Books by African-American Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults

Williams helps to fill a void by providing background information on the contributions of African-Americans to children's and young adult literature.

Identifying books written and illustrated by black writers and artists, her book helps to identify those works especially appropriate for caregivers and young readers, their parents, teachers, and other nurturers and to provide meaningful responses to questions regarding the identification or indigenous textual and graphic materials for young readers and students.

The contents represent numerous works published during the 20th century up to the beginning of 1990. Organized into four chapters, the book includes - descriptions of 250 books appropriate for children of pre-school to third grade; more than 350 descriptions of books considered appropriate for use by or with readers from grades five through eight; over 700 books which should inform and challenge readers at the senior high school level and above; and information about black illustrators and their works.

Literary and artistic awards and prizes are listed for quick reference and identification.