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...
Time for bed, old house
Bates, Janet Costa
Paper Book
Just like me
Brantley-Newton, Vanessa
Paper Book
An ode to the girl with scrapes on her knees and flowers in her hair, and every girl in between, this exquisite treasury will appeal to readers of Dear Girl and I Am Enough and have kids poring over it to find a poem that's just for them. I am a canvas ...
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....
Brown baby lullaby
Brown, Tameka Fryer
Paper Book
This lyrical bedtime board book is a must-have for every brown baby's bookshelf. Come, my sweet brown baby... From sunset to bedtime, two parents lovingly care for their beautiful baby: first, they play outside, then it is time for dinner and a bath, and...
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,...
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...
Me and the boss : a story about mending and love
Edwards, Michelle
Paper Book
Change sings : a children's anthem
Gorman, Amanda
Paper Book
A lyrical picture book debut from No.1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and No.1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long "I can hear change hummingIn 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
Once there was a girl with a big laugh and a big heart and very big dreams. She grew and grew and grew. And it was good... until it wasn't. When the girl grows big, the world begins to make her feel small. She feels out of place and invisible, and soon she isn't...
Daddy speaks love
Henderson, Leah
Paper Book
A moving tribute to the joy and grounding that fathers bring to their children's lives. What does a daddy do? From day one, this daddy speaks love to his little one. And along with that love, his words and actions speak many other things, too- like truth, joy, comfort, and pride....
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.
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
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. ...
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...
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...
Bedtime bonnet
Redd, Nancy Amanda
Paper Book
This joyous and loving celebration of family is the first-ever picture book to highlight Black nighttime hair traditions--and is perfect for every little girl who knows what it's like to lose her bonnet just before bedtime. In my family, when the sun goes down, our hair goes up!...
The me I choose to be
Tarpley, Natasha
Paper Book
In this "exquisite" (Shelf Awareness) "affirming" (Kirkus), and "empowering visual essay" (Publishers Weekly) the bestselling author of I Love My Hair! joins forces with the dynamic photography duo behind Glory to create a stunning celebration of the...
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
With passion and unparalleled skill, Traci N. Todd and Christian Robinson bring this iconic singer's story to young readers and their families. Meet young Eunice, who sang before she could talk, and journey with her from the piano stool she shared with her father in her childhood home, to the bars...
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...
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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