The African American Freedom Struggle through Children’s Literature
Developed by Andrea McEvoy Spero
Andrea is the curriculum consultant for the Liberation Curriculum at the King Research and Education Institute
and has developed curriculum materials to accompany the books below.
SFFS is willing to facilitate replication of Andrea's curriculum for anyone who is interested.

Bridges, Ruby. Through my Eyes. NY: Scholastic.1991

Colbert, Jan. Dear Dr. King: Letters from Today’s Children to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. NY: Hyperion Books for Children. 1998

Finlayson, Reggie. We Shall Overcome: The History of the American Civil Rights Movement. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company. 2003

Giovanni, Nikki. Rosa. NY: Henry Holt and Company. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. 2005.

Haskins, Jim. Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights. MA: Candlewick Press. Illustrated by Benny Andrews. 2005

Johnson, Angela. A Sweet Smell of Roses. NY: Simon and Shuster. llustrated by Eric Velasquez. 2004

Jordan, June. Fannie Lou Hamer. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. llustrated by Albert Williams. 1972

King, Casey. Oh, Freedom!: Kids Talk about the Civil Rights Movement with the People who Made it Happen. NY: Alfred A Knopf. 1997

Levine, Ellen. Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories. NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 1993

Lucas, Eileen. Cracking the Wall: The Struggles of the Little Rock Nine. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc. 1997

Morrison, Tony. Remember: The Journey to School Integration. NY: Houghton Mifflin. 2004

Nelson, Marilyn. A Wreath for Emmett Till. NY: Houghton Mifflin. 2005

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters. San Diego. Harcourt Press. 2000

Rappaport, Doreen. Nobody Gonna Turn Me ‘Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement. NY: Jump at the Sun. Illustrated by Shane Evans. 2006

Parks, Rosa. Rosa Parks: My Story. NY: Dial Books. 1992

Parks, Rosa. Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue with Today’s Youth. NY: Lee & Low Books, Inc. 1996

Rochelle, Belinda. Witnesses to Freedom: Young people who Fought for Civil Rights. NY: Lodestar Books. 1993

Rochelle, Belinda (1993). Words with Wings: A Treasury of African American Poetry and Art. Harper Collins Publishers. 2001

Thomas, Joyce Carol (2003). Linda Brown, You are not Alone: The Brown v. Board of Education decision. NY: Jump at the Sun. 2003

Weatherford, Carole. Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins. NY: Dial. Illustrated by Jerome LaGarrigue. 2004

Books for Educators

Turck, Mary C. The Civil Rights Movement for Kids: A History with 21 Activities. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. 2000

Menkart, Deborah, Murray, Alana, & View, Jenice (Eds.) Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching. (2004)