Top Picture Books for Black History Month
11 must-have picture books to read to your kids and your class this February.
While it goes without saying that it is important to celebrate Black history every month/week/day of the year, I love to really narrow my focus on Black authors and on picture books with POC in February.
Check out the books below for a few ideas for read-alouds in your class or at home!
Little People, BIG DREAMS: Ella Fitzgerald
by Mª ISABEL SÃNCHEZ VERGARA
Who it is for: Children of all ages
This empowering series offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardcover versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Check out the whole series to learn about inspirational figures throughout history.
About the Author: Mª ISABEL SÃNCHEZ VERGARA, born in Barcelona, Spain, is a writer and creative director perhaps best known as the author of much of the Little People, Big Dreams series. Each book tells the story of one of the world's female icons in an entertaining, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, allowing them to identify with the characters in each story. [foyles.co.uk]
by Jabari Asim
Who it is for: Children aged 0-4
The simple text and rhymes of this book make it perfect for the youngest of readers. A joyful and colourful celebration of Valentine’s Day!
About the Author: Jabari Asim is the author of What Obama Means . . . For Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future, The N Word, and several books for children. He is also a scholar-in-residence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and editor-in-chief of The Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP [Penguin Random House].
My Hair by Danielle Murrell Cox
Who it is for: Children aged 0-4
This board book, with its bold, bright images and simple text, is great for babies and young readers. It is a great introduction to a variety of different hair styles!
About the Author: Danielle Murrell Cox is a Canadian illustrator and graphic designer. She is perhaps best known for her self-published colouring books Black Queens and Black Kings [www.cbc.ca]
by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Who it is for: Children aged 4-9
This collection of beautiful poems is perfect for children aged 4-9. There are poems about girls of all kinds - shy girls, outgoing girls, city girls, country girls, adventurous girls. This book is a wonderful celebration of what makes us all different, and invites girls to see themselves in the words on the pages.
About the Author: Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a self-taught illustrator, doll maker, and crafter who studied fashion illustration at FIT and children’s book illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is the author and illustrator of Grandma’s Purse and Just Like Me, and has illustrated numerous children’s books, including The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes and Sewing Stories by Barbara Herkert [Penguin Random House].
by Grace Byers
Who it is for: Children aged 3-7
The language in this story makes it suitable for ages 3-7. The underlying message is one of self-acceptance, and the diverse characters make this book an exceptional choice for any primary classroom.
by Grace Byers
Who it is for: Children aged 3-8.
This feel-good book is about self-acceptance,, determination, inclusion, and self-worth. The beautiful images of characters of many different cultures make this book truly stunning.
About the Author: Grace Byers is an actress and activist known for her roles in Fox’s smash hit series Empire and Marvel’s The Gifted. As a multicultural, biracial CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Grace was bullied throughout her childhood, which inspired her first picture book, the New York Times bestseller I Am Enough—an ode to the empowerment of young girls. Her follow-up book, I Believe I Can, celebrates both boys and girls as they strive for their highest potential [Harper Collins].
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o
Who it is for: Children aged 4-8
This is a beautiful story about a little girl with skin as black as midnight. This story is also available in French.
About the Author: Lupita Nyong’o is a Kenyan actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in the film 12 Years a Slave, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as multiple accolades, including the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Critics’ Choice Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the NAACP Award [Simon and Schuster].
by Andrea Pippins
Who it is for: Children aged 3-7
This book celebrates both individuality and the power of community. A mother asks her child, “Who will you be?”, listing qualities of her family members along the way.
About the Author: Andrea Pippins is the creator of the coloring book I Love My Hair and the interactive book Becoming Me: A Work in Progress and the illustrator of Young, Gifted and Black, which received multiple starred reviews and which the New York Times called “hard to resist.” She is an influencer, an artist, a designer, and an educator with a penchant for cool and a personality as warm as her Brazilian roots [Penguin Random House].
Boonoonoonous Hair! by Olive Senior
Who it is for: Children aged 4-8
A vibrant picture book about a little girl learning to love her difficult-to-manage hair!
About the Author: Olive Senior is a writer of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and children's books. She has taught and lectured on Caribbean literature and culture internationally and currently teaches at the Humber School for Writers. Her work has been adapted for radio and stage, translated into many languages, and is taught internationally. Born and raised in Jamaica, Senior has lived in Toronto since 1993 [Writers’ Trust of Canada].
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
Who it is for: Children aged 4-8
Although this book is aimed at younger readers, it contains messages that are important for all ages. I particularly appreciated the section of the book for parents and caregivers; it offers important tips and lessons for talking to children about race and racism.
About the Author: Ibram X. Kendi is one of America’s foremost historians and leading antiracist scholars. He is a National Book Award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of seven books. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and the Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. Kendi is a contributor writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News Racial Justice Contributor. He is also the 2020-2021 Frances B. Cashin Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for the Advanced Study at Harvard University. In 2020, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world [Ibram X Kendi].
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
Who it is for: Children aged 8-12
This book is an illustrated poem of a range of undefeated African-Americans across history, beautifully illustrated by Kadir Nelson. For further information, the back of the book contains an appendix of the characters depicted in the book. This book is available in French!
About the Author: Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times Bestselling author of 35 books. Kwame is the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that aims to Change the World One Word at a Time (www.kwamealexander.com).
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I’m a French Immersion Kindergarten teacher from Ontario, Canada, and I can’t wait for you to see what I have in store to make your teacher life easier!
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