Colorado Parks & Wildlife Research Library

An African American boy and his family are getting ready for Christmas on Christmas Eve. He wonders what Santa really looks like, and finds out that he looks just like him.

"Rich Paul grew up in a Cleveland that hadn't won a sports championship in decades. He and his siblings lived with their mother, who struggled with addiction, in a one-bedroom apartment in the poverty-stricken Glenville neighborhood. Young Rich dreamed of becoming a star athlete but realized quickly that his small stature would make it nearly impossible. A serious child with a mind for detail, he went to private school and then college at his shop-owner...

This rhythmic, read-aloud title is an unbridled celebration of the self-esteem, confidence, and swagger boys feel when they leave the barbers chair-a tradition that places on their heads a figurative crown, beaming with jewels, that confirms their brilliance and worth and helps them not only love and accept themselves but also take a giant step toward caring how they present themselves to the world. The fresh cuts. Thats where it all begins.

Twelve-year-old Cole's behavior causes his mother to drive him from Detroit to Philadelphia to live with a father he has never known, but who soon has Cole involved with a group of African-American "cowboys" who rescue horses and use them to steer youths away from drugs and gangs.

"What does the perfect song sound like? Normally, Malcolm Kid wouldn’t give this type of question the time of day. As a straight B-student with a heart of copper, he is far more concerned with overcoming mediocrity than he is with achieving perfection. But that all changes when he stumbles across the LK-2000—a strange keyboard cursed with the soul of an old jazz musician. Malcolm soon learns that the only way to free this musician’s soul is...

"In the United States, children of color are disproportionately affected by poverty, poor educational outcomes, and structural discrimination. In Reimagining Equality, Nancy E. Dowd sets out to examine the roots of these inequalities and their implications for all children by tracing the life course of black boys from birth to age 18. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, the book demonstrates that black boys encounter challenges and barriers that...

"This heartfelt story tells the true but unlikely tale of a young woman working in the city and a young boy in desperate need of friendship and guidance. In the short time after they meet, Laura realizes Maurice has never celebrated Christmas, so she opens her heart and her home and sets out to show him how wondrous the holiday is. What she finds through his glowing eyes is that the meaning of the holiday is truly about giving, not getting, as they...

Portico Reeves's superpower is making sure all the other superheroes, like his parents and two best friends, stay super. And safe. Super safe. And he does this all in secret. No one in his civilian life knows he's actually... Stuntboy! But his regular Portico identity is pretty cool, too. He lives in the biggest house on the block, maybe in the whole city, which basically makes it a castle. His mom calls where they live an apartment building. But...

American Promise is a coming of age story exploring the lives of two African American boys and their families. Their hopes, struggles, achievements and failures are revealed as they make tough decisions to guarantee a better future for their boys.

The latest in Spike Lee's Chronicles of Brooklyn series, the film tells the story of Flik Royale, a young boy from Atlanta who has come to spend the summer with his religious grandfather, Bishop Enoch Rouse, in the housing projects of Red Hook, New York. Between his grandfather's preaching and the culture shock of city life, Flik's summer appears to be a total disaster, until he meets Chazz Morningstar, a girl his age, who shows Flik the brighter...