Getting you to. . .Bronzeville

One of the museums featured in our Museum Adventure Pass program is the Bronzeville Children's Museum. My family visited there recently to check it out. While the museum is more structured than many other children's museums, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. We learned lots about Bronzeville, a neighborhood in Chicago where African-Americans settled after coming from the South. Tours of the exhibits are designed for children ages 3 to 9, and include video presentations, crafts, and hands-on activities. The tours are offered on the hour, so you should schedule your trip accordingly. Be sure to get travel directions before you go because the museum is actually located a little south of the Bronzeville neighborhood.

After you finish your museum visit, you can head north to visit Bronzeville for some great soul food. My family and I enjoyed Chicago's Home of Chicken and Waffles, 3947 S. Martin Luther King Drive. The wait for a table can be quite long, so we felt lucky to be seated after only 20 minutes. Eating fried chicken and waffles together was a unique sweet and salty experience. Even if your children aren't adventurous eaters, they will enjoy the mac & cheese. You may even be able to persuade them to try some excellent collard greens or red beans & rice.

After your trip, come to the library for some great books to check out by or about African-Americans.

This year's Caldecott Award winner, The Lion & the Mouse is a beautiful, wordless book by Jerry Pinkney.


We Are the Ship: the Story of Negro League Baseball is a fascinating history of Negro League baseball from the 1920's through 1947.





More Tales of Uncle Remus is a lively book of trickster stories about Brer Rabbit that is fun for families to read aloud together.


Savion!: My Life in Tap is an autobiography by Savion Glover, a dancer and choreographer who has appeared regularly on Sesame Street and Broadway.


I hope you have a chance to celebrate Black History Month with some great books and a trip to Bronzeville.