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Black History Month Books for Kids
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Celebrate Black History Month with fiction and informational books for young readers.
Updated January 29, 2024
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Mae makes a way : the true story of Mae Reeves, hat & history maker
Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
Paper Book
Tip your hat to fashion designer and civil rights icon Mae Reeves in this picture book biography written in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture! "A fine introduction to a determined trailblazer." -The New York Times...
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Unstoppable John: How John Lewis Got His Library Card--And Helped Change History
Zietlow Miller, Pat
Paper Book
A poignant picture book biography on how John Lewis got his library card and helped change history. All John Lewis wanted was a library card, but in 1956, libraries were only for white people. That didn't seem fair to John, and so he spent a lifetime advocating for...
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Invincible : fathers and mothers of Black America
Hudson, Wade
Paper Book
This lyrical picture book explores the birth of Black America, focusing on the little-known men and women who fought for justice and for an America where freedom truly rang for all. We're familiar with the founding fathers of white America, but who are the founding fathers (and...
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Build a house
Giddens, Rhiannon
Paper Book
Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens celebrates Black history and culture in her unflinching, uplifting, and gorgeously illustrated picture book debut. I learned your words and wrote my song. I put my story down. As an acclaimed musician, singer, songwriter,...
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The ABCs of Black history
Cortez, Rio
Paper Book
In this New York Times Bestseller, B is for Beautiful, Brave, and Bright! And for a Book that takes a Bold journey through the alphabet of Black history and culture. Letter by letter, The ABCs of Black History celebrates a...
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Who are your people?
Sellers, Bakari
Paper Book
This inspiring picture book by New York Times bestselling author Bakari Sellers is a tribute to the family and community that help make us who we are. Perfect for sharing and gifting. When you meet someone for the first time, they might ask, "Who are your people" and "Where...
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Born on the water
Hannah-Jones, Nikole
Paper Book
The 1619 Project's lyrical picture book in verse chronicles the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States, thoughtfully rendered by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning author Renee Watson. A...
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Whoosh! : Lonnie Johnson's super-soaking stream of inventions
Barton, Chris
Paper Book
Celebrate Lonnie Johnson, inventor of the Super Soaker, in this inspiring STEM picture book biography about the maker of one of the world's favorite toys. You know the Super Soaker. It's one of top twenty toys of all time. And it was invented entirely by accident. Trying to...
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Black artists shaping the world
Jackson, Sharna
Paper Book
Written by award-winning Black British children's author Sharna Jackson, Black Artists Shaping the World celebrates the diversity of work being produced today by Black artists from around the globe, introducing young readers to twenty-six contemporary artists from Africa and of the African...
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There was a party for Langston
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
A Caldecott Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds's debut picture book is a snappy, joyous ode to Word King, literary genius, and glass-ceiling smasher Langston Hughes and...
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Stacey's extraordinary words
Abrams, Stacey
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestseller and NAACP Image Award winner! The debut picture book from bestselling author Stacey Abrams is an inspiring tale of determination, based on her own childhood. Stacey is a little girl who loves words more than anything. She loves reading them,...
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Hurricane child
Callender, Kacen
Paper Book
Prepare to be swept up by this exquisite novel that reminds us that grief and love can open the world in mystical ways.Winner of the Stonewall Book Award!Winner of the Lambda Literary Award!Caroline Murphy is a Hurricane Child.Being born during a hurricane is unlucky, and twelve-year...
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Goldie Vance : the hotel whodunit : an original novel
Rivera, Lilliam
Paper Book
Move over, Nancy Drew--there's a new sleuth in town! Inspired by the beloved comic series, Goldie Vance is ready to sleuth her way through never-before-seen mysteries in this original novel series by Lilliam Rivera featuring 16 full-color comic pages! ...
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A Year of Black Joy : 52 Black Voices Share Their Life Passions
Orlando, Jade
Paper Book
This joy-filled collection of contributions from 52 cultural luminaries from around the world. Discover the joy of chess with Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, then learn the moves of the game. Find the joy in stories with award-winning author Patrice Lawrence, then gather the tools to write your own....
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Rooting for plants : the unstoppable Charles S. Parker, Black botanist and collector
Harrington, Janice N.
Paper Book
Meet Charles S. Parker, an unsung yet trailblazing Black scientist who made major contributions to the fields of botany (the study of plants) and mycology (the study of fungi) in this inspiring STEM/STEAM picture book biography from the creators of Buzzing with Questions. ...
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The people remember
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu
Paper Book
From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her debut picture book--a tour de force that uses the principles of Kwanzaa to talk about the history of African Americans. This lyrical, powerful tribute is sumptuously illustrated by New Yorker artist and rising star Loveis...
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Remember us
Woodson, Jacqueline
Paper Book
National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson brings readers a powerful story that delves deeply into life's burning questions about time and memory and what we take with us into the future. It seems like Sage's whole world is on fire the summer before she starts seventh grade....
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Brown girl, brown girl
Honoré, Leslé
Paper Book
This powerful and hopeful picture book--inspired by the historic election of Vice President Kamala Harris--celebrates brown and Black girls and is magnificently illustrated by a Caldecott Honor-winning artist. Brown girl, brown girl, what did you see?...
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Harlem at four
Datcher, Michael
Paper Book
A stunning picture book comprising two incredible stories-the first part chronicles the adventures of a four-year-old Black girl named Harlem, while the second part describes the history of Harlem the neighborhood. From a New York Times bestselling author and a critically acclaimed...
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We are here
Charles, Tami
Paper Book
An empowering follow-up to New York Times bestselling picture book All Because You Matter that celebrates the rich history of Black and brown men and women throughout history with soaring language and stunning illustration. Lyrical, affirmational, and bursting with love,...
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One big open sky
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free--or cost them everything they have--in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement. 1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer...
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Hip-Hop : the beat of America
Williams, Jarrett
Paper Book
MUSICAL REVOLUTION SWEEPS NATION AND BEYOND How did a bunch of young people from the inner city create a genre of music that became a global phenomenon? From its humble origins at house parties in the Bronx, where DJs mixed old records to create new sounds, charismatic MCs let their...
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Kin : rooted in hope
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Paper Book
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book A Boston Globe-Horn Book Poetry Award Winner An "imaginative and moving" (The Horn Book, starred review) portrait of a Black family tree shaped by enslavement and freedom, rendered in searing poems by ALSC Children's...
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Kamala Harris
Mirchandani, Raakhee
Paper Book
Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris! Kamala Harris always wanted to...
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Maya Angelou finds her voice
Roop, Connie
Paper Book
Inspired by a true story from Maya Angelou's childhood, this expertly researched and luminously illustrated picture book explores how a beloved mentor helped young Maya rediscover the poetry of self-expression and the power of her voice. Maya Angelou loves words. She whispers,...
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Radiant
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux
Paper Book
A historical middle-grade novel in verse from multiple Coretta Scott King winner Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. As school begins in 1963, Cooper Dale wrestles with what it means to "shine" for a black girl in a predominantly white community near Pittsburgh. Set against the historic...
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The probability of everything
Everett, Sarah
Paper Book
"One of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever)." --Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club NPR Books We Love 2023 | Publishers Weekly Best of 2023 | Winner of the Governor General's Literary Awards for Young People's Literature A heart-wrenching middle grade debut about Kemi, an...
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The whole hole story
McInerny, Vivian
Paper Book
In Vivian McInerny's playful debut, readers will fall in love with wonder again as Zia imagines what might happen if the hole in her pocket became big enough to fall right through. The Whole Hole Story is perfect for readers looking for a fresh take on the classic Harold and the Purple Crayon. ...
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Hair love
Cherry, Matthew A.
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller and tie-in to Academy-Award Winning Short Film "Hair Love" "I love that Hair Love is highlighting the relationship between a Black father and daughter. Matthew leads the ranks of new creatives who are telling unique stories of the Black...
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