Penn State University Libraries - Collection Promotion

In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall : African American Celebrating Fathers by Javaka Steptoe.  This innovative picture book celebrates the role of fathers in the African-American experience through 13 poems illustrated with collages made from a variety of found objects, including fabrics, coins, seashells, buttons, sand, seeds, and leaves.  The illustrations capture the powerful bond between parent and child, showing fathers working in the fields and in post offices, playing basketball, fishing, tickling, or hugging. Recommended by Dawn Amsberry.

Kampung Boy  by Lat. Kampung Boy is a gem of a story about a young boy named Mat, growing up in a Malay village ("kampung")  in the 1950s. This graphic novel was written by Malaysian cartoonist Lat (real name: Mohammad Nor Khalid) in 1979, and is based on his childhood years, set around the time the country gained independence from Britain. Though this was a turbulent period in Malaysian history, you wouldn't know it from Mat's life, revolving as it does around friends, family, fishing, school, and a host of religious obligations. The setting of the book will be unfamiliar territory for most readers, but don't let that put you off! Lat has created a richly detailed, colorful world that is sure to appeal to adults and children. (Matt Groening is a fan, too.)  Recommended by Lana Munip. 

The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis.  The Watsons head to Grandma's house in Birmingham, Alabama - because 13-year-old Byron can't keep himself out of trouble - and come face to face with the Civil Rights Movement. Recommended by Megan Gilpin.

Witness  by Karen Hesse. Poetry evokes the views and feelings of a small Vermont when the Ku Klux Klan moves in. Recommended by Megan Gilpin

The First Part Last  by Angela Johnson. Everything changes when 16-year-old Bobby discovers he's going to be a father.  Recommended by Megan Gilpin.

Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger.  Starving for affection after his parents' divorce, John realizes just how hard love can be when lesbian friend Marisol doesn't return his feelings.  Recommended by Megan Gilpin.

Claudette Colvin : Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.  Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Alabama -- nine months before Rosa Parks did the same. Recommended by Megan Gilpin.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.  A graphic novel about Jin Want, the son of Taiwanese parents, who wants to escape his life. Recommended by Megan Gilpin.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie. A Native American teen does his best to avoid the life he's born to. Recommended by Megan Gilpin.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Steve Harmon is in jail for felony murder. Now, he's written a movie about where things went wrong, and how he found himself the star of his own personal horror movie. Recommended by Megan Gilpin.

My Heartbeat by Garret Freyman-Wyer.  Ellen is attracted to her brother's best friend.  But as she comes to understand the closeness between the two of them, her relationship with each begins to change. Recommended by Megan Gilpin.

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson. Jeremiah and Ellie know that they're meant to be together - even though he's black and she's Jewish, and the rest of the world has a very different opinion.  Recommended by Megan Gilpin.

The House You Pass on the Way by Jaqueline Woodson. Staggerlee is already an outsider because of the parents' interracial marriage. Things get worse,though, as she realises her feelings for her friend Hazel are changing. Recommended by Megan Gilpin.