The ABCs of Black History

Written by Rio Cortez
Illustrated by Lauren Semmer
Reviewed by Emily Richardson

“M is for march, for lifting our feet, taking the movement, the cause to the street. Black lives matter. Every breath, every dream – Every thought, each idea, each impossible scheme. The might of our message is easy to hear: The drumbeat of hope is louder than fear.”

In this lyrical and vibrant alphabet picture book, poet Rio Cortez and illustrator Lauren Semmer present some of the iconic figures, events, and places that define Black culture and history spanning across continents and centuries. With so many big ideas packed into this picture book, there are opportunities for readers of all ages to launch their learning about significant moments from across the diaspora. This book does a beautiful job of honoring the dimensionality of the Black community, operationalizing an intersectional, globalized lens that honors the trials and triumphs from both past and present.

In the classroom, this book is especially useful for any time curriculum calls for an alphabet book (words that start with each highlighted letter are bolded), to introduce a wide breadth of topics related to Black history for Black History Month, to teach definitions for words like anthem and community in an embedded and meaningful context (supported by a handy glossary in the back matter of the book), and to find additional high-quality resources for teaching about Black history among many other purposes. It can also act as a mentor text for highlighting how a rhyme scheme can enhance a writers’ work, or for demonstrating a creative approach to nonfiction writing. Since it covers so many big ideas, this book is best suited for covering over several days to allow readers to fully absorb its contents.

The ABCs of Black History should be an anchor text in every classroom library, providing ‘windows’ and ‘mirrors’ about the experiences of the Black community and giving students the opportunity to honor and admire the stories that hold significance in the community. While the book covers a wide variety of ideas, it is definitely a cursory view of many of them and will inspire students and educators alike to dig in further once they’ve put the book down. For anyone looking for an exciting read covering the A to Z of Black history, this may just be a perfect fit.

A peek into the back matter!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *