Teaching school-aged children about the struggle for civil rights in the United States is a curricular objective. Schools have established traditions for teaching the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., and for celebrating Black History Month through the month of February. Using literature written for children is one tool that can be used to increase student understanding of the issues surrounding the U.S. civil rights movement. To effectively understand the times and places in history, it is necessary for historians and history buffs to use a timeline maintain a logical order of events. The history of African Americans has been carried on in an oral tradition using a timeline to assure accurate transcendence of information. This paper looks at titles and types of books for children about black subjects and black history that can be used in the classroom to develop student awareness of the issues surrounding civil rights. The paper states that the power of the written word helps the reader to identify ways to act on their values, understand the feelings of minority groups, examine their personal treatment of others, and explore a portion of history that was steeped with injustice. (Contains 13 references.) (BT)