Crow laws enforcing segregation since the late 1800s, traveling as a Black person in the US could be stressful, even dangerous. So in the 1930s, Victor created a guide--The Negro Motorist Green-Book--compiling information on where to go and what places to avoid so that Black travelers could have a safe and pleasant time. While the Green Book started out small,...

A biography of Wendell O. Scott, who made history as the only African American driver to win a race in a NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) division.

"A picture biography of educator and politician Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 was the first Black woman elected to Congress and in 1972 was the first Black candidate from a major political party (the Democratic party) to run for the United States presidency. An afterword with additional information, photographs, and source lists are included"--

While on a visit to the Anacostia Museum of the Smithsonian Insitution, Emma finds herself going back in time where, as a runaway slave, she uses the Underground Railroad to make her way to Canada.

"Era la década de 1940 en la segregada cuidad de Nueva York. Ya sea que bailaras al sonido de las trompetas y los saxofones en un salón en el barrio italiano o en la calle al son de maracas y congas en el barrio puertorriqueño, generalmente bailabas en el lugar donde vivías y con gente de tu mismo origen. Pero antes de que terminara la década, una nueva sala de baile -- el Palladium -- acogió a personas de todos los vecindarios. Cuando Millie...

A biography of the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal, from her childhood in segregated Albany, Georgia, in the 1930s, through her recognition at the 1996 Olympics as one of the hundred best athletes in Olympic history. Includes bibliographical references.