As a school librarian, I am always on the lookout for a fantastic entry point picture book to pair with student-led research lessons. This is a must for elementary school collections. The layout is bright and engaging, the span of biographies included impressive.

The digital version of this was a little challenging to read with all of the different colors (some of the lighter/brighter colors especially), but my guess is this might not be as noticeable in the print version. Overall this was a neat book with a lot of wonderful quotes and mini biographies of influential Black people. I love sharing books like this with my 5th grade students!

LOVED! Like, couldn't say enough amazing words about this. A must-have in our home library! Just SO eloquently written and inspiring!

So beautifully told, it feels like a flowing conversation. The book covers so many different fields, from sports, politics, science, arts, etc- telling the many untold success stories of black people- not just the well-known names, but also the ones we don't hear at all in mainstream textbooks and media. At the end, it also provides short bios on the different names mentioned throughout the book.
I can already see how I could use this book with my students in so many different ways: biography writing units, research projects, career day projects, and of course, discussions on celebrating black joys and achievements.

I was excited about the cover of the book which caught my eye right away however I did not like the book. I don't think this book was written with kids in mind. The words were scrambled throughout the page, it was hard to keep up with the pace of the book. I recognize the bite size information about different black leaders, this would be a great talking piece for educators, parents, caregivers, etc to dive deeper into the people that were mentioned but I just can't see a kid sitting down and making sense of the important people and what they accomplished, well, just not by themselves.

Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter written by Shani King and illustrated by Bobby C Martin has a powerful message for both children and adults.

It is very essential for every kid to believe in herself/himself and to learn about black history and understanding that all people no matter the skin color, race, religion are equally important for human development. I highly recommend this book to have a place in every household, every school, and every library.

The vivid colors and bold letters celebrate the many black individuals in every field – journalism, folk music, Jazz, poetry, literature, sports – who should be more famous than they are.

And the short bios offer an excellent start for the young readers to discover about all the great impacts Black People have made and continue to make.

5/5 stars

Genre: Children's Non-Fiction

Description:

Black lives matter. That message would be self-evident in a just world, but in this world and this America, all children need to hear it again and again, and not just to hear it but to feel and know it.

This book affirms the message repeatedly, tenderly, with cumulative power and shared pride. Celebrating Black accomplishments in music, art, literature, journalism, politics, law, science, medicine, entertainment, and sports, Shani King summons a magnificent historical and contemporary context for honoring the fortitude of Black role models, women and men, who have achieved greatness despite the grinding political and social constraints on Black life. Frederick Douglass, Toni Morrison, Sojourner Truth, John Lewis, Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin, and many more pass through these pages. An America without their struggles, aspirations, and contributions would be a shadow of the country we know. A hundred life sketches augment the narrative, opening a hundred doors to lives and thinking that aren't included in many history books. James Baldwin's challenge is here: "We are responsible for the world in which we find ourselves, if only because we are the only sentient force which can change it." Actress Viola Davis's words are here, too: "When I was younger, I did not exert my voice because I did not feel worthy of having a voice. I was taught so many things that didn't include me. Where was I? What were people like me doing?"

This book tells children what people like Viola were and are doing, and it assures Black children that they are, indisputably, worthy of having a voice.

Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter? is a book for this time and always. It is time for all children to live and breathe the certainty that Black lives matter.

Pros:

- Cool visual effects with the words and artwork.
- Don't let the number of pages overwhelm you! The words are large and its more than manageable for 9-12-year-olds.
- I adored the informational section after the story, it allowed me to answer the questions I didn't know the answers to.
- A great way to introduce prominent black figures.
- My 8-year-old bonus daughter loved it and so did I.

Cons:

- Some of the letter colors and background colors are hard to read. For example, I struggled most with the orange letters on pink background and vice versa.

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely!

This was a wonderful book full of beautiful colors and even more beautiful reminders and affirmations. The poetic celebration of the vast Black contribution to the world is particularly poignant. This will be a wonderful addition to every bookshelf and particularly for Black boys and girls as they grow up knowing that their lives matter, their contributions matter, they can and are incredible humans with so much to offer to the world.

I love the colors of the book. I love the font. I love The boldness. Most of all I loved the content especially the brief biographies at the end. It will make an excellent addition to any child's library. This book can be used in classes to allow for students to research the names highlighted.

This was a very interesting book.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but I knew I needed to read it.

This book is geared towards YA readers but I this can definitely be read by younger kids.

This books tells you about Black people who have contributed something specific to the world. Movies, music, sports, books and things along those lines.
It celebrates Black people and teaches you about so many people!

I think this would be a great book to have at all schools.
I plan to get a physical copy as I do think the ebook doesn’t do it justice.

Highly recommend it.

I picked this mostly based on the cover and expected it to be geared for YA readers, but I think it’s geared more toward younger grades. The book is split into two parts - the content of the book and then an encyclopedia in the back with brief bios for many of the Black people mentioned in the book.

The content part flows through the many aspects of culture - sports, music, movies, books, etc - and highlights some of the many Black people who have contributed in each arena. The colors are bright and vivid, the words big and eye-catching, bringing joy to these stories of Black excellence. While I don’t personally work with children that young, I can see how the brightness of the words and pictures could draw a young crowd and retain their attention.

The biographic part at the end was very cool and I think makes a nice bridge for older students to also engage with the book. While I had heard of many of the people, there were some who were new to me and I love that the figures chosen went beyond the Black people regularly held up for their excellence to highlight lesser known but equally as accomplished Black people. This would make a great starting place to educate young children about all the contributions Black people have made and continue to make to our culture.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Wow. This was utterly fascinating. I am a white individual who is continually trying to better educate myself on how to be my best self. Being my best self includes being inclusive to all.

Growing up in the southern part if the US instilled many understandings that simply were not true. As I became, and continue to become, a better global citizen I recognize that I need...I HAVE..to do better.

I am a mother to four babies. One of my biggest goals is to make sure that I can teach them to be loving to all, but to also recognize the injustices around them.

I immediately bought this book after reading this galley copy. It was utterly fascinating to see the details on the lives of some of the influential black members of history. This is a MUST have for any, and all homes.

Thank you Tilbury publishers for the privilege of reading this advanced copy.

Very good, very important, and very valuable book for our time. I learned from this book and I found it unexpectedly easy to read. The author put it in a wonderful format, and I loved the set up. Educational, as well as timely.

5/5 Stars

The graphic design in this book is eye-appealing. Bright colors, portraits, and limited text make for agreat read.

Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter? by Shani King and illustrated by Bobby C. Martin is an important book to have in all classrooms. The celebration of black individuals who have made tremendous impacts on every aspect of society was well done. I loved the colors and the premise of the book. At times, I found pages to be distracting and too much.

This feels like both an introduction to Black history and a celebration of Black lives - and how they matter. The backmatter includes brief biographies of everyone mentioned in the pages, but I love the idea of this as a starting point of a deeper education.

Rating: 4⭐⭐⭐⭐!!!!!!!!!
Book: Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter?
Release Date: AVAILABLE NOW-Released January 19, 2021
Author: Shani King, Bobby C. Martin (illustrator)
Genre: Children's Fiction | Multicultural Interest

Very colorful and vibrant. Interesting formatting of the words. I would suggest this book to a child that is a proficient reader and can understand the nuisances of the words on the pages or be read by an adult. There are so many awesome quotes and African American leaders, inventors, and people from all over the world. The last bit of the book lists great people and a blurb about each of them. This is a book that I would love to add to me classroom library for students to pull out all times of the year.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @TilburyHousePublishers @PublisherSpotlight for an advanced copy of @HaveIEverToldYouBlackLivesMatter

#HaveIEverToldYouBlackLivesMatter #TilburyHousePublishers #PublisherSpotlight #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #childrensfiction #childrensnonfiction #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #teacher #educator #classroomreads #multiculturalinterest

Pros: I am a big believer that children’s books are not just for children. Children’s nonfiction is a great place for adults to start when they want to learn about a new topic. This book would be wonderful for children and adults to read together because there are some big words and big ideas that, depending on the age of the reader, might need some discussion and guidance.

The words of the author in the introductory letter are inspiring. Also, the lists of names were very powerful. I love how the first part of the books is very graphic and would be great for reading out loud and then the second part of the book provides short biographies to help direct further learning.


Cons: I found the cover of the book to be a bit confusing. It took a few extra looks to figure out the correct order of the words of the title. The formatting in the NetGalley app was also not the best format to read this book because some pages are meant to be read as a two-page spread, and the pages were separated in this formatting. All of that being said, I can see how this book will be great in print. It is so colorful and bold and will stand out in a child’s collection of books.


Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher Spotlight – Tilbury House Publishers for the opportunity to read this book!

The illustrations in this book are spectacular - so bright, colorful, and eye-catching. While it was engaging to look through, I wanted more. Yes, there are short bios of each of the people mentioned at the end of the book, but I would have loved to have seen them throughout the book and in a larger font, perhaps alongside photographs or illustrations of each person.

I think this was a very well written and put together book. The colours were bright and engaging and I think the message is very thoughtful and direct, especially after hearing interviews with the author and his inspiration for the book. If I had any critiques of the book, it would be that I wish the biographical half of the novel was more combined with the illustrations because I think, especially for children, images of each individual (or more individuals) would help them connect with each person more! But I also think it is still just as impactful, just in a slightly different way. I could see a 10+ year old leafing through this and using it as a springboard to research and learn more about the people highlighted! Lovely.