Happy Black History Month! To celebrate, we’re collecting all the books about the Black experience from our finalists and nominations this year. There are a LOT of books, so we’re starting with the younger set: board books, fiction picture books, Elementary nonfiction, Easy Readers, Early Chapter books, and poetry collections. We’ll catch the rest in two weeks after our winners’ announcement on February 14th at 9:00 AM PST!
I, Too, Sing America
by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Katie Crumpton
little bee books
Me and My Mama: Celebrate Black Joy and Family Love
by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
“Filled with lots of wonderful illustrations of lots of wonderful babies and lots of wonderful mamas.” – Deb Nance at Readerbuzz
Peek-a-You! (A Bright Brown Baby Board Book)
by Andrea Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Cartwheel Books
The Hair Book
by LaTonya Yvette, illustrated by Amanda Jane Jones
Union Square Kids
“The Hair Book by @latonyayvette and @amandajanejones is a celebration of hair of every kind. It’s wonderfully inclusive and Amanda’s illustrations are delightful.” – Aimee Smith @keepabookout
Black Boy, Black Boy
by Ali Kamanda, Jorge Redmond, illustrated by Ken Daley
Sourcebooks eXplore
“A black man shares stories of some of his favorite black male heroes with a young black boy. It’s an inspiring book for all children, with bright illustrations and fantastic role models.” – Deb Nance at Readerbuzz
Free at Last: A Juneteenth Poem
by Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, illustrated by Alex Bostic
Union Square Kids
“The images in this book are stunning.” – Deb Nance at Readerbuzz
Hey You!: An Empowering Celebration of Growing Up Black
by Dapo Adeola
Nancy Paulsen Books
“The illustrations are vibrant and poignant and the words feel like they are aimed directly at the reader. Powerful.” – Deb Nance at Readerbuzz
I Am You: A Book about Ubuntu
by Refiloe Moahloli, illustrated by Zinelda McDonald
Amazon Crossing Kids
“An essential book for readalouds and collections, I Am You: A Book About Ubuntu is a gentle voice encouraging unity in an increasingly divisive time.” – Rosemary Kiladitis
The Year We Learned to Fly
by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López
Nancy Paulsen Books
“A wonderful story by the fabulous team of Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López.” – Deb Nance at Readerbuzz
Who Are Your People?
by Bakari Sellers, illustrated by Reggie Brown
HarperCollins
Yellow Dog Blues
by Alice Faye Duncan, Illustrated by Chris Raschka
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Ty’s Travels: Lab Magic
by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Niña Mata
HarperCollins Childrens
Your Friend, Parker
by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry, illustrated by Brittany Jackson and Tajae Keith
Simon Spotlight
“This story of two modern day friends staying in touch over a vacation by letter writing highlights some neat destinations across our country like sand sledding in New Mexico and the aquarium in Georgia.” – Ellen Zschunke
Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas
by Jeanne Walker Harvey Illustrated by Loveis Wise
HarperCollins
“Of course, the illustrations are remarkable. They are in the style of Thomas, but done by Wise. There are vivid colors for the people as well as for the artwork, some of which is geometric, other images come from nature, and some images come from space. And some images combine all three styles: nature, space, and geometry with vivid colors. It’s a feast for the eyes.” – Karen D. Austin
All Star: How Larry Doby Smashed the Color Barrier in Baseball
by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Cannaday Chapman
Clarion Books
” And the story which preceded it gave me to context to appreciate and understand what it meant. Larry Doby teaches us that being second is important, and so is being third and fourth and fifth. Continuing to stand for what is right always matters.” – TheBrookeList
Black Voices On Race Jordan Peele
by Shasta Clinch
HarperCollins Childrens
I Am Ruby Bridges
by Ruby Bridges, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith
Orchard Books
Just Like Jesse Owens
by Andrew Young, illustrated by Gordon C. James
Scholastic
Stitch by Stitch: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly Sews Her Way to Freedom
by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon
Holiday House
“I was DELIGHTED to learn about Elizabeth “Lizzy” Hobbs Keckly. She deserves broader recognition for her place in history.” – Karen D. Austin
The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States
by Alliah L. Agostini, illustrated by Sawyer Cloud
becker&mayer! kids
“It is direct and colorful. A superb conversation starter.” – Genevieve Ford
WNBA Superstars Candace Parker
by Heather Rule
Focus Readers
And We Rise: The Civil Rights Movement in Poems
by Erica Martin
Viking Books for Young Readers
“[I]t beautifully and concisely distills the whole Civil Rights movement into around 50 poems where the reader will actually feel the drumbeat of marching feet and the pulse of the movement.” – Anne@HeadFullofBooks
Maya’s Song
by Renée Watson, illustrated by Bryan Collier
HarperCollins
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water
by Nikole Hannah-Jonesand Renée Watson, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith
Kokila
“I will just say that Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson’s poems that make up this story are absolutely beautiful and evocative and horrifying, but in a necessary and valuable way. And Nikkolas Smith’s illustrations are unlike anything I’ve seen in a picture book before—their painted style and haunting but gorgeous contents truly bring this book to life, which isn’t exactly a fun thing, but is a necessary thing.” – Max at Completely Full Bookshelf
Walking Gentry Home: A Memoir of My Foremothers in Verse
by Alora Young
Hogarth