Black Voices & Culture: Books for Early Childhood

Updated January 10, 2024
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The undefeated
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
Winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal A 2020 Newbery Honor Book Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award The Newbery Award-winning author of THE CROSSOVER pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time...
I am every good thing
Barnes, Derrick
Paper Book
An upbeat, empowering, important picture book from the team that created the award-winning Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. A perfect gift for any special occasion! I am a nonstop ball of energy. Powerful and full of light. I am a...
Soul food Sunday
Bingham, Winsome
Paper Book
On Sundays, everyone gathers at Granny's for Soul Food. But today, I don't go to the backyard or the great room. I follow Granny instead. "You're a big boy now," Granny says. "Time for you to learn." At Granny's, Sunday isn't Sunday...
Nesting dolls
Brantley-Newton, Vanessa
Paper Book
Anyiaka is in awe of her gorgeous Gullah Geechee family-she wants to be beautiful like her older sister, Sorie, a great listener like her mom, and a talented artist like her grandma. But on today's visit to her grandparents' house, Anyiaka sticks out from the rest of the family like a sore thumb....
Me & Mama
Cabrera, Cozbi A.
Paper Book
A Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honor Book Mama's love is brighter than the sun, even on the rainiest of days. This celebration of a mother-daughter relationship is perfect for sharing with little ones! On a rainy day when the house smells like cinnamon and...
All because you matter
Charles, Tami
Paper Book
Instant New York Times bestseller! A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to Black and brown children everywhere: reminding them how much they matter, that they have always mattered, and they always will, from powerhouse rising star author Tami Charles and esteemed, award...
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,...
Overground railroad
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
A window into a child's experience of the Great Migration from the award-winning creators of Before She Was Harriet and Finding Langston. Climbing aboard the New York bound Silver Meteor train, Ruth Ellen embarks upon a journey toward a new life up North-- one she...
We shall overcome
Collier, Bryan
Ebook
The ABCs of Black history
Cortez, Rio
Paper Book
A 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 story that spans continents and centuries, triumph and heartbreak, creativity and...
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...
Magnificent homespun brown : a celebration
Doyon, Samara Cole
Paper Book
Magnificent Homespun Brown is an exploration of the natural world and family bonds through the eyes of young, mixed raced heroines--a living, breathing, dazzlingly multi-faceted, exuberant masterpiece, firmly grounded in a sense of self-worth and belonging. This is a story--a poem, a song, a...
Opal Lee and what it means to be free : the true story of the grandmother of Juneteenth
Duncan, Alice Faye
Paper Book
Booklist starred review Black activist Opal Lee had a vision of Juneteenth as a holiday for everyone. This true story celebrates Black joy and inspires children to see their dreams blossom. Growing up in Texas, Opal knew the history of Juneteenth, but she soon discovered that...
Change sings : a children's anthem
Gorman, Amanda
Paper Book
A lyrical picture book debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long   "I can hear change humming In its loudest, proudest song....
Something, someday
Gorman, Amanda
Paper Book
The stunning new picture book by presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Christian Robinson You're told that This won't work, But how will you know If you never try? Presidential...
Bedtime for sweet creatures
Grimes, Nikki
Paper Book
Nikki Grimes, Coretta Scott King Award winning author, and acclaimed illustrator Elizabeth Zunon's latest children's masterpiece creates an imagination-fueled and animal-filled journey to bedtime. It's bedtime. But Mommy's little one is not sleepy. He growls like a bear, he...
Big
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,...
Black is a rainbow color
Joy, Angela
Paper Book
A child reflects on the meaning of being Black in this moving and powerful anthem about a people, a culture, a history, and a legacy that lives on. Red is a rainbow color. Green sits next to blue. Yellow, orange, violet, indigo, They are rainbow colors, too, but...
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.
Going down home with Daddy
Lyons, Kelly Starling
Paper Book
Set at one young boy's annual family reunion, this Caldecott Honor-winning picture book is a rich and moving celebration of Black history, culture, and the power of family traditions. "On reunion morning, we rise before the sun. Daddy hums as he packs our car with suitcases...
Saturday
Mora, Oge
Paper Book
In this warm and tender story by the Caldecott Honor-winning creator of Thank You, Omu!, join a mother and daughter on an up-and-down journey that reminds them of what's best about Saturdays: precious time together. Today would be special. Today would be splendid. It...
Sulwe
Nyong'o, Lupita
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! Featured in its own episode in the Netflix original show Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices! Recipient of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award Recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children's...
Hey black child
Perkins, Useni Eugene
Paper Book
HEY BLACK CHILD--do you know who you are? Who you really are? So begins the widely-recited poem by Useni Eugene Perkins, to be illustrated by award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier. An ode to black children, this empowering picture book is a celebration of African-American...
Bright brown baby : a treasury
Pinkney, Andrea Davis
Paper Book
A rhythmic, whimsically illustrated celebration of Black and brown babies and the joy, tender moments, and boundless love shared between children and their caregivers, from New York Times bestselling and award-winning duo Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney. Brown baby, born...
Time for Kenny
Pinkney, J. Brian
Paper Book
Two-time Caldecott Honor artist and Coretta Scott King Medalist Brian Pinkney's Time for Kenny is simple, direct, and pitch-perfect for emerging readers. This vibrant, family-oriented picture book is full of boundless energy, action, and unlimited love. A timeless choice for fans of Laura Vaccaro...
Somewhere in the bayou
Pumphrey, Jarrett
Paper Book
When four swamp creatures looking to cross a river come upon a log that would allow for precisely that, they can't believe their luck. But a questionable tail adjacent to that log gives them second thoughts. Opossum believes it's a sneaky tail and that they must pass it quietly. Squirrel thinks it's...
A history of me
Theodore, Adrea
Paper Book
An uplifting message of hope for the future and pride in your history, inspired by a mother's experience of being the only Black child in her classroom. Who do you see when you look in the mirror? Emphasizing the strength, creativity, and courage passed down through...
Nina : a story of Nina Simone
Todd, Traci N.
Paper Book
A 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award Honoree!   This luminous, defining picture book biography illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Christian Robinson, tells the remarkable and inspiring story of acclaimed singer Nina Simone and her bold, defiant, and exultant legacy. ...
Dream Street
Walker, Tricia Elam
Paper Book
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES . FIVE STARRED REVIEWS Visit a truly special street bursting with joy, hope, and dreams. Inspired by the neighborhood where they grew up as cousins, this gorgeous picture book from an award...
R-E-S-P-E-C-T : Aretha Franklin, the queen of soul
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Paper Book
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustration Award! From a New York Times bestselling author and an acclaimed illustrator comes this vibrant portrait of Aretha Franklin that pays her the R-E-S-P-E-C-T this Queen of Soul deserves. Aretha Franklin was born to sing. The...
The roots of rap : 16 bars on the 4 pillars of hip-hop
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Paper Book
Explore the roots of rap in this stunning, rhyming, triple-timing picture book! "Carole Boston Weatherford, once again, delivers a resounding testament and reminder, that hip-hop is a flavorful slice of larger cultural cake. And to be hip-hop-to truly be it-we must remember...
Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Paper Book
From an award-winning author and critically acclaimed artist comes a stunning and deeply moving picture book based on the popular spiritual. The classic lyrics have been reworked to chronicle the milestones, struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of African American history. A perfect gift or...
The Talk
Williams, Alicia D.
Paper Book
As a little boy grows into a bigger boy, ready to take on the world, he first must have that very difficult conversation far too familiar to so many Black and Brown Americans in this gentle and ultimately hopeful picture book. Jay's most favorite things are hanging out with his...
The world belonged to us
Woodson, Jacqueline
Paper Book
Two children's book superstars--#1 New York Times bestseller Jacqueline Woodson, the author of The Day You Begin, and Leo Espinosa, the illustrator of Islandborn­--join forces to celebrate the joy and freedom of summer in the city, which is gloriously captured in their...
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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