African Beginnings

by Floyd Cooper (Illustrator), James Haskins, Kathleen Benson

The first title of a series presents the history of Africa's rich cultural empires from the early part of the millennium through the time of Christopher Columbus. Reprint.

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction, Picture Books, History, Medieval History, Medieval, Historical

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 1998

About the author

Floyd Cooper was an American children's book illustrator and author who focused on Black history. He received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in Joyce Carol Thomas' The Blacker the Berry. He also received several Coretta Scott King Honors for his illustrations.

Reviews

[Amy Bodkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

More knowledge on African History than most World History Textbooks provide!!

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting viewpoints - made me want a deeper dive in an adult non-fiction book.

[Stephanie Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

"African Beginnings" tells the history of ancient African civilizations dating back to about 3800 BC. This book is incredible with the detailed pictures and text that goes along with them. It is good to utilize in a history section of class because it gives factual information, with beautiful pictures to create a visual idea of how civilizations were in the past. Many times, when learning about ancient civilizations at a young age, the information can get boring because students do not relate to, or connect with what they are learning. By incorporating this book into a lesson plan, the students will have stories to read with visuals to accompany the stories which will entertain and hold their attention more often.

[LeAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One-page chapters of African history from Nubia to slavery.
Soft, dreamy illustrations that evoke a lost past.

[Cws]

J960HAS

[Addison Children's Services]

From the ancient kingdom of Kush, whose black pharaohs ruled Egypt for nearly a century, to the sixteenth-century empire of the Kongo, whose emperor was so powerful he was able to halt the trade in slaves for a number of years, the African continent rang with a series of glorious civilizations that have had a lasting impact on the world's history, and on American culture. 6/14/2018