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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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.

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100 goats and granny!
Atinuke
With a hefty dollop of humor, Atinuke's rollicking counting story takes on a life of its own when Granny's mischievous goats start escaping. Granny's got a goat! Granny's got a goat! Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, but more and more and more and more!...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Big family beach day
Crews, Nina
Kirkus Best Book "The love that binds this family together is as warm as the summer sun." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) An extended family enjoys a day at the beach in this intergenerational tribute to family, friendship, new experiences, and...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Big kids
Going, K. L.
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

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)

Little big man
Johnson, Varian
Paper Book
An excellent choice for Father's Day gifting! From literary powerhouse and Coretta Scott King Honor- and Boston Globe / Horn Book Honor-winning author of The Parker Inheritance Varian Johnson and New York Times bestselling illustrator Reggie Brown comes a heartwarming father-son...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Leo at the farmer's market
McQuinn, Anna
Paper Book
Lola's younger brother Leo explores the tastes, colors, and cultures of a busy Saturday market in a new Leo Can! adventure board book! A great read aloud and perfect gift for babies and toddlers that explores new experiences in the city with mommy and son. Leo and...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Big boy joy
Schofield-Morrison, Connie
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)

The polar bear and the ballerina
Velasquez, Eric
How does a bear go to the ballet? A polar bear escapes into New York City in this heartfelt picture book from award-winning Afro-Latino artist Eric Velasquez. A wordless story of unlikely friendship that celebrates art and its ability to connect us. However, this picture book...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

When I move
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Paper Book
An ode to being active and dramatic play. For fans of Ruth Krauss's I Can Fly and Ashley Spires's The Most Magnificent Thing, this picture book will inspire young readers to getting moving and start imagining! Simple, engaging rhymes will inspire little ones to jump, run, and explore the limitless...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Space for everyone
Wedlick, Seina
Paper Book
This lyrical and heartwarming picture book follows a Nigerian girl who worries about her family's upcoming move. But she soon realizes that no matter where they go, there will always be room at their kitchen table for her community to gather around. When Zainab runs down the...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Art's art
Agostini, Alliah L.
A Funny and Heartfelt Story About Creativity, Adaptability, and Friendship Discover a relatable story about the messiness of creativity and the power of patience in Art's Art, a charming Level 2 early reader from the Paw Prints Readers series--perfect for building reading confidence...

Early Reader (Level 2)

We dig fossils
Agostini, Alliah L.
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)

King & Kayla and the case of the escape artist
Butler, Dori Hillestad
Paper Book
King takes center stage when there's a mystery to solve at his new doggy day care. When King visits the new doggy day care, he meets lots of new friends, including Houdini, who claims he can escape any situation. King vows to keep an eye on Houdini, but the next thing you know,...

Early Reader (Level 4)

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)

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 rocks out with friends in this new book in the Geisel Honor-winning series! Join Ty on his imaginative adventures in Ty's Travels: Showtime, a My First I Can Read story by acclaimed author and illustrator team Kelly Starling Lyons and Niña Mata. Music, imagination,...

Early Reader (Level 2)

Sleepover night!
Ransom, Candice F.
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)

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)

Kaya Morgan's crowning achievement
Tew, Jill
Paper Book
A vibrant and heart-warming novel about the unforgettable joys of the Renaissance Faire, overcoming grief through cherished memories, and remaining true to yourself-even in cosplay. For as long as she could remember, Kaya Morgan has spent her summers with her dad at the greatest...

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
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)

The Book of Anansi
Thomas, Angie
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times bestseller! Internationally bestselling superstar author Angie Thomas makes her middle grade debut with the launch of an inventive, hilarious, and suspenseful new contemporary fantasy trilogy inspired by African American history and folklore. It's not...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

One Crazy Summer: The Graphic Novel
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)

The Black Mambas : the world's first all-woman anti-poaching unit
Crull, Kelly
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)

Go tell it : how James Baldwin became a writer
Harris, Quartez
Paper Book
Discover the story of young James Baldwin in this ode to the legendary writer and the power of the written word-with exquisite prose from acclaimed poet Quartez Harris, and breathtaking illustrations from New York Times bestselling creator and Caldecott Honoree Gordon C. James.

Children's Nonfiction (Age 4-8)

Who Is Beyonce?
Jewel, Kirsti
Okay, readers, now let's get in formation! Learn about the life of the perfectionist performer known as Queen Bey and how she created her flawless discography of hit records like Renaissance and Cowboy Carter. In 2003, Beyoncé went solo after being in the popular...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 8-12)

I am Simone Biles
Meltzer, Brad
Paper Book
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, joins the ranks of this New York Times bestselling Ordinary People Change the World picture book biography series about heroes, for ages 5 to 9. At age eight, Simone Biles began working with a gymnastics trainer, and by...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 5-9)

Who was Katherine Johnson?
Moses, Shelia P.
Read all about how a young Black girl who loved numbers grew into a brilliant mathematician who helped land the first person on the moon in this inspiring addition to the Who Was? series. From a very young age, Katherine Johnson counted everything--the number of dirty dishes she...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 8-12)

Beacon of hope : the life of Barack Obama
Rappaport, Doreen
Paper Book
A magnificently illustrated picture book biography of Barack Obama​: a tireless organizer, a brilliant orator, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the first Black president of the United States of America. Before he became the president, Barack Obama was a little...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 4-8)

Freedom celebration : a Juneteenth party
Dalton, Angela
Gloria and her relatives celebrate Juneteenth and share the history and significance of this freedom celebration in a Level 3 I Can Read.  The Morris family celebrates Juneteenth together every year with a barbeque including red food and drinks. Gloria and Grandma Daisy...

Children's Holiday Book (Age 4-8)

They built me for freedom : the story of Juneteenth and Houston's Emancipation Park
Ellis, Tonya Duncan
Paper Book
A moving picture book about the history of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas--and the origins of Juneteenth. When people visit me, they are free--to run, play, gather, and rejoice. They built me to remember. On June 19, 1865, the 250,000 enslaved people of...

Children's Holiday Book (Age 4-8)

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)

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