Black History Month for Young Children

A selection of picture books for young children by Black Canadian authors.

Updated January 6, 2024
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Because you are
Richardson, Jael Ealey
A picture book about self-esteem, inner beauty and making a difference from celebrated author, festival organizer and diversity advocate Jael Richardson  Little one, there's something you should know  You are just right just enough  as you are...
Black Girl, Black Girl
Bowden, Angela
A vibrantly illustrated picture book celebrating of Black girl power from celebrated spoken-word poet Angela Bowden and rising-star artist Letitia Fraser. Girly or braided with cowrie shells Cornrows of history her magic tells Of dreadlocks Bantu knots and stunning afros
The hockey skates
Subban, Karl
It was almost the first day of winter, and PK still has no skates to wear. This time, PK waited impatiently for one more week before his skates arrived in the mail. With a knock, knock, knock on the door, the mailman delivered the skates in a box. PK couldn't wait to open it . . .<...
I am big
Sadu, Itah
In the middle of the ice, a young Black hockey player finds joy in his talent and confidence in the cheers of his family, his coach, and the other players. Their support gives him the power to face down those who see him as a threat and to focus on the thrill of the game. Young people of...
I promise
Hernández, Catherine
Catherine Hernandez's literary career exploded with the 2017 publication of her award-winning novel Scarborough. Her latest, I Promise, marks her delightful return to children's literature, having published her first children's book, M Is for Mustache: A Pride ABC Book, in...
Music from the sky
Gillard, Denise
On an early-morning adventure, a young girl and her grandpa make their way through a marsh. Along the way the girl daydreams about the first concert she ever attended. She also tells her grandfather about the music she once heard playing in the sky. Soon they find what they are searching for --...
My soca birthday party : with Jollof rice and steel pans
Marshall, Yolanda T.
As Anne's birthday drew close, her friends prepared a soca party. Anne loves the sound of Caribbean soca music played on steel pans and West Africa's spicy jollof rice. Hence, her friends planned to celebrate her special day with a fusion of sounds and traditional dishes from Caribbean and African...
Miles away in the Caribbean
Marshall, Yolanda T.
Miles Away In The Caribbean is a poetically written story about a Canadian boy named Miles. In his magical spaceship, he visits Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the...
The only way to make bread
Quintero, Cristina
What's the only way to make bread? You might use white flour in your bread, or whole wheat flour or corn flour. You might use water or milk, maybe an egg or two. You'll use a handful of this, a dash of that, a bit of this and a splash of that. Some dough will rise, some dough will bubble. Sometimes...
Snowy mittens : a winter adventure
Grant, Shauntay
The picture bookSnowy Mittens: A Winter Adventure isa celebration of Black joy and the simple pleasures of a day in the snow from award-winning poet and picture book author Shauntay Grant. Follow along as a young boy spends the day...
When I wrap my hair
Grant, Shauntay
In the vein of I Am Enough and Hold Them Close, this inspiring and beautiful picture book celebrates how hair wrapping ties together past and present. When I wrap, my roots run deep. As deep as an African marketplace or a city sidewalk or the...
Nana's cold days
Badoe, Adwoa
Nana is coming to visit from Africa, and grandsons Ken and Rama have been looking forward to her visit for months. But it's icy cold when she arrives, and all she can do is drape herself in bed covers. No one can dream up a way to entice Nana from her nest until she becomes ill. When Nana feels...
A likkle Miss Lou : how Jamaican poet Louise Bennett Coverley found her voice
Hohn, Nadia L.
A Kirkus Reviewsmost anticipated picture book of fall 2019 by Nadia L. Hohn, named one of CBC's "6 Black Canadian writers to watch" Louise Bennett Coverley, better known as Miss Lou, was an iconic poet and entertainer known for popularizing the use of patois in music and poetry...
The stone thrower
Richardson, Jael Ealey
The African-American football player Chuck Ealey grew up in a segregated neighborhood of Portsmouth, Ohio. Against all odds, he became an incredible quarterback. But despite his unbeaten record in high school and university, he would never play professional football in the United States. ...
Oscar lives next door : a story inspired by Oscar Peterson's childhood
Farmer, Bonnie
Long before Oscar Peterson became a virtuoso jazz pianist, he was a boy who loved to play the trumpet. When childhood tuberculosis weakened his lungs, Oscar could no longer play his beloved instrument. He took up piano and the rest is history: Oscar went on to become an international jazz piano...
Malaika, carnival queen
Hohn, Nadia L.
Malaika learns about her father, who came to Canada as a migrant farm worker when she was just a baby and who shared her love of carnival. Malaika dreams about a man with a basket of fruit and guesses that the dream is about her father. Mummy explains that her daddy passed away long ago,...
Garden of Lost Socks
Edugyan, Esi.
Two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Esi Edugyan debuts her picture book, lovingly illustrated by Amélie Dubois, a whimsical story about friendship, curiosity and the magic of a vibrant community  Akosua was always told she was too nosy. Her parents loved her very much, but...
Dear Black girls
Nicole, Shanice
Dear Black Girls is a letter to all Black girls. Every single day poet and educator Shanice Nicole is reminded of how special Black girls are and of how lucky she is to be one. Illustrations by Kezna Dalz support the book's message that no two Black girls are the same but they are all special that...

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