Black joy & identity books

Ages 3–8

Edwidge Danticat

Award-winning memoirist Edwidge Danticat's rich and lyrical text envelops the reader in the security of a mother's love, and debut artist Shannon Wright's vibrant art infuses the story with even more warmth.

Ages 3–8

Gene Barretta

There are themes of hard work, determination, overcoming obstacles, boxing, sports, persistence, and confidence—something Muhammad Ali clearly had plenty of."* In this picture book biography of Muhammad Ali, author Gene Barretta and ...

Ages 3–8

Joan Hickson

Say Curtis describes his meeting with Pinkus Aylee, a black soldier, during the Civil War, and their capture by Southern troops. Based on a true story about the author's great-great-grandfather.

Ages 3–8

Gabrielle Union

"Meet the one and only Shady Baby! With a flash of side-eye and a dash of kindness, Shady Baby is the first to stand up for her friends. But when her feelings are hurt, will anyone have her back?"--book jacket.

Ages 3–8

Katharine Capshaw

"Childhood joy, pleasure, and creativity are not often associated with the civil rights movement. Their ties to the movement may have faded from historical memory, but these qualities received considerable photographic attention in that tumultuous era. Katharine Capshaw's Civil Rights Childhood reveals how the Black child has been--and continues to be--a social agent that demands change. Because children carry a compelling aura of human value and potential, images of African American children in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education had a powerful effect on the fight for civil rights. In the iconography of Emmett Till and the girls murdered in the 1963 Birmingham church bombings, Capshaw explores the function of children's photographic books and the image of the Black child in social justice campaigns for school integration and the civil rights movement. Drawing on works ranging from documentary photography, coffee-table and art books, and popular historical narratives and photographic picture books for the very young, Civil Rights Childhood sheds new light on images of the child and family that portrayed liberatory models of Blackness, but it also considers the role photographs played in the desire for consensus and closure with the rise of multiculturalism.

Ages 3–8

Bonnie Bader

My Little Golden Book about Martin Luther King Jr by Bonnie Bader — a thoughtfully chosen inclusive book for young readers.

Ages 3–8

Verna Wilkins

Mum can fix it by Verna Wilkins — a thoughtfully chosen inclusive book for young readers.

Ages 3–8

Gary Golio

Blending a playful, rhythmic narration with expressive illustrations as fluid and dynamic as their subjects, this tribute to the masters of bebop by acclaimed biographer Gary Golio and beloved artist Ed Young will have readers hankering to ...

Ages 3–8

Rita Williams-Garcia

Clickity-clack, Clack......tipity-tap, tap tap......tipity-tap, tap In Bottle Cap Boys Dancing on Royal Street, award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia introduces two bottle cap dancers, brothers Randy and Rudy.

Ages 3–8

Kristina Evans

In a rhythmically-written, sweet conversation between parent and child, Mama lists her son's many good traits--from physical attributes to behavior--and though he dismisses each quality as just a little thing, Mama explains that there is ...

Ages 3–8

Mara Rockliff

A tale inspired by a true story follows the experiences of Little John, who along with his sisters excitedly anticipates the completion of a latest sculpture by his mother, a stonecutter at the Big John cathedral.

Ages 3–8

Sarah Albee

Martin Luther King Jr.: A Peaceful Leader is a Level Two I Can Read, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help.

Ages 3–8

Mary Hoffman

Now Grace's aspirations come to life with paper dolls that make it possible for children -- and adults -- to dress her in many of the roles she plays in the best-selling book Amazing Grace.Amazing Grace Paper Dolls will provide children ...

Ages 3–8

Wade Smith

When Smitty learns that his friend, Luke, and Georgina, who teases him, both have trouble reading, he begins helping them after school.

Ages 3–8

Nikki Grimes

Discover the incredible story of a young daughter of immigrants who would grow up to be the first woman, first Black person, and first South Asian American ever elected Vice President of the United States—and in a history-making turn of ...

Ages 3–8

Daniel Defoe

Although intended to be the last Crusoe tale, the novel is followed by a third and final novel involving the character by Defoe entitled Serious Reflections of Robinson Crusoe (1720).

Ages 3–8

Tim Tingle

Martha Tom of the Choctaw nation meets Little Mo, an enslaved boy across the river. A story of friendship and a crossing. Jeanne Rorex Bridges illustrates.