Turning Knowledge Into Action

The theme for this year’s Black History Month is African-Americans and Labor. Let’s explore how African-Americans have worked to help shape the world! From hardworking laborers and skilled professionals to community organizers and creative thinkers, Black people have played pivotal roles in the development of families, communities, and entire nations. This year’s theme highlights how Black American efforts—both paid and unpaid, skilled and unskilled—have left a lasting impact on history. Through the books featured in this space this month, children can discover the important contributions of Black people in areas such as education, agriculture, business and industry, and social justice.

As we near the end of Black History Month 2025, this final book list helps turn our knowledge into action by encouraging us to apply what we've learned over the past few weeks about the importance of work. This list focuses on teaching children about money management, business, and personal finance, with books that explore how kids can earn, save, donate, and contribute to their communities while becoming financially literate. Children also learn how to start saving for their futures and develop valuable business skills. And with so many books focusing on lemonade stands, there must be something in the water!

AGES 0-3

Baby’s Big World: Economics. (Author: Alex Fabrizio. Illustrator: Hilli Kushnir.) Young children learn the basics of big economic concepts such as supply and demand.

AGES 4-12

Patty Dreams. (Author: Nadia L. Hohn. Illustrator: Sahle Robinson) A little boy from Jamaica moves with his family to the United States and asks his father to make Jamaican patties to remind him of home only to figure out a new business idea for his family.

Work: Interviews with People Doing Jobs They Love. (Author: Shaina Feinberg. Illustrator: Julia Rothman.) From vegan butchers to prosthetics makers to radio hosts, children learn about diverse career opportunities from individuals passionate about their work worldwide.

Ava & Mae Own a Lemonade Stand. (Author: Brittney Dias. Illustrator: Iman Purnel.) Relying on their negotiating, advertising, and other business skills, Ava & Mae decide to open a lemonade business at the local fair.

Sunny and the Seven Streams of Income. (Author: Andrea N. Pope. Illustrator: Naomi Amebinya) Saving for a new bike, a little girl learns about seven income streams to help her save even faster and reach her goal.

Make Your Own Money: How Kids Can Earn It, Save It, Spend It, and Dream Big. (Author: Ty Allan Jackson. Illustrator: Nicole Miles.) The character Danny Dollar helps children learn about money, how they can save it, and how they can use it to become entrepreneurs.

Charlie and Charlotte’s Lemonade Stand. (Author: Janika Simmons. Illustrator: Mike Motz.) Two siblings decide to open a lemonade stand to earn enough money to buy their mother a gift and working with dad teaches them about developing a business plan, math used to determine costs, the role of advertising, and more.

Growing Up Powerful: Money Matters. (Author: Alexa von Tobel. Illustrator: Morgan Gable.) A guide that especially helps girls better understand personal finance and how to plan for the future.

Mulani Moneybags Starts a Business. (Author: Kelly Wallace and Mulani Ellington.) This book, written by Mulani Ellington, who started a real lemonade business in Brooklyn, shows a little girl learning how to start her own lemonade business.

Madam C.J. Walker Builds a Business. (Author: Rebel Girls). First in her family to be born free, Sarah Breedlove starts her own business and becomes the first self-made millionaire in the United States in this historical fiction novel.

Squeezing Success: How to Turn Quality Time with Your Child Into a Profitable Business. (Author: Blake Hicks. Illustrator: Amina Yaqoob.) Lina works with her dad to start a lemonade stand and develops different business skills and insights during the summer months.

Rebel Girls Mean Business: 25 Tales of Entrepreneurs and Investors. (Author & Illustrator: Rebel Girls). This collection highlights the inspiring stories of women entrepreneurs and investors who have used creativity and innovation to build successful businesses, transform industries, and empower the next generation of girls to engage with finance and entrepreneurship.

Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid. (Author: Mikaila Ulmer) This memoir and business guide share a teenage entrepreneur’s journey of building a successful lemonade company while promoting bee conservation and offering advice for aspiring young entrepreneurs.