Author Tracey Baptiste takes readers on a journey across Africa to meet some of the great leaders and thinkers whose vision built a continent and shaped the world. 

Black history begins thousands of years ago with the many cultures and people of the African continent. Through portraits of ten heroic figures — from Menes, the first ruler to be called Pharaoh, to Queen Idia, a sixteenth-century power broker, visionary, and diplomat — this rich and thrilling nonfiction text goes back many millennia to introduce readers to the underrepresented stories of Black history and Black excellence.

Illustrator Hillary D. Wilson’s brilliant portraits accompany each profile, along with vivid, information-filled landscapes, maps, and graphics for readers to pore over and return to again and again.

Key Text Features

map

maps

author's note

chapters

facts

further information

further reading

headsings

historical context

historical note

foreword

illustrations

illustrator's notes

introduction

labels

photographs

references

resources

table of contents

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3
Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3
Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.