Children's Book Suggestions | Black History Month 2025

A few of our favorite books about Black Americans past and present published in 2024. For more book ideas, check out our Black History Month 2024 Picture Book and Chapter Book lists or browse the library catalog.

More great books are honored annually with the Children's Africana Book Award, Coretta Scott King Book Awards, and NAACP Image Awards.

Updated January 11, 2025
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Words are magic!
Avant-garde, Zaila
Paper Book
Scripps National Spelling Bee champ Zaila Avant-garde shares her love of words with new readers in this level 1 Step Into Reading book. A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Words are magic! Have you heard? Pick a letter. Make a word!

Early Reader (Level 1)

Ready? Set. Puppies!
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux
Paper Book
The puppies are coming! This Step 2 is perfect for readers age 4 to 6 and captures the anticipation of waiting for your best friend's dog to have puppies. Will Raymond get to keep one? Raymond and Roxy love playing together-and so do their pets! One day, Raymond learns that Roxy...

Early Reader (Level 2)

Gamerville
Christmas, Johnnie.
Paper Book
A video gamer's championship aspirations are dashed when his parents send him to Camp Reset, where electronics are forbidden and you're forced to socialize, eat healthy, and spend time outside. Gamerville is a timely and vulnerable exploration of the importance of human connection...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

Heroes of the pirate ship
Merleh, Esi
Paper Book
Open the magic face paints and adventure awaits . . . Pirate ship or Robot world Which one will you choose? In each a race to find the prize, will you win or lose? Austin, Alanna, and sausage dog Ozzy have been transformed into pirates! Their mission is to find a...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Evelyn and Avery : the art of friendship.
Pierre, Elle
Paper Book
Set in a whimsical world with both human and animal friends, this debut graphic novel series is about besties who make crafts, mistakes, and friendships. Publishers Weekly Early Reader Spotlight Pick! Kirkus Reviews says, "A cute yet complex tale about solving conflicts with creative...

Bridging Graphic Novel (Grades 2-4)

Buckle up!
Lindell, Lawrence
Paper Book
Figuring out family is no easy street, especially in a divorce. Perfect for fans of New Kid and Smile, this contemporary graphic novel introduces a young boy navigating life with his dad, one car ride at a time. Lonnie is going through big changes in his life-with...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

The everybody experiment
Ramée, Lisa Moore
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of A Good Kind of Trouble, Lisa Moore Ramée, comes a hilarious and heartfelt young middle grade novel, in the vein of Judy Blume, about friendship, fitting in, and the ups and downs of middle school. Sure to resonate with fans of Rebecca Stead...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Art club
Doucet, Rashad
Paper Book
Inspired by the author's own childhood, this contemporary graphic novel paints a picture of an aspiring young artist on a mission to prove that the arts are worth fighting for.  Dale Donavan has heard the same lecture over and over again: Art will get you...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)


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