Children's Book Suggestions | Black History Month 2026

A few of our favorite books about Black Americans past and present published in 2025. For more book ideas, check out our Black History Month lists from past years (2025, 2024 Chapter Books, 2024 Picture Books) 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 17, 2026
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
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Trees stand tall
Mangal, Mélina
Paper Book
People are like trees--strong, flexible, and rooted. In Trees Stand Tall, two young children admire the trees outside their window. When they take the city bus to a family picnic at a park, the children observe and mimic the trees with their cousins. Seeing that the trees...

Board Book (Age 0-2)

Won't go!
Seeboruth, Sumana
Paper Book
"Parents and children alike will relate to the struggle in this charming read, perfect for sparking conversations about handling big feelings" - Booklist Time to leave? No, no, no! I'm too busy. I can't go! When it's time to leave for dance class, this stubborn...

Board Book (Age 0-2)

M is for mango
Atinuke
Paper Book

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Little Red and Big, Bad Fred
Belote, Ashley
Paper Book
Little Red Riding Hood like you've never seen before! This fractured fairy-tale will have kids in stitches as Little Red optimistically befriends Fred (who may or may not try to EAT Little Red), reminding readers to always see the best in others, even when they have sharp teeth and are definitely...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Big kids
Going, K. L.
Paper Book
A vibrant and relatable picture book about first-day-of-school nerves that encourages young readers to celebrate new experiences and the big buddies they're sure to make along the way.  It's the first day of school and everywhere our small hero looks there...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Girls on the rise
Gorman, Amanda
Paper Book
An electrifying picture book by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman Who are we? We are a billion voices, bright and brave; we are light, standing together in the fight. Girls are strong and powerful alone,...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

A cup of quiet
Grimes, Nikki
Paper Book
From award-winning author Nikki Grimes comes a beautiful picture book about the special bond between a child and grandparent, perfect for fans of Thank You, Omu and Fry Bread. When the squeal of tires and thrum of Grandpa's hammer fill the air, Grandma gets...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

When I hear spirituals
Hudson, Cheryl Willis
Paper Book
Your spirit will soar! A girl connects with heritage, history, and a higher power through the lyrics of twelve beloved spirituals and four seminal events in African American history. A beautiful keepsake to be shared by multiple generations. Journey through Black...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Lily's dream : a fairy friendship
Jackson, Bea
Paper Book
A flightless fairy befriends a human girl and discovers her magic in this enchanting picture book from the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Parker Looks Up. Lily is a young fairy determined to learn to fly just like the others who soar on shimmering,...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Pajammin'
Marley, Ziggy
Paper Book
Inspired by Bob Marley's iconic song "Jamming," this joyful picture book by eight-time Grammy winner Ziggy Marley about a fun-filled pajama party celebrates screen-free family time, creativity, and connection. Join a family's pajama party sleepover as they spend a fun night...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

I Am Because We Are : A Celebration of Community and Ubuntu
Matulli, Allison/ Skyles, Talia (ILT)
Paper Book
Grounded in African Ubuntu philosophy, this lyrical picture book celebrates community and invites readers to lift up our neighbors. For fans for ALL THE WORLD and ALL ARE WELCOME comes a new classic that celebrates community. Your joy is my joy. My freedom is...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Big boy joy
Schofield-Morrison, Connie
Paper Book
A joyful ode to play and boyhood, perfect for readers who loved The King of Kindergarten. I am a big boy, Full of big boy joy! Big boys can climb high and go, go, go! Big boys can smash and crash. They can share and play. ...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

We go slow
Tallie, Mariahadessa Ekere
Paper Book
A walk through their bustling city neighborhood brings a girl and her grandfather closer together in this gentle, contemplative picture book that's "a reminder of the importance of being in the world with unhurried attention and open hearts" (Publishers Weekly, starred review). ...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

We dig fossils
Agostini, Alliah L.
Paper Book
Get out your shovels and fossil brushes for this delightful Step 2 reader following a family's search for fossils! A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Ava loves rocks! But what she really really loves are fossils! Ava and her family are on a mission...

Early Reader (Level 2)

Sports are fun!
Avant-garde, Zaila
Paper Book
Scripps National Spelling Bee champ, New York Times bestselling author, and Sports Illustrated Sports Kid of the Year Zaila Avant-garde shares her love of sports in this level 1 Step Into Reading book. Perfect for children just beginning to read. Be a soccer star...

Early Reader (Level 1)

I can grow it!
Greenawalt, Kelly
Paper Book
Princess Truly gardens and has fun with her friends, across three rhyming stories perfect for beginning readers! You can read with Acorn! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy...

Early Reader (Level 2)

The fairy fashion show
Jackson, Bea
Paper Book
Lily invites her human friend, Willow, to join the fairy fashion show in this second Level 1 Ready-to-Read in the Fairies Welcome series from New York Times bestselling illustrator Bea Jackson. Fairies love dressing up and creating clothes out of the lovely things they...

Early Reader (Level 2)

A fairy finds her song
Jackson, Bea
Paper Book
A fairy searches for her special skill in this enchanting Level 1 Ready-to-Read in the Fairies Welcome series from New York Times bestselling illustrator Bea Jackson. Every fairy has a talent except Lily...or so she thinks. Her human friend, Willow, knows how special Lily...

Early Reader (Level 2)

Super Ty!
Lyons, Kelly Starling
Paper Book
Ty soars as a superhero in this new book in the Geisel Honor-winning series! Join Ty on his fun adventures in Ty's Travels: Super Ty!, a My First I Can Read book by acclaimed author and illustrator team Kelly Starling Lyons and Niña Mata. Imagination, helpfulness, and play are highlighted,...

Early Reader (Level 2)

Sleepover night!
Ransom, Candice F.
Paper Book
It's sleepover time! Join Brother and Sister as they spend a night away from home in this Step 1 reader, perfect for children who know their alphabet and are eager to learn how to read! The Day kids series is full of family fun! Brother and Sister are having a sleepover! They're...

Early Reader (Level 1)

Makeda makes a mountain
Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
Paper Book
The third title in a delightful new Level 2 I Can Read! series from acclaimed author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and illustrator Lydia Mba, starring Makeda, an exuberant seven-year-old "maker" and problem solver who loves to create. Perfect for readers who love Rosie Revere, Engineer and...

Early Reader (Level 3)

Twins, but different
Thomas, Porsche
Paper Book
Model and mother to twin boys, Porsche Thomas presents this Step 2 leveled reader about sibling differences and the importance of unconditional love. Perfect for children recognizing familiar words while sounding out new ones with help. All twins look and act the same, right?

Early Reader (Level 2)

J vs. K
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
A New York Times and IndieBound bestseller! Created by real-life rivals and #1 New York Times bestselling authors Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft this hilarious illustrated story features two talented fifth graders going head...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Inside the park
Williams, Andrea
Paper Book
From Andrea Williams, the bestselling author of We Are Family with LeBron James, comes Inside the Park, the story of a young baseball fan's misadventures after getting locked inside a pro baseball stadium on the eve of the biggest game of the season. In this all-new, hilarious, action...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Jazzy the witch in broom doom
Bagley, Jessixa
Paper Book
"Whimsy abounds in this playful" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade graphic novel about a young witch who struggles to fit in--perfect for fans of The Okay Witch and Hooky! In her town full of witches, Jazzy's always been a little bit different....

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

Creaky Acres: A Graphic Novel
Brill, Calista.
Paper Book
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER! A heartwarming graphic novel about being the new kid in middle school, making new friends, and learning to trust yourself through the power of horseback riding--perfect for fans of Victoria Jamieson's Roller Girl. "Readers will fall in love...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

Serwa Boateng's guide to saving the world
Brown, Roseanne A.
Paper Book
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents the thrilling conclusion to Roseanne A. Brown's middle grade trilogy about a pre-teen girl who, as half-Slayer and half-vampire, is caught between two worlds. Serwa Boateng has gone head-to-head with vampires, witches, and even a death...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Will's race for home : a western
Rhodes, Jewell Parker
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! ★ "Rhodes deftly captures a unique ­aspect of this historical event, with a perspective that is ­often under-represented in historical ­fiction. A poignant and honest look at the trials of racism that defined the ­historic land rush; a...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The manifestor prophecy
Thomas, Angie
Paper Book

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

All the blues in the sky
Watson, Renée
Paper Book
Winner of the Newbery Medal A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year | A Chicago Public Library Best Kids' Book of the Year | An NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book | A 2025 Horn Book Fanfare Selection Book | A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book # 1 New...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Dear Jackie
Bagley, Jessixa
Paper Book
A middle schooler's plan to fit in with her new friends by writing herself a fake love letter backfires spectacularly in this funny and all-too-relatable graphic novel perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and the Berrybrook Middle School series. Jackie and Milo have been best...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Space chasers. [Volume 1]
Melvin, Leland
Paper Book
When a team of brilliant kids-turned-astronauts find themselves in serious trouble in outer space, they must work together to get back home. This is the first book in an incredible middle-grade graphic novel series created by real life astronaut, Leland Melvin! Launch into...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

One crazy summer
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Paper Book
Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

How sweet the sound
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
Featuring artists ranging from Miles Davis to Kendrick Lamar, dive into this stunningly illustrated celebration of the history of Black music in America by the award-winning author of The Undefeated. Listen to the sound of...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 4-8)

The Black Mambas : the world's first all-woman anti-poaching unit
Crull, Kelly
Paper Book
Head out on patrol with the Black Mambas, South Africa's first women-led anti-poaching unit. This anti-poaching team is unlike any other: they carry no weapons. Instead, they keep animals safe with frequent patrols and a keen eye for footprints, snares, and other clues that poachers are...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 6-10)

It's Pride, baby!
Wells, Allen R.
Paper Book
An ALA Rainbow List Title A joyful picture book debut that encourages kids to take pride in themselves and know that they are loved no matter what. Just as the stars light the entire world-- You shine. Join a queer family as they...

Children's Holiday Book (Age 4-8)

A song for two homes
Datcher, Michael
Paper Book
From the New York Times Bestselling author of Raising Fences and the award-winning illustrator of Mama Africa!, comes a moving and lyrical picture book about a girl navigating her parents' divorce, featuring a Black family, two homes, and whole lot of love. ...

Children's Parenting Book (Age 4-8)


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