Black History Month (BHM) is a time for remembrance and celebration. The sixty selections featured are wonderful picture books that tell the stories of past and present-day events and people. Some are historical fiction, but most are nonfiction. Carter G. Woodson, the “Father of Black History,” believed “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” Woodson’s biography, a story of courage, determination, and hope for future generations, is told in James A. Haskins’s picture book, Carter G. Woodson: The Man Who Put “Black” in American History. The books are educational and inspirational, and hopefully will encourage further reading on the various events and people presented. For more historical fiction and nonfiction picture, middle, and young adult books, go here. Picture books are great for all ages, so Happy Reading to all!
Fearless Mary: The True Adventures of Mary Fields… | Tami Charles | Claire Almo | Whitman, 2019
The Journey of York: The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition | Hasan Davis | Alleanna Harris | Capstone, 2019
A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks | Alice Faye Duncan | Xia Gordon | Sterling Children’s Books, 2019
Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins | Michelle Meadows | Henry Holt and Co. BYR, 2019
The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop | Carole Boston Weatherford | Frank Morrison | little bee books, 2019
Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present | Jamia Wilson | Andrea Pippins | Wide Eyed, 2018
Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams | Lesa Cline-Ransome | James E. Ransome | Paula Wiseman, 2018
A Child’s Introduction to African American History | Jabari Asim | Lynn Gaines | Black Dog & Leventhal, 2018
Hammering for Freedom | Rita Lorraine Hubbard | John Holyfield | Lee & Low, 2018
No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas | Tonya Bolden | Knopf BYR, 2018
The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just | Mélina Mangal | Luisa Uribe | Millbrook, 2018
Hidden Figures | Margot Lee Shetterly | Laura Freeman | HarperCollins, 2018
Mae Among the Stars | Roda Ahmed | Stasia Burrington | HarperCollins, 2018
Black Women Who Dared | Naomi M. Moyer | Second Story Press, 2018
Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee! | Andrea J. Loney | Keith Mallett | Lee & Low, 2017
If You Were a Kid During the Civil Rights Movement | Gwendolyn Hooks | Kelly Kennedy | C. Press/F. Watts, 2017
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library | Carole Boston Weatherford | Eric Velasquez | Candlewick, 2017
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History | Vashti Harrison | Little, Brown BYR, 2017
Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History | Walter Dean Myers | Floyd Cooper | HarperCollins, 2017
The Legendary Miss Lena Horne | Carole Boston Weatherford | Elizabeth Zunon | Atheneum BYR, 2017
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat | Javaka Steptoe | Little, Brown BYR, 2016
Preaching to the Chickens | Jabari Asim | E. B. Lewis | Nancy Paulsen Books, 2016
Ticktock Banneker’s Clock | Shana Keller | David C. Gardner | Sleeping Bear Press, 2016
Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas | Gwendolyn Hooks | Colin Bootman | Lee & Low, 2016
Just a Lucky So and So: The Story of Louis Armstrong | Lesa Cline-Ransome | James E. Ransome | Holiday House, 2016
Freedom in Congo Square | Carole Boston Weatherford | R. Gregory Christie | little bee books, 2016
Freedom’s School | Lesa Cline-Ransome | James E. Ransome | Jump at The Sun, 2015
28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World | Charles R. Smith Jr. | Shane W. Evans | Roaring Brook, 2015
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore | Vaunda Nelson | R. Gregory Christie | Carolrhoda, 2015
Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton | Don Tate | Peachtree Publishing, 2015
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer | Carole Boston Weatherford | Ekua Holmes | Candlewick, 2015
Granddaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box | Michael S. Bandy | Eric Stein | James E. Ransome | Candlewick, 2015
Jake Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, a Young Artist in Harlem | Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts | Christopher Myers | MoMA, 2015
Jalani and the Lock | Lorenzo Pace | Windmill Books, 2015
Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured…America | Carole Boston Weatherford | Jamey Christoph | Whitman, 2015
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X | Ilyasah Shabazz | AG Ford | Atheneum BYR, 2014
This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration | Jacqueline Woodson | James Ransome | Nancy Paulsen Books, 2013
Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills | Renee Watson | Christian Robinson | Random House BYR, 2012
We March | Shane W. Evans | Roaring Brook Press, 2012
Before There Was Mozart | Lesa Cline-Ransome | James E. Ransome | Schwartz & Wade, 2011
Ruth and the Green Book | Calvin Alexander Ramsey | Gwen Strauss | Floyd Cooper | Carolrhoda, 2010
Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali | Charles R. Smith Jr. | Bryan Collier | Candlewick, 2010
Paul Robeson | Eloise Greenfield | George Ford | Lee & Low, 2009
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves | Vaunda Nelson | R. Gregory Christie | Carolrhoda, 2009
Child of the Civil Rights Movement | Paula Young Shelton | Raul Colon | Schwartz & Wade, 2009
Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride | Andrea Davis Pinkney | Brian Pinkney | Jump At The Sun, 2009
Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told | Walter Dean Myers | Bonnie Christensen | Amistad, 2008
Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane | Carole Boston Weatherford | Sean Qualls | Henry Holt BYR, 2008
Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights | Jim Haskins | Benny Andrews | Candlewick, 2008
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra | Andrea Davis Pinkney | Brian Pinkney | Paw Prints, 2007
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom | Carole Boston Weatherford | Kadir Nelson | Hyperion, 2006
Visiting Langston | Willie Perdomo | Bryan Collier | Perfection Learning, 2005
A Sweet Smell of Roses | Angela Johnson | Eric Velasquez | Simon & Schuster BYR, 2005
Me and Uncle Romie: A Story Inspired by the Life and Art of Romare Beardon | Claire Hartfield | J. Lagarrigue | Dial, 2002
If A Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks | Faith Ringgold | Simon & Schuster BYR, 1999
Fly, Bessie, Fly | Lynn Joseph | Yvonne Buchanan | Simon & Schuster, 1998
The Great Migration: An American Story | Jacob Lawrence | Perfection Learning, 1995
Mary McLeod Bethune | Eloise Greenfield | Jerry Pinkney | Perfection Learning, 1994
Alvin Ailey | Andrea Pinkney | Brian Pinkney | Disney-Hyperion 1993
Zora Neale Hurston: Writer and Storyteller | Patricia & Frederick McKissack | Michael Bryant | Enslow, 1992
Do you plan to read or use any of the books listed in your home, classroom, or community center? For educational or leisure reading? Leave us a comment below.
If you believe BCBA provides a valuable service, please take a few minutes to donate and support our mission to promote awareness of children’s and young adult literature by Black authors. Thanks in advance for your thoughtful gift!
1 Comment
Thanks I need 100 of these go Christmas
Can I get some discounts ?
Jean1927@comcast.net