Three Great Kids Books for Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and I read some great children's books with my kids that focus on the contributions of black Americans. Here are three top picks:

Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George (Random House, 2011).  This book, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrated by James E. Ransome, tells the amazing story of Joseph Boulogne, who was born in the early 1700s the son of a white plantation owner and a black salve. Joseph Boulogne traveled from his home in the West Indies to France when he was nine, eventually becoming one of the finest musicians in Europe.

Personally, I loved this story - which was completely new to me, and had a lot of surprising twists and turns as it traces Joesph's life from birth to world-famous violinist. I thought it was beautifully told, and that it explained the prejudice Joseph experienced in a real but not overwhelming way that kids could understand. Joseph was even an inspiration for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, his contemporary, although they never met.

But my kids? Not so interested. Their loss. I'm not sure if they represent a universal kid-reaction, but there you have it. Recommended for ages 5-9, though older might be better suited to the somewhat complicated storyline.

I Have A Dream: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Random House, 2012) This over-sized picture book also comes with a CD recording of King's historic speech. The book itself is the speech printed against the backdrop of illustrations by Kadir Nelson, a two-time Caldecott Honor winner. This book is recommended for all ages, and my three kids all enjoyed (ages 3-9) as did I - that speech gets me every time.

What Color is Your World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors (Candlewick Press, 2012 This book cleverly intertwines the story of a brother and sister learning about famous African American inventors while having a discussion with a well-read/historian handyman with mini bios of inventors and scientists. Inventors covered include the men behind the potato chip and the ice cream scoop, as well as the more modern innovation of the Super Soaker. One criticism, uttered by my 7-year-old daughter, "uh, there's only one woman in this whole book." Maybe an opportunity for a follow-up book focusing on the contributions from African American women?

I received review copies of these books. My opinions were not changed, and I'm pretty sure my kids don't really even know the difference between a regular, a review and a library copy.

Huggies Pull-Ups Training Pants: The Only Thing My Son Likes About Potty Training

My son Ziggy is a little over three, and his interest in using the toilet is pretty scant.

However, my interest in him using the toilet is pretty big.

Right before he was born, for reasons too convoluted to get into here, I made a deal with my husband that I would change all of our soon-to-be-born son's diapers, and as we are both contractual in nature, we've kept to this arrangement these 3+ years.

My husband even sent Ziggy over to me holding a little plastic bag filled with a wipes container and a clean diaper. And yes, I realized if Ziggy could follow that direction, he could use the potty, too.

One of the few things in the world of potty training and diapers my son actually does have an interest in is the diapers he'll wear - and that is he'll wear only Huggies Pull-Ups Training Pants with "the cars with faces," and he always specifies if he wants to wear "just the one car" or "both the two cars."

Sometimes he wears the Pull-Ups and just skips pants all-together, not sure I'm totally OK with that.

Big Sister Kay and Ziggy

Lately, Ziggy has even been able to put his Pull-Ups on by himself, carefully making sure the zipper design goes in front.

And yes, again, I realize that if Ziggy can pay this much attention to a pair of training pants, he can also learn to use the potty.

I'm always looking for a good deal on Pull-Ups, so when I found out from Collective Bias that they had a campaign to share that Walmart had a roll-back price on Huggies Pull-Ups, I knew I wanted to help spread the word about the savings.

At Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com a pack of 19 to 26 (depends on the size) Huggies Pull-Ups are a rollback price $8.97 - reduced from $9.47.

I ordered two packs, and chose to have them shipped directly to my house -- it's free to ship to your local store on orders of any size, and to your home on orders of $45 or more.

To make a trip to the potty even more enticing for my son, I also got a 9-pack of Hot Wheels cars and a starter kit of wall tracks, which I'll put on the bathroom wall in hopes it will soon be his favorite room in the house.

And while I look forward to a day in the not-so-distant future when Huggies Pull-Ups aren't on my weekly shopping list, until then I'm glad to get a good deal on training pants with "just the one car" and "both the two cars."

 

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Huggies. #HuggiesWalmart #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions are my own, and my son really does like Huggies Pull-Ups that much.