Black Voices & Culture: Books for Kids

How about celebrating Black History Month by reading a title by a Black author that is new to you? And, keep reading Black books all year long! Black books matter. From learning to read to reading to learn, all kids need books that reflect their own lived experience, as well as books that depict a multiplicity of cultures, skin colors, and points of view.

Updated January 10, 2024
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LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Happy Valley Library
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An American story
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Book A 2023 New York Times Best Children's Book A 2023 Publisher's Weekly Best Picture Book An NPR Best Book of the Year #1 New York Times Bestselling and...
Amari and the night brothers
Alston, B. B.
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller! Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a series filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor. Amari Peters has...
Swim team
Christmas, Johnnie
Paper Book
"Combines wonderful characters and history to create a story that will make you want to dive right in!" JERRY CRAFT, author of the Newbery Medal-winning New Kid A splashy, contemporary middle grade graphic novel from bestselling comics creator Johnnie Christmas! Bree can't wait for...
Being Clem
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
The final novel in the award-winning Finding Langston trilogy from Coretta Scott King Author Honoree and Scott O'Dell Award medalist Lesa Cline-Ransome. Clem can make anybody, even his grumpy older sisters, smile with his jokes. But when his family receives news that his father...
J.D. and the great barber battle
Dillard, J.
Paper Book
Eight-year-old J.D. turns a tragic home haircut into a thriving barber business in this hilarious new illustrated chapter book series J.D. has a big problem--it's the night before the start of third grade and his mom has just given him his first and worst home haircut. When the...
Dragons in a bag
Elliott, Zetta
Paper Book
The dragon's out of the bag in this diverse, young urban fantasy from an award-winning author! When Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma, he finds out she's not his grandmother--but she is a witch! She needs his help delivering...
Maya and the robot
Ewing, Eve L.
Paper Book
From award-winning author Eve L. Ewing comes an illustrated middle grade novel about a forgotten homemade robot who comes to life just when aspiring fifth-grade scientist Maya needs a friend -- and a science fair project. Maya's nervous about fifth grade. She tries to keep calm...
Not an easy win
Giles, Chrystal D.
Paper Book
FOUR STARRED REVIEWS! Twelve-year old Lawrence is new to chess--can he find a way to get on the board, even though the odds are stacked against him? Find out in this powerful novel about family, forgiveness, and figuring out who you are when you don't make the rules-just right...
Garvey's choice : the graphic novel
Grimes, Nikki
Paper Book
This emotionally resonant novel in verse by award-winning author Nikki Grimes celebrates choosing to be true to yourself. Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading--anything but sports. Feeling like a...
Ophie's ghosts
Ireland, Justina
Paper Book
Winner of the 2001 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction The New York Times bestselling author of Dread Nation makes her middle grade debut with a sweeping tale of the ghosts of our past that won't stay buried, starring an unforgettable girl named Ophie. ...
Playing the cards you're dealt
Johnson, Varian
Paper Book
"With a deft hand, Johnson shows us there's no such thing as "too young" when it comes to questioning big ideas like manhood, or even family." -Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of Look Both Ways and Stamped Literary powerhouse and Coretta...
Choosing brave : how Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till sparked the civil rights movement
Joy, Angela
Paper Book
A Caldecott-honor winning picture book biography of the mother of Emmett Till, and how she channeled grief over her son's death into a call to action for the civil rights movement. Mamie Till-Mobley is the mother of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy who was brutally murdered...
Freewater
Luqman-Dawson, Amina
Paper Book
Winner of the John Newbery Medal Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award  An Indiebound Bestseller A New York Times Bestseller Award-winning author Amina Luqman-Dawson pens a lyrical,...
From the desk of Zoe Washington
Marks, Janae
Paper Book
#1 Kids Indie Next List * Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year * SLJ Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * Junior Library Guild Selection * Edgar Award Nominee * Four Starred Reviews * Bank Street Best...
Black boy joy
Mbalia, Kwame
Paper Book
THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. FIVE STARRED REVIEWS Celebrate the joys of Black boyhood with stories from seventeen bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors-including Jason Reynolds, Jerry Craft, and Kwame Mbalia. ★"Pick up Black Boy Joy...
Loretta Little looks back : three voices go tell it : a monologue novel
Pinkney, Andrea Davis
Paper Book
"Right here, I'm sharing the honest-to-goodness." "I'm gon' reach back, and tell how it all went. I'm gon' speak on it. My way." "Say what you want about the way I'm bringing it. Call my recollections running off at the mouth. Or bearing witness. Or...
Link + Hud : heroes by a hair
Pumphrey, Jarrett
Paper Book
Lincoln and Hudson Dupré are brothers with what grown-ups call "active imaginations." Link and Hud hunt for yetis in the Himalayas and battle orcs on epic quests. Unfortunately, their imaginary adventures wreak havoc in their real world. Dr. and Mrs. Dupré have tried every babysitter in the...
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...
Clean getaway
Stone, Nic
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone comes a timely middle-grade road-trip story through landmarks of the Civil Rights movement and the map they lay for contemporary race relations. How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma: Grab a...
Ways to make sunshine
Watson, Rene?e
Paper Book
From Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Renée Watson, the first book in a young middle grade series about Ryan Hart, a girl who is pure spirit, kindness, and sunshine. Ryan Hart can be and do anything. Her name means "king", that she is a leader, and she...
How do you spell unfair? : MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Paper Book
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book "This moving picture book portrays a girl who met injustice with dignity and excelled."--Booklist (starred review) From a multi-award-winning pair comes a deeply affecting portrait of...
Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution
Winston, Sherri
Paper Book
Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature Member of the 2023 Notable Books for a Global Society (NGBS) List From the beloved author of President of the Whole Fifth Grade, a story about a young Black girl who summons the...

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