Black History Month Book List for Kids, Tweens and Teens.

This book list includes a celebration of black history, achievement, and innovation of black men, women and children through the years. These children and teen information books have received starred reviews, and/or prestigious awards such as the Michael L. Printz Award, Boston Globe/Horn Book Nonfiction Award, Newbery Honor Award, Coretta Scott King Award, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year Award, ALSC Notable Children's Book to name a few. All the books on this list are available through the Sussex County Library System.

Updated February 27, 2026
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Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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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...
Carver, a life in poems
Nelson, Marilyn
Paper Book
Newbery Honor Book National Book Award finalist Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Flora Stieglitz Straus Award Beautiful verse explores agricultural scientist George Washington Carver's life...
The fierce 44 : black Americans who shook up the world
Reiss, Stephen
Paper Book
A dynamic collective biography that presents 44 of America's greatest Black movers and shakers, from Frederick Douglass to Aretha Franklin to Barack Obama, written by ESPN's TheUndefeated and illustrated with dazzling portraits by Rob Ball. From visionaries to entrepreneurs, athletes...
Follow your dreams, little one
Harrison, Vashti
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Vashti Harrison shines a bold, joyous light on black men through history in this board book edition of Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History. This beautifully illustrated board book highlights true stories...
Garvey's choice
Grimes, Nikki
Paper Book
This emotionally resonant novel in verse by award-winning author Nikki Grimes celebrates choosing to be true to yourself. Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading--anything but sports. Feeling like a...
The Gift of Freedom: How Harriet Tubman Rescued Her Brothers
Turner, Glennette Tilley
Paper Book
From bestselling illustrator and Coretta Scott King honoree Laura Freeman and award-winning author Glennette Tilley Turner comes the little-known story of Harriet Tubman's daring rescue of her enslaved brothers on Christmas Day Harriet Tubman was always a keen observer. She...
I have a dream
King, Martin Luther, Jr.
Paper Book
Experience history with this picture book of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic speech, including an audio CD. This Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book will inspire young readers! From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King: "My father's dream...
King : a life
Eig, Jonathan
Paper Book
Hailed as "the most compelling account of [Martin Luther] King's life in a generation" by the Washington Post, the Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller is now adapted for young adults in this new standard biography of the most famous civil rights activist in American History.
Lizzie demands a seat! : Elizabeth Jennings fights for streetcar rights
Anderson, Beth
Paper Book
In 1854, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Jennings, an African American schoolteacher, fought back when she was unjustly denied entry to a New York City streetcar, sparking the beginnings of the long struggle to gain equal rights on public transportation. One hundred years before Rosa Parks...
Ordinary hazards : a memoir
Grimes, Nikki
Paper Book
Michael L. Printz Honor Book Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Boston Globe/Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for Teens Six Starred Reviews--★Booklist ★BCCB ★The Horn Book ★Publishers Weekly ★School Library Connection...
Roberto Clemente
Rathburn, Betsy
Roberto Clemente was an award-winning baseball player who became a role model for Black and Latino people. In this title, beginning readers follow his life, from his early years in Puerto Rico to his success in the big leagues, through narrative text and colorful illustrations. Additional features...
Rooting for plants : the unstoppable Charles S. Parker, Black botanist and collector
Harrington, Janice N.
Paper Book
Meet Charles S. Parker, an unsung yet trailblazing Black scientist who made major contributions to the fields of botany (the study of plants) and mycology (the study of fungi) in this inspiring STEM/STEAM picture book biography from the creators of Buzzing with Questions. ...
This Hair Belongs
Brown-Wood, JaNay
Paper Book
A Kids' Indie Next Pick With lyrical verse and dazzling illustrations, this joyful ode to Black hair will empower readers ages 4-8 to celebrate the historical, cultural, and emotional significance of their natural hair. From the intricate coils of kings and queens to...
This is the rope : a story from the Great Migration
Woodson, Jacqueline.
Paper Book
The story of one family's journey north during the Great Migration starts with a little girl in South Carolina who finds a rope under a tree one summer. She has no idea the rope will become part of her family's history. But for three generations, that rope is passed down, used for everything from...
Troubled Waters: A River's Journey Toward Justice
Weatherford, Carole Boston,
Paper Book
From Young People's Poet Laureate Carole Boston Weatherford and award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier, a stirring account of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, as witnessed by the Alabama River. Some say water is the mightiest force on earth. But the...
The Underground Railroad
Messner, Kate
Paper Book
Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth about the Underground Railroad and Black Americans' struggle for freedom. Perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. Before the Civil War, there was a crack team of abolitionists who used quilts...
You are my pride : a love letter from your motherland
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Paper Book
In this powerfully written and beautifully illustrated picture book by Children's Literature Legacy Award winner Carole Boston Weatherford and multi-award winning illustrator E. B. Lewis, Mother Africa addresses her offspring of all colors in all corners of the earth, reminding us of our timeless...

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