I came across this book while putting orders together from one of the publishing companies called Sandpiper. It is the first children’s book I have ever seen that is period-dated about an African American family, without being tied to slavery or the struggle for equal rights. Although those are incredibly important issues which we want children in the libraries we are donating in Africa to read about, it is so nice to find historical fiction with characters they can identify with, about everyday life at that time.
Below is the description:
Twelve-year-old Jason Bell waits impatiently for Christmas 1890. Set against the carefully researched background life of a middle-class black family in Ohio a century ago, “Hamilton’s story moves along at an elegant pace, giving readers time to savor the holiday preparations.”—School Library Journal