2024 Black History Month: African Americans and the Arts - Kids

Celebrate Black History Month 2024's theme African American and the Arts for kids.

Updated January 16, 2024
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
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...
Beautiful shades of brown : the art of Laura Wheeler Waring
Churnin, Nancy
Paper Book
Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her. She didn't see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew...
Black ballerinas : my journey to our legacy
Copeland, Misty
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland comes an illustrated nonfiction collection celebrating dancers of color who have influenced her on and off the stage. As a young girl living in a motel with...
Bunheads
Copeland, Misty
Paper Book
Instant New York Times bestselling series opener inspired by prima ballerina and author Misty Copeland's own early experiences in ballet. From prima ballerina and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland comes the story of a young Misty, who discovers her...
The green piano : how little me found music
Flack, Roberta
Paper Book
This autobiographical picture book by the multiple Grammy Award-winning singer Roberta Flack recounts her childhood in a home surrounded by music and love- it all started with a beat-up piano that her father found in a junkyard, repaired, and painted green. Growing up in a Blue...
We can : portraits of power
Gordon, Tyler
Paper Book
"When I was born, the doctors told my mom that if I did survive I would have lots of health problems and be blind, deaf and severely mentally delayed . . . Boy were they wrong!" --Tyler Gordon Fifteen-year-old Tyler Gordon's journey from a regular kid growing up in San Jose,...
Legacy : women poets of the Harlem Renaissance
Grimes, Nikki
Paper Book
From Children's Literature Legacy Award-winning author Nikki Grimes comes a feminist-forward new collection of poetry celebrating the little-known women poets of the Harlem Renaissance--paired with full-color, original art from today's most talented female African-American illustrators.
Black artists shaping the world
Jackson, Sharna
Paper Book
Written by award-winning Black British children's author Sharna Jackson, Black Artists Shaping the World celebrates the diversity of work being produced today by Black artists from around the globe, introducing young readers to twenty-six contemporary artists from Africa and of the African...
Hip-hop hustle
Maddox, Jake
Paper Book
Chery lives to dance. She has her own hip-hop dance crew and a signature move that's a surefire showstopper. But when her crew is forced to break up, Chery is faced with joining her school's hip-hop dance team. Trouble is, Chery's not like most dance hopefuls who have formal training. She moves to...
Only the best : the exceptional life and fashion of Ann Lowe
Messner, Kate
Paper Book
An inspiring picture book biography about the amazing Ann Lowe--the first nationally-known African American fashion designer. A careful snip, a delicate fold. Fabric the color of new petals. Skirts that flare like upside-down blossoms....
Hip-hop Lollipop
Montanari, Susan McElroy
Paper Book
In this lyrical read-aloud filled with rhythm and rhyme and illustrated by Caldecott Honor winner Brian Pinkney, follow a little girl as she dances her way to bedtime. Mama says, "Lollipop, stop! Stop! Jumping snapping nonstop." Arms and shoulders pop...
Chef Edna : Queen of southern cooking, Edna Lewis
Noel, Melvina
Paper Book
Featuring gorgeous color illustrations by Coretta Scott King- and Caldecott-honor recipient Cozbi A. Cabrera, Melvina Noel's Chef Edna is a warm and inviting picture book portrait of African American culinary legend Edna Lewis, who brought Southern cooking to the masses. ...
Just Jerry : how drawing shaped my life
Pinkney, Jerry
Paper Book
An inspiring memoir of a Caldecott-winning artist and one of the most acclaimed children's book illustrators of all time, sharing the story of a young artist who finds the courage to follow his passion against all odds. * "A moving work from a...
There was a party for Langston
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
A Caldecott Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds's debut picture book is a snappy, joyous ode to Word King, literary genius, and glass-ceiling smasher Langston Hughes and...
Jake makes a world : Jacob Lawrence, a young artist in Harlem
Rhodes-Pitts, Sharifa
Paper Book
Jacob Lawrence Makes a World follows the creative adventures of the young artist as he finds inspiration in the vibrant colours and characters of his community in Harlem. From his mother's apartment, where he is surrounded by brightly coloured walls with intricate patterns, to the streets full of...
Ellington was not a street
Shange, Ntozake.
CD
Radiant child : the story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Steptoe, Javaka
Paper Book
Somewhere in Brooklyn, a little boy dreams of being a famous artist, not knowing that one day he would make himself a king. Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had...
Holding her own : the exceptional life of Jackie Ormes
Todd, Traci N.
Paper Book
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book * Robert F. Sibert Honor Book An evocative picture book biography about the prolific life of Jackie Ormes, whose groundbreaking cartoons became some of the first empowering depictions of Black women in America! Jackie Ormes made...
Maya's song
Watson, Renée
Paper Book
From bestselling, award-winning creators Renée Watson and Bryan Collier comes a stunningly crafted picture book chronicling the life of poet and activist Maya Angelou. This unforgettable picture book introduces young readers to the life and work of Maya Angelou, whose words...
Oprah Winfrey
Watson, Renée
Paper Book
Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Oprah Winfrey! In this chapter book biography by Newbery Honor and...
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...
Jump at the sun : the true life tale of unstoppable storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston
Williams, Alicia
Paper Book
From the Newbery Honor-winning author of Genesis Begins Again comes a shimmering picture book that shines the light on Zora Neale Hurston, the extraordinary writer and storycatcher extraordinaire who changed the face of American literature. Zora was a girl who hankered for...
Young, gifted and black
Wilson, Jamia
Paper Book
"...to be revisited again and again...The candy-colored pages and straightforward stories are hard to resist..." -The New York Times "...diverse collection of iconic figures...vibrantly illustrated...beautifully crafted volume..." -Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.