Tar Beach
by Faith Ringgold
Picture book · ages 4–8 · 650L (~3rd grade) · 1996
Why we'd hand it over
A picture book that works at 6 and deepens at 9—Ringgold's quilted illustrations and Cassie's dreaming of flight and ownership will stick with your kid for years, and the 1930s Harlem setting opens conversations about racism, class, and what freedom means.