A Week Into Black History Month

What are you reading?

Right now I'm reading I, Juan de Pareja, by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño, winner of the Newbery Award in 1966. Juan de Pareja lived as a slave in Spain in the 1600s, and became the assistant to Diego Velázquez. Both were dedicated to painting. The book is historical fiction, weaving as much fact as the author could learn together with enlivening fictional details about the daily lives of the characters.

It seems like there must be more historical fiction centering Black lives, set outside the U.S. and before 1900. But I haven't found anything yet.

 

 

Here's a post on African American picture books from 16 years ago, when I spent more time with picture books. (My son was 7 then.) 

 

 

 

  

30 Day of Books

I like this idea. I'm going to start writing posts now but post them each day of March. I'll be posting links to them on BlueSky.

 

 

I have way too many favorite books to pick just one for each day, so on many days there will be a few books. And I might have to make up some categories of my own.

 

I'll definitely have a story to tell most days. (I'm hoping for all.)

 

Join me?