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 June 18, 2026
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Sussex County Library System (NJ) Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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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.

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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...
Coretta's journey : the life and times of Coretta Scott King
Duncan, Alice Faye
Paper Book
★★★★ FOUR STARRED REVIEWS! New from the award-winning author/illustrator team behind Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop! Who was Coretta Scott King? Her black-veiled image at the funeral of her husband, Dr. Martin ...
Memphis, Martin, and the mountaintop : the sanitation strike of 1968
Duncan, Alice Faye
Paper Book
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book * School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * Booklist Editors' Choice * Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book * Booklist Top 10 Diverse Books for Middle Grade or Older Readers * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books This award...
Unequal : a story of America
Dyson, Michael Eric
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Michael Eric Dyson and critically acclaimed author Marc Favreau show how racial inequality permeates every facet of American society, through the lens of those pushing for meaningful change.    The true story of...
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.
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...
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...
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. ...
Melodies of the Weary Blues: Classic Poems Illustrated for Young People
Hughes, Langston
Paper Book
A gorgeously illustrated centennial of Langston Hughes' first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, this picture book includes select poems paired with vibrant artwork by more than twenty talented Black illustrators, including award-winners Oge Mora, Frank Morrison, Janelle Washington,...
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...
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...
Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game
Nelson, Kadir
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller A USA TODAY bestseller Award-winning creator Kadir Nelson delivers the perfect gift for basketball fans of any age--a beautifully illustrated history of the game and its key players over the years--in this companion to...
The book itch : freedom, truth & Harlem's greatest bookstore
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux
Paper Book
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, ALA Notable Children's Book, CCBC Best Children's Book of the Year, Jane Addams Children's Book Award, Kirkus Best Children's Books, NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts In the 1930s, Lewis's dad, Lewis Michaux Sr., had an itch he needed...
Molly, by golly :
Ochiltree, Dianne
Paper Book
Here is the story of Molly Williams, an African American cook for New York City's Fire Company 11 who is considered to be the first known female firefighter in U.S. history. New York City's Fire Company Number 11 is in trouble. A deadly snowstorm is blowing, and many of the...
Beacon of hope : the life of Barack Obama
Rappaport, Doreen
Paper Book
This addition to the acclaimed Big Words biography series celebrates 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...
The fierce 44 : black Americans who shook up the world
Reiss, Stephen
Audiobook
A long time coming : a lyrical biography of race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama
Shepard, Ray Anthony
Paper Book
This YA biography-in-verse of six important Black Americans from different eras, including Ona Judge, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama, chronicles the diverse ways each fought racism and shows how much--and how little--has changed for...
Black heroes of the wild west /
Smith, James Otis
Paper Book
"The racial and cultural diversity of the Old West gets the comic-book treatment in Smith's exploration of the lives and adventures of three Black historical figures...It's about time."--Kirkus Reviews NYPL'S TOP 10 BOOKS ​FOR KIDS A Junior Library Guild...
The teachers march! : how Selma's teachers changed history
Wallace, Sandra Neil
Audiobook
Reverend F. D. Reese's favorite subject to teach his students was freedom. But in Selma, Alabama, unfair tests and police officers' swinging billy clubs kept African Americans from voting. Reverend Reese knew something had to change, so he asked his fellow teachers to do something...
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...
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