AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

This lyrical celebration of Juneteenth, deeply rooted in Black American history, spans centuries and reverberates loudly and proudly today.

After 300 years of forced bondage;
hands bound, descendants of Africa
picked up their souls—all that they owned—
leaving shackles where they fell on the ground,<span…

Traci Todd (A) and Christian Robinson (ILT)

List Price $18.99 (Hardwood – Singer / Pianist / Activist – Civil Rights – 2021)

This illuminating and defining picture book biography illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Christian Robinson, tells the story of little Eunice who grew up to become the acclaimed singer Nina Simone and her…

Lisa Cline Ransom (A) and James Ransome (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – African American History / Slaves Forbidden to Read – 2013)

Rosa and her mama go to school together-in the dark of night, silently, afraid that…

Faith Ringgold (A and ILT)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – Biography / Activist / Civil Rights / Bus Boycott- 1999)

This Rosa Parks biography begins with an African American girl named Marcie. She is waiting for the bus to school when a strange bus pulls up; for some reason, she…

Jamia Wilson (A) and Andrea Pippins (ILT) 

List Price:  $23.99 (Hardcover –  Biographies / Black Movers and Shakers –  2019)

“…to be revisited again and again…The candy-colored pages and straightforward stories are hard to resist…” –The New York Times

“…diverse collection of iconic figures…vibrantly illustrated…beautifully crafted volume…” –Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“…exuberant…exquisitely designed…a…

Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts (A) and Christopher Myers (ILT)

List Price: $18.95 (Hardcover – Bio / Artist / Harlem Renaissance – 2015)

Jake Makes a World follows the creative adventures of the young Jacob Lawrence as he finds inspiration in the vibrant colors and characters of his community in Harlem. From his mother’s apartment, where he…

Nikki Grimes (A) and E. B. Lewis (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Biography / Aviation Pioneer – 2002)

Learn how a young African-American woman living in an era of segregation achieved her dream of flying. When the Wright brothers took their historic flight, 11-year-old Bessie Coleman vowed to become…

Tonya Bolden (A) 

List Price: $10.99 (Paperback – Young Girl Seeking A Better Life – 2020)

As a young black woman in 1880s Savannah, Essie’s dreams are very much at odds with her reality. Ashamed of her beginnings, but unwilling to accept the path currently available to her, Essie is trapped between…

The inspirational true story of Ruby Bridges.

Please, God, try to forgive those people. Because even if they say those bad things, They dont know what theyre doing. This is the true story of an extraordinary 6-year-old who helped shape history when she became the first African-American sent to first grade in an…

Catherine Clinton and Shane W. Evans 

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – History / African American Women Leaders –  2007)

Two women with similar backgrounds. Both slaves; both fiercely independent. Both great, in different ways.

Harriet Tubman: brave pioneer who led her fellow slaves to freedom, larger than…

Marianne Celano (A) Marietta Collins (A) Ann Hazzard (A) and Jennifer Zivoin (ILT) 

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – A Police Shooting / Discussing Racism with Children – 2018)

A NEW YORK TIMES AND #1 INDIEBOUND BEST SELLER

A Little Free Library Action Book Club Selection

National Parenting Product Award Winner (NAPPA)

Emma and Josh heard that something happened in…

Learn about the civil rights activist Ella Baker in this inspiring picture book from Sibert Honor winner Patricia Hruby Powell and Caldecott Honor winner R. Gregory Christie.

“What do you hope to accomplish?” asked Ella Baker’s granddaddy when she was still a child.
<span class="a-text-italic"…

Juliana “Jewels” Smith (A) and Mile Hampton (ILT) and Ronald Nelson (ILT)

List Price: $20.00 (Paperback – Graphic Novel – Urban Issues and More – 2017)

This unflinching visual and literary tour-de-force tackles the most pressing issues of the day—including racism, patriarchy, gentrification, police violence, and the housing crisis—with humor and biting satire.…

Jacqueline Woodson (A) Hudson Talbott (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Family History / Slavery to Freedom – 2005)

Soonies great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation without her ma and pa, and with only some fabric and needles to call her own. She…

The life of civil rights icon Angela Davis is illuminated in an extraordinary picture book biography. Booklist praised this profound exploration of American history, activism, the civil rights movement, and the power of the people as a one that “should be part of all social studies curricula.” For fans of Maya’s Song, Nina, and <span class="a-text-bold…

Arnold Adoff (A) and Benny Andrews (ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Poetry by African Americans – 1997)

First published in 1968, this anthology was one of the first collections of African American poetry specifically created with the young reader in mind. Along with selections from Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks, this newly…

Kathleen Krull (A) and Tim Tomkinson (ILT)

List Price: $5.57 (Paperback – History / Event / Civil Rights March – 2013)

On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 people gathered in Washington, DC, to demand equal rights for all races. It was there that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a…

Doreen Rappaport (A) and Charles Lilly (ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Slavery / Escape / Underground Railroad – 1998)

Eliza and her baby, running across the ice. Selena and Cornelia Jackson, masquerading as boys. Henry Box Brown, shipping himself north in a wooden crate. Jane Johnson, risking everything to testify against…

Breanna J. McDaniel (A) and Shane Evans (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – From Hands Up to Protest – 2019)

This triumphant picture book recasts a charged phrase as part of a black girl’s everyday life–hands up for a hug, hands up in class, hands up for a high five–before culminating in a moment…

Andrea Davis Pinkney (A) and Brian Pinkney (ILT)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – History / Civil Rights / Protest / Demonstrations and Sit Ins – 2010)

It was February 1, 1960. They didnt need menus. Their order was simple. A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side.

Courageously defying the WHITES ONLY…

Kofi A. Annan (A), Dudley J. Thompson (A) and Barrington A. Watson (ILT)

List Price: $15.00 (Paperback – Biographies / Pan Africanists – 2005)

This book celebrates the lives of seventeen Black leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the liberation, unity and solidarity of Africa and African peoples throughout…

A powerful and accessible bilingual picture book that highlights “the power and impact of ordinary but dedicated citizens.

Every day, thousands of farm workers harvested the food that ended up on kitchen tables all over the country. But at the end of the day, when the workers sat down to eat, there were only beans…

Roberta Edwards (A), Nancy Harrison (ILT) and John O’Brien (ILT)

List Price: $5.99 (Paperback – Biography / Leader / President of the United States – 2009)

As the world now knows, Barack Obama has made history as our first African-American president. With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this biography is perfect for primary graders looking…

Michelle Cook (A) and the following Contributing Illustrators: A.G. Ford, Bryan Collier, Charlotte Riley-Webb, Cozbi Cabrera, Diane Dillon, E.B. Lewis, Eric Velasquez, Frank Morrison, James Ransome, Leo Dillon, Pat Cummings, R. Gregory Christie, Shadra, E. B. Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman (Introduction)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback -Highlights11 African American Achievers…

Laura Hamilton Waxman (A)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Biography / Science – Aerospace Engineer – 2015) 

Have you ever built a cool science project? In middle school, Aprille Ericsson won second place in a science fair. She knew she wanted to keep creating amazing science projects. As an adult, she became an…

Doreen Rappaport (A) Shane Evans (ILT)

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback – History / Slave Resistance – 2005)

Ever since the first boatload of human cargo sailed to the New World, African Americans have waged a courageous struggle for dignity and freedom from slavery. Using true accounts, author Doreen Rappaport puts readers…

Wade Hudson (A) and Cheryl Willis Hudson (A)

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – 30 Celebrated Voices Advise Today’s Youth – 2020)

This powerful collection of short stories, essays, and poems is a call-to-action that invites all families to be anti-racist and advocates for change.

Thirty diverse, award-winning authors and…

Shanon Gibney (A) 

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – History/Racism  – 2019)

“Gut wrenching and incredible.”— Sabaa Tahir #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes

“This novel is a remarkable achievement.”—Kelly Barnhill, New York Times bestselling author and Newbery medalist

“Beautifully epic.”—Ibi…

 Beverly Danielle Tatum (A) 

List Price: $19.99 (Paperback – Race Dynamics / Conversations – 2017) 

The classic, bestselling book on the psychology of racism — now fully revised and updated

Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is…

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu (A)

List Price: $9.95 (Paperback – History Lessons / Elementary Edition -1987)

A Black history textbook that goes beyond “Negro” to African history, this book shows the strengths, weaknesses, victories, and mistakes of African Americans. Beautifully illustrated, it includes test questions and vocabulary exercises. (108 pgs) Age: 5-12 

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.3…

Yona Zeldis McDonough (A) and Jim Eldridge (ILT)

List Price: $5.99 (Paperback – Biography / Evangelist / Feminist – 2015)

Almost 100 years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, Sojourner Truth was mistreated by a streetcar conductor. She took him to court–and won! Before she was Sojourner Truth, she…

Sherri L. Smith and Who HQ (A)

List Price: $6.99  (Paperback – Who Was / Is Series -Tuskegee Airmen / Legendary Fighter Pilots – 2018)

It’s up, up, and away with the Tuskegee Airmen, a heroic group of African American military pilots who helped the United States win World War II.

During World…

Jabari Asim (A) and Bryan Collier

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Biography / Educator / Self Reliance -2012)

Booker dreamed
of making friends with words,
setting free the secrets
that lived in books.

Born into slavery, young Booker T. Washington could only dream of learning to read and write. After emancipation, Booker…

Zona Zeldis McDonough (A) and Nancy Harrison (ILT)

List Price: $6.99 (Paperback – Biography / Conductor / Underground Railroad – 2002)

Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone’s property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field…

ABOUT THE SUM OF US (ADAPTED FOR YOUNG READERS)

The New York Times bestseller, now adapted for a new generation of young readers, leaders, thinkers, and activists. A groundbreaking call to action that examines how racism affects and harms all of us and how we need to face it head-on, together.

The future can be…

Tiffany Jewell (A) 

LIST PRICE: $14.99 (Paperback – Examines Racism / Exercises –  2020)

Who are you? What is racism? Where does it come from? Why does it exist? What can you do to disrupt it? Learn about social identities, the history of racism and resistance against it, and how you can use your anti-racist…

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (A) and Jade Johnson (ILT) 

List Price: $17.95 (Hardcover – Lunch Counter Sit In Pioneer – 2018) 

Someday Is Now tells the inspirational story of the celebrated civil rights leader, Clara Luper, who led one of the first lunch-counter…

Misty Copeland (A) and Christopher Myers (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Biography / Ballerina – 2014)

In her debut picture book, Misty Copeland tells the story of a young girl–an every girl–whose confidence is fragile and who is questioning her own ability to reach the heights that Misty has reached. Misty encourages this young…

Carole Boston Weatherford (A) and Floyd Cooper (ILT) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – 1921 Tulsa Race Riot and Massacre – 2021)

Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history. The book traces the…

Emily Easton (A) and Ziyue Chen (ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Protesters/ Activists – 2021)

With a foreword from a Parkland shooting survivor, this lushly illustrated picture book introduces young readers to America’s most influential protesters–from Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr. to contemporary groundbreakers like transgender teen Jazz Jennings. Perfect for those…

Rhoda Blumberg (A) and Jaime J. Holmberg (A)

List Price: $25.99 (Hardcover – African American History – 2006) Out of Print

York’s Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American’s Part in the Great Expedition

Did you know that an African-American man participated in Lewis and Clarks famous expedition? Working alongside free…

Michelle Y. Green (A), Kadir Nelson (ILT), Mamie Johnson (Introduction)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Biography / Female / Sports / Negro Leagues / Pitcher – 2004)

Motivated by her love for the game and inspired by the legendary Jackie Robinson, Mamie Johnson is determined to be a professional baseball pitcher.…

Denise Dennis (A) and Susan Willmarth (ILT)

List Price: $15.99 (Paperback- Graphic Novel / African American History – 2007)

This book covers a rich history often ignored. It chronicles the struggle from capture and enslavement in Africa right up through Civil Rights and the different kind of struggle Blacks face today. (192 pgs)

…

In this timely follow-up to the best-selling, genre-defining Young, Gifted and Black, you can meet 52 more Black icons from around the world – this time spanning even more countries and including inspiring figures from as far back as the 1500s right up to present-day heroes.

Featuring the stories of recent changemakers such…

Carole Boston Weatherford (A) Eric Velasquez (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Black Library Pioneer and Historian – 2017) 

In luminous paintings and arresting poems, two of children’s literature’s top African-American scholars track Arturo Schomburg’s quest to correct history.

Where is our historian to give us our side? Arturo asked.

Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and…

Frederick Douglass (A)

List Price: $6.00 (Paperback – Autobiography / Former Slave / Self Taught / Abolitionist – 1995)

Former slave, impassioned abolitionist, brilliant writer, newspaper editor and eloquent orator whose speeches fired the abolitionist cause, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) led an astounding life. Physical abuse, deprivation and tragedy plagued his early years, yet…

Sharon G. Flake (A)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Teen Fiction / Self Esteem – 2007)

Thirteen-year-old Maleeka Madison, is uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark. Until she meets Miss Saunders, a new teacher who is self assured and has a large birthmark on her…

Ilyasah Shabazz (A) and Tiffany Jackson (A)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover –  The Life of A Great African American Leader – 2021)

The Awakening of Malcolm X is a powerful narrative account of the activist’s adolescent years in jail, written by his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz along with 2019 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe award-winning…

Kimberly Brown Pellum PhD (A) 

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback – Black Women In Science -2019)

Bold, black women in science―where will their inspiration take you?

Throughout history, black women have blazed trails across the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Black Women in Science brings something special to black history books for kids, celebrating incredible black…

Amanda Gorman (Poet) and Loren Long (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Poetry / First National Youth Poet Laureate of the US 2021)

A lyrical picture book debut from presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long
 
“I can hear change humming
In its…