What can you do with ten black dots? First published in 1968, Donald Crews’s bestselling classic is now a board book and just the right size and shape for its ideal audience—the very curious youngest readers. Ten Black Dots is a counting book, a book of simple rhymes, and a book of everyday objects. It’s a preschool masterpiece by the creator of such award winners as Freight Train and Truck.

Truck is written and illustrated by the celebrated creator of Freight Train, Bigmama's, School Bus, and many other classic and award-winning picture books for young children. Truck was named a Caldecott Honor Book by the American Library Association and was also named an ALA Notable Book for Children. It is an ideal book to share with preschoolers, both at home and in the classroom—especially those who love books about transportation!

In this wordless picture book, a large, bright red trailer truck packed with tricycles moves through pages of fog, truck stops, and crowded highways. "Beautifully executed and appealing."—School Library Journal

It’s that time of year and BLK MKT Vintage has proudly designed their 2026 Annual Juneteenth Commemorative T-shirt with their collection of Emancipation Day-related ephemera in mind.

They are always inspired by the layering and quilting of collage traditions and this Juneteenth, are centering vintage found photos, a poll tax receipt, antique ribbon/metal memorabilia, Galveston, Texas maps, pins, stereo-view photographs and other ephemera that make up the best of our work. The best of us, our memory, our jubilation, our collective stories and lived experiences. Designed in-house by BLK MKT Vintage.

Tees are adult size, unisex short-sleeved and screen-printed on one side. 100% Cotton. Creme color with multicolor imprints. Available sizes are XS - 3XL.

Celebrate the release of Nola and Baldwin with Donna Hill!

EVENT DEETS

When: Saturday, November 21 @ 7PM CST

Where: Kindred Stories (2310 Elgin St. Houston, TX 77004)

How: 

• RSVP ONLY to reserve your seat.

• RSVP WITH BOOK to reserve your seat and purchase a copy Nola and Baldwin, supporting both the author and our store programming. The book will be available for pickup at the event.

Please Note: Copies of Nola and Baldwin purchased from other retailers are not permitted in the bookstore and are not eligible for the signing or photo line. To participate in the signing and photo opportunity, you must purchase a copy from Kindred Stories. If you already purchased your book from Kindred Stories, you may select the RSVP Only ticket option and bring your Kindred Stories copy to the event.

If you purchase a ticket and are unable to attend the event, your ticket is non-refundable. If your ticket includes a book, an email will be sent to all attendees before and after the event with instructions on how to receive your book. Books must be claimed within 14 days following the event. If your book is not retrieved it will be returned to the publisher and will not be available for pick up in the future.

ABOUT THE BOOK

If it wasn’t for Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Nola Denny didn’t know how she would have survived her father’s tragic death or her mother’s descent into mental illness. Inspired by Hurston’s main character, Janie Crawford, Nola sets out to find her own voice, silenced by the weight of being a caretaker and the pains of her past. On her journey to New York, Nola stops in Meridian—a detour that unexpectedly leads to a fresh start, a home, and her own Tea Cake, a Pullman Porter named Baldwin Carter.

Baldwin escaped a loveless childhood and found a caring stranger who invited him into her home and gave him a chance at a new life. A proud, hardworking Pullman Porter, Baldwin must endure bowing and scraping to passengers who barely see him as a man. When he encounters Nola, he instinctively knows he has met his anchor, a woman who makes every inch of him stand tall.

Experiencing loss, hardship, and months of separation, Nola and Baldwin must come to terms with their pasts to share a future together. The young couple know that time and distance cannot separate them, and that the sacrifices they must make are not only for themselves, but for all those who come after them, searching for a better life.

Set during the end of the Great Depression, and shaped by real-world events, crisscrossing the country from South to Midwest to North, Nola and Baldwin is an epic tale of a love powerful enough to overcome the dark forces of racism that threatens to tear it apart.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Hill began hercareer in 1987 writing short stories for confession magazines and has since published more than 100 titles. She is considered one of the early pioneers of African American romance. 

She is considered one of the early pioneers of African American romance. Three of her novels, Intimate Betrayal, Masquerade and A Private Affair, have been adapted for television. Her work crosses romance, mystery and women's fiction, and her honors include the Career Achievement Award, the Trailblazer Award, the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award and the Gold Pen Award. Hill holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College and serves as Executive Director of the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College. 

ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER

ReShonda Tate is the national bestselling author of more than 50 books, including her latest The Queen of Sugar Hill, based on the life of Hattie McDaniel. Her novel, Let the Church Say Amen, was made into a film directed by actress Regina King, and produced by TD Jakes and Queen Latifah. Her book, The Secret She Kept, was also made into a TV One movie starring Kyla Pratt. ReShonda made appearances in both movies. She wrote a movie, Christmas with my Ex, which will run on TV One this winter.

A well-respected journalist and former TV News Anchor, ReShonda is currently Managing Editor for the Defender Newspaper and also works as a professional editor, ghostwriter, and literary consultant.

A highly sought-after motivational speaker and award-winning poet, ReShonda is the recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature.

This shipping option is for customers who purchased a “Ticket with a Book” but were unable to attend the event.

To have your book(s) shipped, please add the quantity of “Tickets with a Book” from your original order to your cart and include your original order number in the order notes at checkout.

Please note: Due to our limited space, we are unable to hold books for more than two weeks following an event. Customers have 14 days to pick up their books in-store at no additional cost or purchase shipping. Books that have not been picked up or arranged for shipping within that time will be donated.

Thank you for your understanding and for supporting Kindred Stories!

A truly groundbreaking exploration of the lessons learned from the basketball GOAT, Michael Jordan, from those who competed with and against him

REFLECTIONS ON MICHAEL JORDAN―the true GOAT of men’s basketball―often center around his six championships with the Chicago Bulls. There has been remarkably little in-depth coverage of his two years with the Washington Wizards at the tail end of his NBA career. Lessons from Michael Jordan is a fascinating exploration of this surprisingly fertile, influential, and largely ignored period in MJ’s life.

This volume is a conversation―a collection of personal reflections, raw insights, and lived moments shared by the people who actually played alongside Michael Jordan, learned from him, competed against him, and saw him up close during this time in his career. Lessons from Michael Jordan includes twenty-three interviews (an homage to the #23 on MJ’s jersey) conducted by Etan Thomas, with Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Jerry Stackhouse, Phil Chenier, Kwame Brown, Jahidi White, Chamique Holdsclaw, Popeye Jones, Christian Laettner, Tyronn Lue, Wes Unseld Jr., and more. 

Whether a reader is drawn to a specific voice or a theme (leadership, legacy, work ethic, media pressure, etc.), they will find a great deal to hold on to. This is a book you keep close, not just read once and shelve; it is designed so readers can pick it up, drop into any section, and walk away with something powerful.

Lessons from Michael Jordan reads like a locker room conversation turned life lesson. The tone stays raw but reflective. Each contributor brings their truth, and Etan Thomas steps in as a guide. It’s for the student who needs a shot of belief, the athlete grinding in silence, the young person wondering if they’re seen or understood―or anyone interested in learning life and basketball lessons from the greatest player to ever grace the hardwood.

From the critically acclaimed and award-winning creators of Crown and I Am Every Good Thing, Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James, comes an illustrated nonfiction young adult homage to Black athlete activists throughout history.

This is not your typical book about sports. This one begins…
“AN ATHLETE PROTESTING THE MISTREATMENT OF AMERICAN CITIZENS DOES NOT MAKE THEM ANTI-AMERICAN.”
And through a series of powerful poems, freedom-oriented prose, and dynamic illustration, Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James introduce young readers and change-makers to athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Curt Flood, and Elgin Baylor who used their voices and influence to shake up the landscape of American sports and justice.

* TIMELY AND TOPICAL: Teaches readers about a continued cultural discussion from a resonant and impactful perspective.
* MADE TO CAPTURE THE ATTENTION OF YOUNG READERS: With a mix of prose, poetry, quotes, and illustrations, readers can dive into important history that might otherwise go untold.
* FROM AN AWARD-WINNING TEAM: Caldecott Honoree Gordon C. James and Kirkus Prize, Coretta Scott King Honor, and Newbery Honor recipient Derrick Barnes have teamed up again to create a memorable, impactful, and important book---this time for young adults.

A wild, rollicking, firsthand account of the good ole days of funk from Bootsy Collins, the legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame bass guitarist for James Brown, George Clinton, and Parliament-Funkadelic. Funky foreword courtesy of Snoop Dogg.

He’s a bona fide funk legend, a rhinestone-clad style icon, and arguably one of the best bassists to ever live. (At least, according to Rolling Stone.) His career has spanned five decades: from rising to stardom playing alongside James Brown; to setting the bar, the groove, and the look of Parliament-Funkadelic; to collaborating with today’s most innovative and beloved musicians, like Anderson .Paak, Snoop Dogg, and Bruno Mars. Bootsy Collins has more than a few stories to tell.

He is no stranger to the spotlight, and tales of his escapades are whispered among music nerds and the general public. Yet Bootsy’s story has never been put on the page.

Now, in his own words — “the straight up, real deal, if I’m lyin’, I’m dyin’, and I ain’t ready to go yet”— Bootsy is ready to share with fans legendary stories about:

* the ins and outs of his three-decade relationship with mentor and sometimes tormentor James Brown—including dropping acid with the Godfather of Soul himself
* how a one-night stand almost resulted in him being killed by a member of Florida’s Black Mafia
* when he and the Parliament-Funkadelic crew were mistaken for a group of escaped convicts, and during a detailed cavity search, the LAPD found George Clinton’s a**-stash
* his collaborative and tumultuous relationship with funk legend George Clinton
* eventually getting clean and becoming the favorite OG for a new crop of musicians and artists

Bootsy’s story is full of heart, humor, joy, sorrow, and a whooooole lot of funk. True to its iconic creator, Funked Around, Found Out includes psychedelic photos, costumes, guitars, and other surprises that are as closely associated with Bootsy as his thumping grooves. Music fans, pop culture aficionados, and other acolytes will rejoice.

Now you can support your favorite independent bookstore everywhere you go!

Wear our little bookshop with Love and Pride.

From high fashion to everyday clothes, this book looks at the personal and political importance of Black style from the 1880s to the present.

Both during and after slavery in North America, “Sunday best” referred to clothes reserved for church or special occasions. Dressing in one’s Sunday best conveyed a sense of dignity and self-worth. Sunday best styling evolved after emancipation into the twentieth century, reflecting subsequent periods of Black cultural liberation, empowerment, and upward mobility. It is emblematic of the ways that self-fashioning in African-diasporic communities affirms humanity and communicates identity.

With examples from Canada, the Caribbean, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Sunday Best features archival and contemporary fashion alongside photography, painting, sculpture, and time-based media, looking at the significance of Black style. Essays by an interdisciplinary group of curators, designers, and scholars consider how communities throughout the African diaspora have used style as a reminder of one’s value, visibility, and agency, and the enduring influence of Sunday best dressing on artistic expression.

This richly illustrated volume is organized around the following themes:

• Origins, featuring fashion design by Christopher John Rogers and photography by James Van Der Zee
• Black church, with art by Coreen Simpson, Gordon Parks, and Laura Wheeler Waring
• Migration, through designers such as Foday Dumbuya
• Liberation, with fashion design by Spencer Badu and photography by Chantal Regnault
• Call and response, including fashion design by Patrick Kelly and photography by Melodie McDaniel

Published in association with the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Exhibition Schedule

Art Gallery of Ontario
(October 6, 2026–February 28, 2027)

Philadelphia Museum of Art
(May 1, 2027–August 8, 2027)

A sweeping history of the African American struggle against police brutality, exposing how state violence underpins the capitalist economy and tracing the long resistance movement in pursuit of racial justice and freedom for all

Rekia Boyd, Timothy Thomas, Jonathan Sanders, Breonna Taylor, Jordan Neely, and Michael Brown were casualties of war. Whether we call it a war on crime, a war on militants, or a war on drugs, law enforcement at every level has made Black neighborhoods across the country into killing fields and open-air prisons, stripping vulnerable people of equal rights, freedom of movement, and even protection from torture. In a smoldering indictment, Robin D. G. Kelley excavates the deep history of this war through the lives of the victims and their communities, drawing a direct line from today’s fatalities to the “blood at the root”―the racial terror at the heart of America’s system of exploitation and wealth accumulation.

It is a system, Kelley shows, that depends on racial and economic inequality and is maintained through not only tools of force but also tools of wealth extraction, from lynch law in Georgia to segregated housing in St. Louis to gentrification, predatory lending, civil forfeiture, and even today’s militarization of ICE.

At the same time, Making a Killing is a history of the counterwar, the legacy of collective Black resistance―the movements, tactics, thinkers, and leaders―that has long been a catalyst for change and the tip of the spear in a broader fight against rising fascism. Demanding not only justice for Black victims but also vast and visionary social transformation, these movements, from Reconstruction to the present day, hold out the possibility that we may lay to rest the America we know so that a new world may be born.