"Don't get took. Read a book."

A few days ago I came across this blog post, "28 Black Picture Books That Aren' About Boycotts, Buses or Basketball."  In the post, librarian, writer, poet Scott Woods give 28 recommendationa of more recent books about Black kids that hoghlight various aspects of our culture.  You can read his post here:   https://scottwoodsmakeslists.wordpress.com/2016/01/30/28-black-picture-books-that-arent-about-boycotts-buses-or-basketball/

I have been looking for books for my younger cousin, neice and nephews.  Before I buy the books, I have decided to read a few of them myself.  

The first one is The Book Itch by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.  This book tells about Black bookstore owner, Lewis Henri Micheaux from the perspective of his son as a young boy.  Lewis' passion for books and sharing books with the community is evidenced by the words he spoke and the way he ran his store.  Quotes such as "Don't get took. Read a book" and "Books will help him clear the weeds and plant the seeds so he can succeed" were commons in his store and in his home.  This is a goid book about a part of our history and piece of American history. 

You can buy it on Amazon here:  http://www.amazon.com/Book-Itch-Greatest-Bookstore-Carolrhoda-ebook/dp/B013V6OF6O/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1454391493&sr=8-1&keywords=The+book+itch