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BLACK CULTURE, HOMESCHOOLING, TRAVEL (AND OTHER THINGS FROM MY SWEET, IMPERFECT LIFE)
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I’m Amber
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My name is Amber O’Neal Johnston, and I started this website to document and discuss the joys and trials of raising my kids to love themselves and others.
The Latest Posts
Including #OwnVoices Books
Q: Amber, how do you feel about books featuring Black characters or people written by non-Black authors? My answer: Writer Corinne Duyvis...
7 Benefits of Launching a Kids’ Book Club
When I launched Heritage Book Club nearly seven years ago, I had no idea that it would grow to be such an incredible blessing to my family and...
Stories From Modern Day Africa
For world history and geography studies, I like for my kids to read plenty of stories from modern-day Africa. I've shared picture books and chapter...
20th-Century Black History Books
These 20th-Century Black History Books cover a period of history during which segregation tightened and racial oppression escalated across the...
Early Chapter Books Featuring Black Girls
I love books about Black history, including biographies and historical fiction. It's important for our children to learn about the past tragedies...
Morning Time Plans (1900s)
These morning time plans cover the subjects and activities that we'll do together as a family. Some things are done daily; others are one to three...
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Sign up now and receive my newly expanded Family Bonds book list, a curated collection of stories tied together with the common cord of familial bonds. You’ll also receive occasional emails featuring my latest thoughts, book recommendations, and diverse educational goodies.
Middle Grade Leisure Reading: An Insider’s View
I'm often asked about what my kids like to read in their free time, and it's always a bit difficult to say because each child prefers different...
A Place to Belong: New Book Announcement!
It is with great pleasure that I announce my new book, A Place to Belong: Celebrating Diversity and Kinship in the Home and Beyond. Since beginning...
Things to Do When Kids Are Bored
Every parent has experienced what happens when kids are bored, and my family is no exception. All of my children have been through the various...
Stories and Songs of Slave Resistance
As part of our Colonial American and Revolutionary War history studies this year, we've been reading through No More! Stories and Songs of Slave...
African American Picture Study: Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold (born October 8, 1930 in Harlem, New York City) is an American painter, writer, mixed media sculptor, and performance...
African American Christmas Books for Kids
It took several years, but we finally have a beautiful collection of African American Christmas books for kids that my entire family enjoys. Each...
20 Middle Grade Books: Black Girls Living Life
I've been very vocal about children needing literary mirrors and windows. I've also consistently shared that the books featuring Black people can't...
African American Picture Study: Artist Joshua Johnson
Artist Joshua Johnson (c. 1763—c. 1824) was an American painter of African and European ancestry from the Baltimore area, and he's...
Why I Talk About Black Books so Much
“Why do your kids only read books about Black people? Isn’t that just as bad as white kids never reading about other people?” I assume...
African American Picture Study: Prince Demah
Prince Demah (c. 1745—March 1778) was an African American painter who was formerly enslaved and active in Boston in the late 1700s....
Black Composer: Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (December 25, 1745 – June 12, 1799) was a French classical composer, virtuoso...
Book Club Notes: The Last Last Day of Summer
Our last book club meeting of the regular school year was The Last Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles. Each month, I try to share the notes I use...
Ashley Bryan: African American Artist & Author Spotlight
Ashley Bryan (born July 13, 1923) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books, most of his subjects represent the Black experience,...
Juneteenth Books: Celebrating Freedom!
Last year, I wrote a little about what Juneteenth means to my family, and I shared about a road trip we took that gave us a chance to sit in the...
Black Cowboys Booklist: Finding Joy in History
There is hard history in every time period, but for the next two years, my family will be focusing on an especially tough time in U.S. history. A...
Sweet Tea & Cookies Multicultural Enrichment Guide
Sweet Tea & Cookies is a multicultural family celebration of the American South. But it’s not about state flags, birds, flowers, and...