Raised in South Carolina and New York, Jacqueline Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. 10 and up
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
By Vashti Harrison
Meet 40 trailblazing women who broke barriers of race and gender to pave the way for future generations. This book brings to life both iconic and lesser-known female figures of black history including: abolitionist Sojourner Truth, pilot Bessie Coleman, chemist Alice Ball, and poet Maya Angelou. 8-11 years
Thurgood
By Jonah Winter, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Thurgood Marshall was a born lawyer–the loudest talker, funniest joke teller, and best arguer from the time he was a kid growing up in Baltimore in the early 1900s. He would go on to become the star of his high school and college debate teams, a stellar law student at Howard University, and, as a lawyer, a one-man weapon against the discriminatory laws against black Americans. After only two years at the NAACP, he was their top lawyer and had earned himself the nickname Mr. Civil Rights. He argued–and won–cases before the Supreme Court, including one of the most important cases in American history: Brown v Board of Education. And he became the first black U.S. Supreme Court Justice in history. 5-9 years
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library
By Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Eric Velasquez
Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro-Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk’s life’s passion was to collect books, letters, music and art from Africa and the African diaspora. He wanted to bring to light the achievements of people of African descent through the ages. When Schomburg’s collection became so big it began to overflow his house, he turned to the New York Public Library. He created and curated a collection that was thecornerstone of the new Negro Division. A century later, his groundbreaking collection, known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has become a beacon to scholars all over the world. 9-12 years
Young, Gifted and Black:
Meet 52 Heroes from the Past and Present
By Jamie Wilson, Illustrated by Andrea Pippins
Young, Gifted andBlack introduces historic and present-day icons and heroes. Meet figureheads, leaders and pioneers like Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks as well as cultural trailblazers and athletes like Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams. Strong, courageous, talented and diverse, these extraordinary men and women’s achievements willinspire a new generation to chase their dreams. 9-12 years
28 Days: Black History That Changed the World
By Charles R. Smith, Illustrated by Shane W. Evans
Each day features a different influential figure in African-American history. Young readers will learn about Crispus Attucks, the first man shot at the Boston Massacre, Madame C.J. Walker, who after years of adversity became the wealthiest black woman in the country, Barack Obama, the America’s first African-American president and many more important men and women. 6-10 years
Heroes of Black History: Biographies of Four Great Americans
By The Editors of Time for Kids
This book presents the stories of four great American heroes every child should know. In one volume children will learn about Harriet Tubman, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, and Barack Obama. Heroes of Black History shines a light on the long fight for social justice in the United States as it highlights the accomplishments and personal histories of these four pivotal Americans. 8 and up
Let the Children March
By Monica Clark-Robinson, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
I couldn’t play on the same playground as the white kids.
I couldn’t go to their schools.
I couldn’t drink from their water fountains.
There were so many things I couldn’t do.
In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African Americanchildren volunteered to march for their civil rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speak. They protested the laws that kept black people separate from white people. Facing fear, hatred, and danger, these children used their voices to change the world. 6-9 years
Hidden Figures:
The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
By Margot Lee Shetterly, Illustrated by Laura Freeman
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math…really good. They participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes. They provided the calculations for America’s first journeys into space. They did this at a time when being black and a woman limited their options. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius to change the world. 4-8 years
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of several masters before she escaped to freedom. But she knew she wouldn’t really be free unless she was helping to end injustice. That’s when she changed her name to Sojourner and began traveling across thecountry, demanding equal rights for black people and for women. Many people weren’t ready for her message, but Sojourner was brave and her truth was powerful. And slowly, but surely as Sojourner’s step-stomp stride, America began to change.
Martin and Mahalia His Words, Her Song
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and his strong voice and powerful message were joined and lifted in song by world-renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It was a moment that changed the course of history and is imprinted in minds forever.
The Red Pencil
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Shane W. Evans
Life in Amira’s peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when Janjaweed attackers arrive, unleashing unspeakable horrors. After losing nearly everything, Amira needs to find the strength to make the long journey on foot to safety at a refugee camp. She begins to lose hope, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind — and all kinds of possibilities.
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Stephen Alcorn
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped more than three hundred slaves escape the South on the Underground Railroad. Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The lives these women led are part of an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in — even when it feels like no one is listening.
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
This picture book celebrates the momentous Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement.
Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
Hand in Hand presents the stories of ten men from different eras in American history, organized chronologically to provide a scope from slavery to modern day. Profiles of: Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B DuBois, A. Phillip Randolph, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack H. Obama II.
Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Berry Gordy began Motown in 1959 with an $800 loan from his family. He converted the garage of a residential house into a studio and recruited teenagers from the neighborhood, including: Smokey Robinson, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross, to sing for his new label. The country was on the brink of a cultural revolution, and one of the most powerful agents of change in the following decade would be this group of young blackperformers from urban Detroit.
A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the
Creation of The Snowy Day
Andrea Davis Pinkney
and Illustrators Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred years ago, when Ezra Jack Keats was born in Brooklyn, New York. The family were struggling Polish immigrants. Despite Keats’ obvious talent, his father worried that Ezra’s dream of being an artist wasan unrealistic one. But Ezra was determined. For more than two decades, Ezra had kept pinned to his wall a series of photographs of an adorable African American child. In Keats’ hands, the boy morphed into Peter, a boy in a red snowsuit, out enjoying the pristine snow. The book became The Snowy Day, the first mainstream book to feature an African American child.
Andrea Davis Pinkney
The book descriptions used are primarily the publishers.
If you like this article, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
