Black History: Suggested Reading: Picture Books

Stymied by her unfinished family tree assignment for school, a young girl seeks Grandma's counsel and learns about her ancestors, the consequences of slavery, and the history of Black resistance in the United States.

It's an ABC book like no other, and a story of hope and love. In addition to rhyming text, the book includes back matter with information on the events, places, and people mentioned in the poem, from Mae Jemison to W. E. B. Du Bois, Fannie Lou Hamer to Sam Cooke, and the Little Rock Nine to DJ Kool Herc.

This moving memoir-in-verse tells about what it means to be an everyday activist and foot solider for racial justice, as Kathlyn recounts how she went from attending protests as a teenager to fighting as an adult for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday to become a national holiday.

A picture book in verse that threads together past and present to explore the legacy of slavery during a classroom lesson.

A picture book biography about Claudette Colvin, the teen whose activism launched the Montgomery bus boycott, and a celebration of collective action

Celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown's story of how he came to ship himself in a box from slavery to freedom.

Young Misty Copeland discovered her love for dance through the ballet of Coppélia.

Carter G. Woodson was born ten years after the end of the Civil War, to parents who had both been enslaved. Their stories were not the ones written about in history books, but Carter learned them and kept them in his heart. Carter's father could not read or write, but he believed in being an informed citizen. So Carter read the newspaper to him every day, and from this practice, he learned about the world and how to find out what he didn't know. Many years later, when he was a student at Harvard University (the second African-American and the only child of enslaved parents to do so), one of his professors said that black people had no history. Carter knew that wasn't true--and he set out to make sure the rest of us knew as well.

The story of the mother of Emmett Till, and how she channeled grief over her son's death into a call to action for the civil rights movement.

This picture book adaptation of her critically acclaimed adult memoir paints a vivid portrait of the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr. and a singular 20th-century American civil and human rights activist who fought for justice against all odds, becoming an unforgettable champion of social change.

In a beautiful prose telling, the story of a groundbreaking civil rights leader, John Lewis. John Lewis left a cotton farm in Alabama to join the fight for civil rights. He was only a teenager. He soon became a leader of a moment that changed a nation. Walking at the side of his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Lewis was led by his belief in peaceful action and voting rights. Today and always his work and legacy will live on.

A luminous picture book biography about librarian and storyteller Augusta Baker, the first Black coordinator of children's services at all branches of the New York Public library.

Growing up, Thurgood Marshall saw that things weren't fair. Baltimore, his hometown, was segregated--laws said Black and white people couldn't use the same resources, like schools, parks, or water fountains. When Thurgood had to read the Constitution as punishment for a prank at school, his eyes were opened. Thurgood knew Jim Crow laws were wrong, and he was willing to do whatever it took to change them.

A true story of determination and groundbreaking achievement follows eighth grade African American spelling champion MacNolia Cox, who left Akron, Ohio, in 1936 to compete in the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., only to be met with prejudice and discrimination.

A picture book biography about Ida B. Wells and her life as a suffragist, with a focus on the Women's March of 1913.

George loved plants but wasn't allowed to go to school because of the color of his skin in his home state of Missouri, but he graduated from college in Iowa and became known as The Peanut Man.

On August 28, 1963, a quarter of a million activists and demonstrators from every corner of the United States convened for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was there that they raised their voices in unison to call for racial and economic justice for all Black Americans, to call out inequities, and ultimately to advance the Civil Rights Movement. Every movement has its unsung heroes: individuals who work in the background without praise or accolades, who toil and struggle without notice. One of those unsung heroes was at the center of some of the most important decisions and events of the Civil Rights Movement. That hero was a quiet man, a gay African American man. He was Bayard Rustin.

The Newbery Award-winning author of The Crossover pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree.

Most people think that the Brown vs. Board of Education decision of 1954 meant that schools were integrated with deliberate speed. But the children of Prince Edward County located in Farmville, Virginia, who were prohibited from attending formal schools for five years knew differently, including Yolanda. Told by Yolanda Gladden herself, cowritten by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli and with illustrations by Keisha Morris, When the Schools Shut Down is a true account of the unconstitutional effort by white lawmakers of this small Virginia town to circumvent racial justice by denying an entire generation of children an education. Most importantly, it is a story of how one community triumphed together, despite the shutdown.

lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to Black and Brown children everywhere, this powerful, rhythmic lullaby reassures readers that their matter and their worth is never diminished, no matter the circumstance: through the joy and wonder of their first steps and first laughs, through the hardship of adolescent struggles, and the pain and heartbreak of current events, they always have, and always will, matter. This book empowers readers with pride, joy, and comfort, reminding them of their roots and strengthening them for the days to come.

A beloved and very sleepy little boy resists his mother's efforts to put him to bed.

Praised for acting like a big girl when she is small, as a young girl grows, "big" becomes a word of criticism, until the girl realizes that she is fine just the way she is.

Exploring the day-to-day life of a young Black child and her family, this lyrical picture book centers around Olivia, who, worrying about her father while he's at work, anxiously awaits his return, knowing that when he gets home, the evening will be full of love and fun.

With dynamic, imaginative art and poetic prose , Goodnight Racism delivers important messages about antiracism, justice, and equality in an easy-to-read format that empowers readers both big and small. Goodnight Racism gives children the language to dream of a better world and is the perfect book to add to their social justice toolkit.

A little girl's daddy steps in to help her arrange her curly, coiling, wild hair into styles that allow her to be her natural, beautiful self.

I am a nonstop ball of energy. Powerful and full of light. I am a go-getter. A difference maker. A leader. The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He's got big plans, and no doubt he'll see them through--as he's creative, adventurous, smart, funny, and a good friend. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he's afraid, because he's so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you--and shows you--who they are. There are superheroes in our midst!

After a tragedy a young boy discovers a connection between music and colors that helps guide him and gives him comfort in times of darkness.

With so many beautiful hairstyles to choose from like perms and locs, a little girl decides to get the freshest fade on the block.

On his first train ride, Michael meets a new friend from the "whites only" car--but finds they can hang together for only part of the trip--in the last story in a trilogy about the author's life growing up in the segregated South.

Sometimes the world feels broken. And problems seem too big to fix. But somehow, we all have the power to make a difference. With a little faith, and maybe the help of a friend, together we can find beauty and create change because even the smallest gesture can have a lasting impact. Presidential inaugural poet and #1 New York Times bestselling author Amanda Gorman and Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor winner Christian Robinson have created a timeless message of hope.

When she is chosen to compete in the local spelling bee, Stacey learns that, win or lose, her words are powerful, and sometimes perseverance is the most important word of all, in this debut picture book from the iconic voting rights advocate.

As a little boy grows into a bigger boy, he first must have the difficult conversation Black families have with their sons, warning them about the challenges they face due to racism.

A celebration of Langston Hughes and African American authors he inspired, told through the lens of the party held at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1991.

A group of kids celebrate the joy and freedom of summer on their Brooklyn block.

By heeding their wise grandmother's advice, a brother and sister discover the ability to lift themselves up and imagine a better world

Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Your Name is a Song is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names.

On Election Day, as they walk through their vibrant neighborhood on their way to vote, Quetta, her mother and her grandmother face obstacle after obstacle before and after reaching their voting station, showing Quetta the importance of raising her voice.