By James Weldon Johnson
Illustrated by James E. Ransome

"The Creation" was written by James Weldon Johnson in 1919, but later appeared in 1927 in God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse. In the poem, Mr. Johnson tells the biblical story of God's creation of the world, from the first night and day to the shaping of a lump of clay to form a human being. The poet's free verse captures the rhythm and character of black country sermons in the 1800s. Mr. Ransome's illustrations are a tribute to the oral traditon of black folk stories.

A Coretta Scott King Award Book

By Ferida Wolff
Illustrated by James Ransome

Lyrical prose by Ferida Wolff and richly textured paintings by Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist James Ransome invite young readers to come along and explore the magical world that opens up between dusk and dawn.

By Patricia and Frederick McKissack
Illustrated by James E. Ransome

In this extraordinary collecction, Charlotte Jefferies and her father Price, a former slave, introduce us to twelve best loved Bible tales, from Genesis to Daniel, and reveal their significance in the lives of African Americans - and indeed of all oppressed peoples.

By Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrated by James E. Ransome

How little Marshall Taylor - through dedication, undeniable talent, and daring speed - transformed himself into the extraordinary Major Taylor is chronicled in this inspiring biography. Here is the story of a kid who turned pro at the age of eighteen, went on to win the world championship title just three years later, and battled racism and the odds to become a true American hero.

Autographed by author, Lesa Cline-Ransome, as well as illustrator, James E. Ransome.

By Charlotte Zolotow
Illustrated by James Ransome

Once there was a dog who loved to run and jump and play. She was the best friend Ben - or any little boy - could have. But as Ben got older, so did his dog. One morning, Ben's old dog didn't open her eyes or wag her tail. She didn't even move. Charlotte Zolotow's remarkable insight into a universal experience - the hurt and confusion a child feels after his first encounter with death - is poignantly echoed by James Ransome's striking oil paintings.

By Donna L. Washington
Illustrated by James Ransome

This treasure trove of lavishly illustrated stories comes from different regions of Africa. Each tale reflects the rhythms and cadences of the storyteller's muse. Award-winning artist James Ransome's stunning watercolor paintings illuminate the diversity of the African people, clothing, architecture, landscape, and wildlife. Readers will discover that despite the variety, these stories about human foibles hold universal truths for everyone, everywhere.

By Angela Shelf Medearis
Illustrated by James E. Ransome

In New Orleans at the turn of the century, a young girl throws open her window one morning to a symphony of sights and sounds. The jazzy rhythms of daily life meld into the ragtime beat of a marching band as a parade sweeps down the street and everyone joins in the dancing. The toe-tapping and finger-snapping tempo of this rhyming text is a celebration of the culture of this exotic Southern city and the people who give it life.

By Robert D. San Souci
Illustrated by James Ransome

Returning from the fields one evening, John and Clara are amazed to discover all their chores at home already done and everything set out for supper. Are their invisible helpers somehow connected with the two white stones that Clara found the other day? The mysterious, magical Aunt Easter sends Clara and John on a quest to solve the mystery. Armed only with her advice and the courage of their loving hearts, the couple must confront the sinister conjure-man. If they can defeat his evil enchantments, they will unmask the secret of the stones - and fulfill their hearts' desire.

By Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrated by James E. Ransome

Look - on the corner of Thirty-fourth Street and Fifth Avenue, something amazing is happening! A building, straight and simple as a pencil, is being built in record time. Travel back to Depression-era Manhattan and join a boy just your age as he watches the world's most famous building take miraculous shape before his eyes.

By Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrated by James Ransome

As a seamstress in the Big House, Clara knows she's better off than the slaves who work the fields. But slavery has separated Clara from her mother, and she can never be happy without her. She dreams that they'll be reunited one day, and even that they will run away together - north to freedom. Then Clara hears two slaves talking about how they could find the Underground Railroad if only they had a map. In a flash of inspiration, she sees how to use the cloth in her scrap bag to sew a map of the land - a freedom quilt - that no master will ever suspect. And someday, when her quilt is complete, she will follow its path to freedom.

A beloved and bestselling book since 1993,Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt brings to life a true, little-known chapter of African American history. Deborah Hopkinson and James Ransome combine their talents in this lavish picture book full of power, emotion, and courage.

By Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrated by James E. Ransome

When night falls, and all is quiet, a slave girl starts to run. She follows the moon into the woods, leading her loved ones away from their master. There's only one place where he might not find them, and it's under the quilt of night. Ransome's rich, powerful illustrations elicit all the emotion and suspense of Hopkinson's words, in a story that's sure to make your heart race and leave you breathless.