Black History Month Picks for Kids

Updated February 2, 2024
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Harrison, Vashti
Paper Book
Winner of the Caldecott Medal! A Coretta Scott King Award Author and Illustrator Honor book, a National Book Award finalist, and a New York Times bestseller! This deeply moving story shares valuable lessons about fitting in, standing out, and the beauty of joyful acceptance,...
Brown girl dreaming
Woodson, Jacqueline
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award Winner A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book of the Century Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Red at the Bone, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.
Crown : an ode to the fresh cut
Barnes, Derrick
Paper Book
Don't touch my hair!
Miller, Sharee (Illustrator)
Paper Book
An entertaining picture book that teaches the importance of asking for permission first as a young girl attempts to escape the curious hands that want to touch her hair. It seems that wherever Aria goes, someone wants to touch her hair. In the street, strangers reach for her...
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...
Jabari jumps
Cornwall, Gaia.
Paper Book
"This simple and sincere tale of working up courage to face fears makes quite a splash." -- Kirkus Reviews Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he's a great jumper, so he's not scared at...
Let the children march
Clark-Robinson, Monica
Paper Book
This powerful picture book introduces young readers to a key event in the struggle for Civil Rights. Winner, Coretta Scott King Honor Award. In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for their rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King...
Little Leaders : Bold Women in Black History
Harrison, Vashti
Paper Book
I made up my mind to try. I tried and I was successful. - Bessie Coleman Meet the little leaders. They're brave. They're bold. They changed the world. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Did you know the treatment for leprosy was...
Little Leaders: Exceptional Men in Black History
Harrison, Vashti
Paper Book
This beautifully illustrated volume educates and inspires as it relates true stories of black men in history. Illuminating text paired with irresistible full-color art bring to life both iconic and lesser-known figures. Among these biographies, readers will find aviators and artists,...
Look both ways : a tale told in ten blocks
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
A National Book Award Finalist Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book UK Carnegie Medal winner An NPR Favorite Book of 2019 A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2019 A Time Best Children's Book of 2019 A...
Mae among the stars
Ahmed, Roda
Paper Book
A beautiful picture book for sharing and marking special occasions such as graduation, inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison. An Amazon Best Book of the Month! A great classroom and bedtime read-aloud, Mae Among the Stars is the...
Nic Blake and the Remarkables : the manifestor prophecy
Thomas, Angie
Paper Book
Milo imagines the world
de la Pen?a, Matt
Paper Book
The team behind the Newbery Medal winner and Caldecott Honor book Last Stop on Market Street and the award-winning New York Times bestseller Carmela Full of Wishes once again delivers a poignant and timely picture book that's sure to become an instant classic.
New kid
Craft, Jerry
Paper Book
Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature!  Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle...
Our skin : a first conversation about race
Madison, Megan
Paper Book
Based on the research that race, gender, consent, and body positivity should be discussed with toddlers on up, this read-aloud board book series offers adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way. Developed...
Radiant child : the story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Steptoe, Javaka
Paper Book
Winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award! Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he...
Stuntboy, in the meantime
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
A Schneider Family Award Honor Book for Middle Grade From Newbery Medal honoree and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds comes a hilarious, hopeful, and action-packed middle grade novel about the greatest young superhero you've never heard of, filled with...
Sulwe
Nyong'o, Lupita
Paper Book
From Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colourism, self-esteem and learning that true beauty comes from within. Sulwe's skin is the colour of midnight. She's darker than everyone in her family, and everyone at school. ...
Tristan Strong punches a hole in the sky
Mbalia, Kwame
Paper Book
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Kwame Mbalia's epic fantasy, a middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods. *"Mbalia expertly weaves a meaningful portrayal of family and community...
The year we learned to fly
Woodson, Jacqueline
Paper Book
Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López's highly anticipated companion to their #1 New York Times bestseller The Day You Begin illuminates the power in each of us to face challenges with confidence. On a dreary, stuck-inside kind of day, a brother and sister heed their...

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