Audiobooks Narrated by Myra Lucretia Taylor

Under the Freedom Tree

Taut free verse tells the little-known story of the first contraband camp of the Civil War--seen by some historians as the "beginning of the end of slavery in America." One night in 1861, three escaped slaves made their way from the Confederate line to a Union-held fort. The runaways were declared "contraband of war" and granted protection. As word spread, thousands of runaway slaves poured into the fort, seeking their freedom. These "contrabands" made a home for themselves, building the first African American community in the country. In 1863, they bore witness to one of the first readings of the Emancipation Proclamation in the South--beneath the sheltering branches of the tree now known as Emancipation Oak.

Susan VanHecke (Author), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Narrator)

Audiobook

When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders

In moving verse, Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis gives new voice to seventeen heroes of civil rights. Exquisitely illustrated by five extraordinary artists, this commanding collection of poems invites the reader to hear in each verse the thunder that lies in every voice, no matter how small. Featuring civil rights luminaries Coretta Scott King, Harvey Milk, Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Sylvia Mendez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Mamie Carthan Till, Helen Zia, Josh Gibson, Dennis James Banks, Mitsuye Endo, Ellison Onizuka, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Yunus, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner.

Patrick J. Lewis (Author), Corey Allen, Jennifer Ikeda, Myra Lucretia Taylor, T. Ryder Smith (Narrator)

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Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence

A biography of the African American artist who grew up in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance and became one of the most renowned painters of the life of his people.

John Duggleby (Author), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mare's War

Meet Mare, a grandmother with flair and a fascinating past. Octavia and Tali are dreading the road trip their parents are forcing them to take with their grandmother over the summer. After all, Mare isn't your typical grandmother. She drives a red sports car, wears stiletto shoes, flippy wigs, and push-up bras, and insists that she's too young to be called Grandma. But somewhere on the road, Octavia and Tali discover there's more to Mare than what you see. She was once a willful teenager who escaped her less-than-perfect life in the deep South and lied about her age to join the African American battalion of the Women's Army Corps during World War II. Told in alternating chapters, half of which follow Mare through her experiences as a WAC member and half of which follow Mare and her granddaughters on the road in the present day, this novel introduces a larger-than-life character who will stay with readers long after they finish reading.

Tanita S. Davis (Author), Myra Lucretia Taylor, Sisi Aisha Johnson (Narrator)

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Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems

Kate Coombs' children's books have garnered rave reviews from School Library Journaland been ALA Notable Book selections. Filled with imagery sure to inspire wonder in young listeners, Water Sings Blue is a delightful collection of poems celebrating the beauty of the ocean.

Kate Coombs (Author), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Narrator)

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Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood up by Sitting Down

The recipient of a Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor, Andrea Davis Pinkney is the popular author of numerous picture books and young adult novels. Sit-In recounts the historic events of 1960, when four black college students attempted to integrate a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Andrea Davis Pinkney (Author), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Narrator)

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Wonder Tales From Around the World

Traditional stories endure generation after generation because although they are not literal they resound in truths on a human scale. Folktales remind us of wisdom so elemental it is often lost in the rush of everyday life, so that sometimes common sense makes no sense at all.

Heather Forest (Author), Alma Cuervo, Greg Steinbruner, Jennifer Ikeda, Kevin Orton, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Nyambi Nyambi, Soneela Nankani (Narrator)

Audiobook

Are We Alone? Scientists Search for Life in Space

There are tons of movies about aliens coming to Earth. Sometimes they come to be our friends, sometimes they come to destroy us-and sometimes they come to make circles in our cornfields. But what about reality? Do scientists actually believe there is intelligent life somewhere out in space? In fact, many scientists spend their days looking for signs of life throughout the galaxy. Others look for ways to make contact with aliens if they exist. And still others try to figure out how life beyond Earth would even be possible. Quite a few of these scientists also have some things to say about UFOs, crop circles, alien abductions, and little green men, too. What you learn just might amaze you. Author Gloria Skurzynski condenses the major ideas about alien life into an entertaining and informative book that will surely have listeners looking toward the skies.

Gloria Skurzynski (Author), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Narrator)

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Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference

Award-winning author Joyce Hansen gives voice to 13 amazing African American women who have overcome adversity to make their mark in history. Each of these women will capture your heart and mind as you listen to their inspiring life stories. Hear about the life of acclaimed actress Ruby Dee and 1983 Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker. Meet the first African American woman to travel into space and the first African American resident neurosurgeon. These fascinating women remind us That with determination, we can overcome any obstacle. Myra Lucretia Taylor's heartwarming narration will draw you further into the lives of these astonishing women.

Joyce Hansen (Author), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Narrator)

Audiobook

Tell All the Children Our Story:Memories and Mementos of Being Young and Black in America

The first African men, women, and children in colonial America did not arrive with dreams of freedom or hopes of a new, better life. They arrived after a torturous 90-day journey called the Middle Passage. And they arrived as slaves. Since that time, African-Americans have suffered, triumphed, despaired, and dreamed. Through U.S. history, nowhere are the hopes and fears of the black experience expressed more convincingly than on the faces of black youth. Including excerpts from memoirs and diaries, this scrapbook shows the beauty and diversity of black culture through time-from the penniless to the wealthy, and from those time has forgotten to those whose names will live forever in the pages of history. The author of histories, novels, and self-help books, Tonya Bolden has received multiple awards, including Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association. A powerful reading from acclaimed Recorded Books narrators channels the full breadth and scope of Bolden's remarkable work.

Tonya Bolden (Author), Karen Chilton, Kevin R. Free, Myra Lucretia Taylor (Narrator)

Audiobook

Beautiful Blackbird

Coretta Scott King Award winner Ashley Bryan adapted this charming tale from a story told by the Ilaspeaking people of Zambia. All the birds in the forest are jealous of Blackbird, whose black feathers glisten and shine colorfully in the sunbeams. The other birds are a single color from head to foot, and none of them have even a spot of black on their feathers. Blackbird tells them that true color is on the inside, but still the birds long for black feathers. So Blackbird brews a batch of blackening to decorate all his friends.

Ashley Bryan (Author), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Road to Paris

Popular author Nikki Grimes won the Coretta Scott King Award for Bronx Masquerade. When Paris' mother snaps again, beloved brother Malcolm is carted off to a boys' home and Paris is sent to another foster home. There, biracial Paris finally finds someone else to trust. But when her mother comes back into her life, she must decide where home really is. "... well crafted and simply but elegantly told."-School Library Journal

Nikki Grimes (Author), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Narrator)

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