Black History Month: Children’s Book List

My Rainbow by Trinity Neal – P NEA

A dedicated mom puts love into action as she creates the perfect rainbow-colored wig for her transgender daughter.
All Because You Matter by Tami Charles – P CHA

A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to Black and Brown children everywhere reminds them how much they matter, that they have always mattered and they always will.
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine – P LEV

A fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry “Box” Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford – P WEA

Describes Tubman’s spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her north to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of forced servitude.

Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth – P WYE

When she goes looking for “something beautiful” in her city neighborhood, a young girl finds beauty in many different forms.
The Night Is Yours by Abdul-Razak Zachariah – P ZAC

From a vantage point high in their apartment, a parent narrates as Amani plays hide-and-seek at night with her friends in the neighborhood.
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry – P CHE

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.
Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel – P MCD

A young girl lifts her hands up in a series of everyday moments before finally raising her hands in resistance at a protest march
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds – J F REY

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.
Something to Say by Lisa Moore Ramee – J F RAM

A friendless girl who has developed a knack for keeping her head down at school resists a red-headed newcomer who wants to make friends before the two are paired for a class assignment that she hopes will secure her position on the debate team.

Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney – J F PIN

Loretta, Roly, and Aggie B. Little relate their Mississippi family’s struggles and triumphs from 1927 to 1968 while struggling as sharecroppers, living under Jim Crow, and fighting for Civil Rights.
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia – J F MBA

Seventh-grader Tristan Strong tumbles into the MidPass and, with allies John Henry and Brer Rabbit, must entice the god Anansi to come out of hiding and seal the hole Tristan accidentally ripped in the sky.
Ways to Make Sunshine by Renaee Watson – J F WAT

The Hart family of Portland, Oregon, faces many setbacks after Ryan’s father loses his job, but no matter what, Ryan tries to bring sunshine to her loved ones
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes – J F RHO

Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don’t look like him. They don’t like him either.
What Color Is My World? by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – J F ABD

While twins Ella and Herbie help the handyman Mr. Midal work on their new home, he tells them about such inventors as Granville Woods, Dr. Henry T. Sampson, and James West, giving them a new view of their heritage as African-Americans.
The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez – J 973.0496 COR

B is for Beautiful, Brave, and Bright! And for a Book that takes a Bold journey through the alphabet of Black history and culture.
This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges – J B BRI

Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges–who, at the age of six, was the first African American to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans–shares her story through text and historical photographs, offering a powerful call to action.
Follow the Drinking Gourd by Cari Meister – J 813.6 MEI

Peg Leg Joe travels from plantation to plantation singing the Drinking Gourd song that will guide slaves to freedom in the North.
Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport – J B KIN

Martin’s Big Words consists of Rappaport’s own words interwoven with quotes from Dr. King…all powerfully brought to life by Collier’s striking, glorious art.
Little Leaders by Vashti Harrison – J 920.7208 HAR

Features female figures of black history, including abolitionist Sojourner Truth, pilot Bessie Coleman, chemist Alice Ball, politician Shirley Chisholm, mathematician Katherine Johnson, poet Maya Angelou, and filmmaker Julie Dash.