But Ringgold’s path to success has not been easy. Her children’s books, including the Caldecott Honor Book Tar Beach, have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Faith Ringgold’s artworks-startling “story quilts,” politically charged paintings, and more-hang in the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and other major museums around the world, as well as in the private collections of Maya Angelou, Bill Cosby, and Oprah Winfrey. In We Flew over the Bridge, one of the country’s preeminent African American artists-and award-winning children’s book authors-shares the fascinating story of her life. Featuring recommendations for over 150 children’s books to support positive identity formation in Black children and 70+ activities and ideas to pair with children’s book read-alouds. Targeting the Black identity specifically, the lessons are designed to be engaging, meaningful and effective for all students, so each child feels valued and accepted while also gaining the knowledge and skills that they need to be successful. Supplementing and complementing any curriculum, this critical resource provides information across social-emotional, academic, and fine arts domains that stay faithful to curricular goals while specifically targeting the racial identity needs of Black preschoolers. It links together lesson planning insights, academic activities, and children’s book recommendations that are designed to facilitate positive racial identity in Black children, covering topics including hair texture, skin tone, language, self-esteem, and media representation. I Like Myself uses the latest research into positive identity formation to provide practical solutions for educators. It is critical that young children begin to form a positive sense of their own identity. Support young Black children in developing a positive racial identity.

Counting to tar beach