Book Readings

Our Youth Program’s Manager, Joseph, reads Mary Wears What She Wants, inspired by the true story of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker. Dr. Walker broke social norms by wearing what made her feel her best. What are your favorite outfits that make you feel brave? Share with us your favorite outfits and how they inspire you at education@acwm.org.

Our Youth Program’s Join our Youth Programs Manager, Joseph as he reads Before She was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Take a journey into Harriet’s past to how she became to be the hero we know today!

Now it’s your turn to be a historian. Talk to an older person in your life and ask them about their journey to who they are today! Make a record of it by either writing it down in a journal, make a video or make it into a comic strip! We’d love to see what you’ve come up with, share your activity by sending a copy to education@acwm.org.

Join our Youth Programs Manager, Joseph as he reads “All Different Now” by Angela Johnson and E.B. Lewis. Through the eyes of one little girl, All Different Now tells the story of the first Juneteenth, the day freedom finally came to the last of the slaves in the South.

How do you plan when things might be different? What are the things you consider? We’d love to see what you’ve come up with, whether you write it down or draw a picture, share your activity by sending a copy to education@acwm.org.

Join our Youth Programs Manager, Joseph as he reads “Two Friends” by Dean Robbins and illustrated by Salina Alko and Sean Qualls. This story imagines what it was like when Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass got together for a cup of tea and discussed their struggle for civil rights.

What do you do with your friends? Do you play video games or talk about your day? We’d love to see what you’ve come up with, whether you write it down or draw a picture, share your activity by sending a copy to education@acwm.org.

Join Joseph as he reads “I am Abraham Lincoln” by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. Follow the adventures of a young Abraham Lincoln learning important lessons and the different ways you can be brave.

When was the last time you felt brave? Did you squash a scary bug, prepare for a test, or go to the doctor? We’d love to see what you’ve come up with, whether you write it down or draw a picture, share your activity by sending a copy to education@acwm.org.

Join Joseph for Part 1 of “So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom” by Gary D. Schmidt and illustrated by Daniel Minter. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery but possessed a mind and a vision that knew no bounds. So Tall Within traces her life from her painful childhood through her remarkable emancipation to her incredible leadership in the movement for rights for both women and African Americans.

Join Joseph for Part 2 of “So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom” by Gary D. Schmidt and illustrated by Daniel Minter. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery but possessed a mind and a vision that knew no bounds. So Tall Within traces her life from her painful childhood through her remarkable emancipation to her incredible leadership in the movement for rights for both women and African Americans.

Who are some of your heroes? Are they people that you see in TV or are they people in your family? Draw a picture of your heroes and write down what makes them your hero. We’d love to see what you’ve come up with, whether you write it down or draw a picture, share your activity by sending a copy to education@acwm.org.

Join Joseph for Part 1 of “Elizabeth Started All the Trouble” by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Matt Faulkner. In 1840, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and three other women ignited a movement for women’s rights that continues today. Matt Faulkner’s humorous illustrations combined with Doreen Rappaport’s engaging text provide a picture on the struggle for equal rights for women in this inspiring and often funny book.

What do you believe in? Have you ever said so and found out that someone felt the same way? Draw a picture or write down about that time. We’d love to see what you’ve come up with, whether you write it down or draw a picture, share your activity by sending a copy to education@acwm.org.

Join Joseph as we read “Henry’s Freedom Box” by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson. Henry Brown doesn’t know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves’ birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday — his first day of freedom.