Ages 0-4
Little Naturalists George Washington Carver Loved Plants BabyLit. Author: Kate Coombs. Illustrator: Seth Lucas.) As an agricultural scientist, inventor, and environmentalist, George Washington Carver helped farmers and communities take care of the earth, increase soil nutrients, and develop new ways to use crops.
A is for Aretha. (Author: Leslie Kwan) This board book highlights 26 black women musicians who have created powerful music, led civil rights struggles, advocated for justice, and served as inspirations for people all over the world.
The Life of Basquiat. (Author: Patty Rodriguez) This bilingual board book introduces little ones to Jean-Michel Basquiat heavily influenced graffiti and neo-expressionist art and encourages young children to explore their own messy, bright, and bold art. (In English and Spanish.)
The Obamas: A Lift-the-Flap Book. (Author: Violet Lemay) Motivational words and moments in the Obama presidency mix with big concepts like Peace, Love, Hope, Dreams, the Environment, and Equality to reveal Obamas' contributions to the world stage.
Legends of Hip Hop: Queen Latifah. (Author: Pen Ken) Little ones can learn the ABCs and about Queen Latifah at the same time.
RuPaul Charles (People of Pride). (Author: Little Bee Books.) Learn about RuPaul who has been instrumental in the recognition and acceptance of people in the LGBTQ+ community and of drag culture.
Maya: My First Maya Angelou. (Author: Lisbeth Kaiser) Teach young ones about Maya Angelou and her influence as a writer, powerful speaker, and civil rights activist.
Ages 4-12
Up Periscope. (Author: Jennifer Swanson. Illustrator: Veronica Miller Jamison.) Engineer Raye Montague battles against discrimination to show that she can learn anything, do anything, and be anything in order to revolutionize naval shipbuilding and become the first person to design a computer program to develop a comprehensive ship design.
Let’s Fly! (Author: Barrington Irving & Chana Stiefel. Illustrator: Shamar Knight-Justice) A young immigrant works hard to learn how to fly and raise the resources necessary to become the youngest person and first black man to fly solo around the world.
Make a Pretty Sound. (Author: Traci N. Todd. Illustrator: Eleanor Davis.) Ella Jenkins, filled with music and battling against those who said she couldn’t, revolutionized children’s music, ardently advocated for music education, and became known as the “First Lady of Children’s Music.”
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop. (Author: Alice Faye Duncan. Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie.) A little girl marches with her dad and other workers to fight for equal rights and safer worker conditions during the 1968 Sanitation Strike in Memphis.
Lift Your Light a Little Higher. (Author: Heather Henson. Illustrator: Bryan Collier.) Stephen Bishop, although a slave, became internationally recognized as the best guide and the first person to draw an extensive map of the Monmouth Cave, the longest cave system in the world.
From Black Wall Street to Allensworth. (Author: Hedrick Nichols with Kelisa Wing.) This book provides historical insights into thriving black communities and often ignored examples of black wealth throughout the United States.
Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson? (Author: Shelia P. Moses.) Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first African-American woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.
Dream Builder. (Author: Kelly Starling Lyons) As a young boy with dyslexia, Philip Freelon discovered how to use art, math, and engineering to tell stories and eventually became the architect who designed the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture.
With Books and Bricks. (Author: Suzanne Slade. Illustrator: Nicole Tadgell.) A former slave, Booker T. Washington travels to Alabama to teach black children, but finds that there is no school so he works with his students and the community to build what would become Tuskegee University.
Unspeakable. (Author: Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrator: Floyd Cooper.) A false accusation leads to the burning, looting, and destruction of a black wealthy community with highly educated and professional residents.
Let the Children March. (Author: Monica Clark-Robinson. Illustrator: Frank Morrison.) Children march against discriminatory Jim Crow laws in place of their parents who worry that they will lose their jobs and not be able to feed their families.
Patricia’s Vision: The Doctor Who Saved Sight. (Author: Michelle Lord. Illustrator: Alleanna Harris.) An inspiring biography of Dr. Patricia Bath who restored the sight of people who had become blind. She invented a specialized laser for removing cataracts and became the first African-American woman doctor to receive a medical patent.
Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans. (Author: Phil Bildner. Illustrator: John Parra.) This book is based on the real-life of inspirational street sweeper Cornelius Washington in New Orleans.
Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History. (Author: Walter Dean Myers. Illustrator: Floyd Cooper) Born into slavery, Frederick Douglass became an abolitionist leader, powerful orator, and influential writer who fought for racial justice and political reform.
Oprah Winfrey. (Author: Alilah L. Agostini) Little Golden Book Series. This biography highlights Oprah Winfrey’s inspirational success as a media mogul, talk show host, reporter, actress, and philanthropist.
Miles of Style. (Author: Lisa D. Brathwaite) Eunice Johnson used her passion for fashion not only to design clothes, but also to launch Ebony magazine and created the Ebony Fashion Fair.
Brick by Brick. (Author: Charles R. Smith, Jr. Illustrator: Floyd Cooper) Poetic and powerful telling of how slaves and free men built the White House.
Chef Edna: Queen of Southern Cooking, Edna Lewis. (Author: Melvina Noel) Learn about culinary icon Edna Lewis who popularized Southern cuisine.
Laverne Cox (Little People, Big Dreams). (Author: Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara) Laverne Cox is an award-winning actress and trans pioneer who has inspired others to be their true selves.
Who is Zendaya? (Author: Kirsten Anderson) This biography discusses the life and talent of Emmy-award-winning actress, musician, and fashionista Zendaya Coleman.
The Boy Who Painted Africa. (Author: Nancy Agbenu) Inspired by his family’s believe that there was no such word as “can’t,” John Biggers was the first African-American artist to paint scenes of West Africa and its people to inspire civil rights activists, students, educators, and others.
What the Artist Saw: Faith Ringgold. (Author: Sharna Jackson) Weaving activism with creativity, multimedia artist, Faith Ringgold, tells stories and fights for racial justice and gender equity through her art.
Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller. (Author: Breanna J. McDaniel) After listening to her grandmother’s stories as a child, Augusta Baker would eventually become a librarian and storyteller, the first Black coordinator of children’s services at all branches