Black Images in Contemporary Children's Books: An Annotated Bibliography of 100 Notable Books for Young Children.

Quality books with blacks as central characters are valuable for the esteem of all children; these works are vehicles for dispelling myths and illustrating universal concerns of children. This annotated bibliography is a selective guide to 100 books published since 1980 that realistically reflect the black experience or accurately portray blacks in everyday activities. Included are picture books and folktales for children aged 4 through 9 years that have blacks as central characters. Most stories are set in the United States in urban or metropolitan areas, although a number are set in the Caribbean or Africa. This list does not include books pertaining to the black experience that have animals as main characters, biographies, poetry, and other works of non-fiction. Each annotation contains bibliographic information, the book's price and ISBN number, and a brief description. Lists of notable African American authors and illustrators are included. These books help readers develop a realization that all people, despite racial or economic differences, have certain needs and similarities. (SLD)