Picture books

Ages 0–3

Markette Sheppard

Each page reveals a different sparkle found in a child’s simple but extraordinary world. The light revealed on the final page makes a fitting finale for this sweet, bright tale.

Ages 3–8

Sandra Turner-Barnes

Presented with eye-catching illustrations and written in enjoyable, metered rhyme, the story tells how Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus led to the successful mass boycott of the transit system, when roughly 40,000 ...

Ages 3–8

Toni Trent Parker

Painted eggs and chocolate bunnies by Toni Trent Parker — a thoughtfully chosen inclusive book for young readers.

Ages 3–8

Nikki Grimes

In this moving account of loss, a boy takes a walk in the woods and makes a discovery that changes his understanding of his father. week after the funeral I stare in the morning mirror Angry that my father’s eyes Stare back at me. Confused and distraught after the death of his father, a boy opens an envelope he left behind and is surprised to find a map of the woods beyond their house, with one spot marked in bright red. But why? The woods had been something they shared together, why would his father want him to go alone? Slowly, his mind settles as he sets off through the spaces he once explored with his dad, passing familiar beech and black oak trees, flitting Carolina wrens, and a garter snake they named Sal. When he reaches the spot marked on the map, he finds pages upon pages of drawings of woodland creatures, made by his father when he was his age. What he sees shows him a side of his dad he never knew, and something even deeper for them to share together. His dad knew what he really needed was a walk in the woods. New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes and the Caldecott Award winning illustrator Jerry Pinkney spent the early days of the pandemic emailing back and forth and talking about collaborating on a book, with Jerry sharing all of the pictures he took of the woods around his house.

Ages 3–8

Matthew G. Grant

A biography of the famous conductor on the Underground Railroad who worked to free her people before, during, and after the Civil War.

Ages 3–8

Kwame Alexander

This is the story of American slavery, a story that needs to be told and understood by all of us. A testament to the resilience of the African American community, this book honors what has been and envisions what is to be.

Ages 3–8

Gary Golio

Before he became one of the greatest guitar players of all time, Jimi Hendrix was a boy who loved to paint and listen to records, and who asked himself an unusual question: could someone paint pictures with sound?

Ages 3–8

Nikki Grimes

Just as the baton has been passed to Obama from previous leaders, Obama is a role model for the young people who will one day assume the mantle of leadership, and this book will celebrate and inspire them.

Ages 3–8

Mary Serfozo

Illustrations and rhyming text provide examples of what is soft and hard, warm and cold, wet and dry, long and short, and light and dark and describe how a puppy is all these things at once.

Ages 3–8

Brad Meltzer

This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big.

Ages 3–8

Wade Hudson

Jamal's busy day by Wade Hudson — a thoughtfully chosen inclusive book for young readers.

Ages 3–8

Polly Greenberg

Finally, sunset approaches, and a special treat awaits. Based on a sharecropper's childhood memories, Polly Greenberg's rhythmic text and Aliki's sun-soaked illustrations make an unforgettable tale just right for the youngest reader.

Ages 3–8

John Agard

Of course, the match ends in a dead heat, but the contestants take it all in good humour when they discover how they've been fooled. After all, as Brer Rabbit tells them, 'friendship is longer than rope'.

Ages 3–8

Patrick Jones

Heart or Mind by Patrick Jones — a thoughtfully chosen inclusive book for young readers.

Ages 3–8

Dianna Hutts Aston

Caldecott Honor–winning painter Jerry Pinkney and the poetic Dianna Hutts Aston create a moving tribute to the historic Apollo 11 Mission, just in time to commemorate its upcoming fortieth anniversary.

Ages 3–8

Carolivia Herron

An elderly black grandmother passes on the story of the family’s Jewish origins to her young granddaughter, Carol Olivia. As family members flee the Spanish Inquisition, are kidnapped by pirates and eventually sail to America, one daughter in each generation is given the name Olivia, from the Hebrew Shulamit meaning “peace,” to honor the Jewish part of their ancestry.

Ages 3–8

Angela Johnson

Do like Kyla by Angela Johnson — a thoughtfully chosen inclusive book for young readers.

Ages 3–8

Karen E. Lotz

Skipping, hopping, biking, and dancing her way through the seasons of the year, a young girl explores her big-city neighborhood. Exuberant text and art celebrate a child's relationship to her world. Full color.

Ages 3–8

Toni Trent Parker

Hugs and hearts by Toni Trent Parker — a thoughtfully chosen inclusive book for young readers.

Ages 3–8

Virginia Hamilton

Will the unit be restored in time to fight against this new threat? Dustland is the second book of Virginia Hamilton's dystopian fantasy series, the Justice Trilogy, comprised of Justice and Her Brothers, Dustland, and The Gathering.

Ages 3–8

Marybeth Lorbiecki

A young boy takes a gun to school to scare off the bully who has been tormenting him, and the gun is accidentally fired during a scuffle.

Ages 3–8

Barbara E Barber

Determined in her effort to play basketball, a young African American girl gives it one more shot with the support of a special friend.

Ages 3–8

Richard Jackson

As Sophie and her grandpa talk, he asks her to find items he's "lost" throughout the day, guiding Sophie on a tour through his daily life and connecting their generations in this sweet, playful picture book illustrated by Caldecott Medalist and Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner Jerry Pinkney.

Ages 3–8

Jonah Winter

This is a journey that began in many places. It began in Kansas, home of Barack’s mother. It began in Africa, home of Barack’s father. It began in Hawaii one moonlit night, the night that Barack was born.