AGES 4-8 / GRADES K-3

In the latest Lola Reads book, Lola learns about urban beekeeping in this simple and charming introduction to the importance of bees.

Lola is buzzing with excitement! She is off to visit beekeeper Zora and meet her honeybees.

At Zora’s, Lola goes up to the roof to see the hives. Lola wears a special…

Cheryl Willis Hudson (A) and Bernadette Ford (A) and George Ford (ILT)

List Price: $9.95 (Paperback – Discovery / Self Esteem – 1990)

A classic in early childhood education, Bright Eyes, Brown Skin features four adorable African-American youngsters as they go about their typical day at pre-school. More than 500,000 copies sold.…

Kathryn Erksine (A) and Charly Parker (ILT)

List Price: $22.50 (Hardcover – South Africa / Singer / Activist – 2017)

Miriam Makeba, a Grammy Award–winning South African singer, rose to fame in the hearts of her people at the pinnacle of apartheid―a brutal system of segregation similar to American Jim Crow laws. Mama…

Did you know dandelions thrive on all seven continents?

The cheery blooms are among the most resilient and adaptable in the world. In this lyrical book, learn how the crafty plant travels on the wind and hitches rides in all manner of ways in order to spread far and wide. Includes a…

Walter Dean Myers (A), Leonard Jenkins (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Biography / Leader / Revolutionary – 2003)

“I believe in recognizing every human being
as a human being, neither white, black, brown, nor red.”

This was just one of the messages that Malcolm X brought to people of…

This remarkable picture book is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola, and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black artists of today.

Remember to dream your own dreams
   Love your beautiful…

Isabel Quintero (A)and Zeke Pena (ILT) 

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Father and Daughter Enjoy The Day -2019)

A celebration of the love between a father and daughter, and of a vibrant immigrant neighborhood, by an award-winning author and illustrator duo.

When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi…

Meet Rocket–a plucky aspiring astronaut intent on getting her community to LOOK UP! from what they’re doing and reach for the stars in this auspicious debut picture book. Honored as a Chicago Public Library 2019 Best of the Best Book!

A comet will be visible tonight,…

Explore. Discover. Empower!

This beautifully illustrated set of 31 flash cards introduces visionary Black Americans who have made a lasting impact on our world. Discover creative scientists and inventors, brilliant artists and musicians, brave activists, game-changing athletes, and so much more.

On each card, you’ll find memorable facts and amazing true stories.  A bonus…

Virginia Kroll (A) and Nancy Carpenter (ILT)

List Price: $8.99  (Paperback – East African / Friendship – 1997)

A young African-American girl living in urban America feels a kinship with the East African people, the Masai, whom she is studying in school. She ponders her life and makes comparisons to…

Lupita Nyong’o (A) and Vashti Harrison (ILT) 

List Price: $17.95 (Hardcover – Self Love and Discovering Your Unique Beauty – 2019)

From Academy Award–winning actress Lupita Nyong’o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within.

Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker…

Sheetal Sheth (A) and Jessica Blank (ILT)

List Price: $1995 (Hardcover – Two Cultures and A Girls Name – 2018)

Anjali and her friends are excited to get matching personalized license plates for their bikes. But Anjali can’t find her name. To make matters worse, she gets bullied for her “different” name,…

Ifeoma Onyefulu (A and Photos)

List Price $7.99 (Paperback – Alphabet Book / African Themes and Concepts – 1999)

This alphabet is based on my own favorite images of the Africa I know, writes Onyefulu, a member of the Igbo tribe who grew up in Nigeria and now lives in…

Public Domain, E.B.. Lewis (ILT)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – Song / African American Spiritual – 2005)

A great visual interpretation of a a popular African-American spiritual. It is morning when the book opens, and readers are greeted by a smiling boy. Throughout the day, he spreads his own special…

Todd Parr (A and ILT) 

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Tiny Mistakes – 2014)

In a tradition of Todd Parr’s fan-favorite It’s Okay to Be Different a book about embracing mistakes and the joy of happy accidents.

Todd Parr’s bestselling books have reminded kids to embrace differences, to be thankful, to love one another, and to be…

Eloise Greenfield (A) and Leo and Diane Dillon (ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Poetry – 1986)

Love don’t mean all that kissing
Like on television
Love Means Daddy
Saying keep your mama company till I get back
And me doing it

Sixteen poems tell of love and…

Based on the empowering and beloved viral video rap by six-year-old Sam White and his dad, Bobby, as seen on The Ellen Show and more, comes a book about the many careers kids can aspire to, from A to Z!

You can be an A–an architect, a B–a biochemist,…

An intergenerational story about a nonbinary child who learns the tradition of well digging in this picture book about community, hope, and protecting the Earth’s water.

As soon as Kit’s old enough to ride in Grandpa’s truck, they begin joining him to dig wells for their community. Grandpa is magic. He can feel the weather…

A new classic for Black and Brown children.

ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is possible!

Perhaps you want to become an artist, or a scientist, or maybe even president. Even when–especially when–the path is hard, Dear YOU: Dream BIG.

A personal, poetic, and uplifting affirmation from Caribbean-born author Baptiste Paul encouraging today’s Black youth…

Christine King Farris (A) and Chris K. Soentpiet (ILT) (A)

List Price: $19.95 (Hardcover – Martin Luther King / Family – 2005)

Long before he became a world-famous dreamer, Martin Luther King Jr. was a little boy who played practical jokes and made friends without any consideration to race. But growing…

Robbie H. Harris (A) and Nadine Bernard Westcott (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Different Types of Families – 2012)

Join Nellie and Gus and their family plus all manner of other families for a day at the zoo, where they see animal families galore! To top off their day, Nellie and Gus…

Gerald Mcdermott (A and ILT)

List Price:$9.99 (Paperback – Ashanti Tale – 1972) 

Anansi the Spider is one of the great folk heroes of the world. He is a rogue, a mischief-maker, and a wise, lovable creature who triumphs over larger foes.

Description: In this traditional Ashanti tale, Anansi sets out on a long,…

Meet Jelaya (jeh-LAY-uh.) She <span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: 'Amazon Ember',…

Anna McQuinn (A) and Rosalind Beardshaw (ILT)

List Price $16.99 (Hardcover / Lola Series / Caring For A Pet – 2017)

Lola wants a cat, but Mommy says taking care of a pet is a lot of work. So Lola does her homework. At the library she finds books about cats and pet…

Holly Robinson Peete (A) and Ryan Elizabeth Peete (A) and Shane Evans (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Disabillities / Autism / Siblings / Love and Tolerance – 2010)

Callie is very proud of her brother Charlie. He good at so many things – swimming, playing the piano, running fast. And Charlie has…

Patricia Lakin (A) and Valerio Fabbretti (ILT) 

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – Heroes Of Civil War – 2017)

Get to know heroes of the Civil War in this fact-tastic, nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read, part of a new series about the secrets of American History!

Secrets of American History is an action-packed nonfiction Level…

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Let’s Celebrate Our Elders

ElderBerry Wine celebrates the beauty and majesty of our elders, and the richness they bring by simply being a part of our lives. Join Sora and her grandmother as they explore this bubbly, delightful drink of life and all of the ways in which…

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…

Celebrate Remarkable Moments in Black History with this Uplifting Story

Inspire Black boys to imagine all the great things they can do while celebrating remarkable moments from Black history!

Dear boy, Black boy, I believe in you so.

Let’s start your story—ready, set, go.

From athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick to…

Nikki Grimes (A) and Floyd Cooper (ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Friendship / Girls / Poetry – 1997)

Thirteen poems tell the story of the friendship of two girls, Zuri Jackson and Danitra Brown. The poems, in Zuri voice, celebrate Danitra bravery, spunk, and kindness. Oil-wash illustrations accompany the verses.…

Paula Young Shelton (A) and Ralu Colo (ILT)

List Price: $8.99  (Paperback – African American History / Civil Rights Era – 2009)

Two parents decide to return with their three daughters to the Deep South during the time of the Freedom Riders, the early 1960s, returning to Georgia…

Before John Was A Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane

Young John Coltrane was all ears. And there was a lot to hear growing up in the South in the 1930s: preachers praying, music on the radio, the bustling of the household. These vivid noises shaped John’s own sound as a musician. Carole Boston…

This joyous and loving celebration of family is…

Meena Harris (A ) and Marissa Valdez (ILT)

List Price: $18.99  (Hardcover / Girl Empowerment – 2021)

Anyone who’s ever been underestimated or overshadowed will find inspiration in this empowering new picture book from Meena Harris, New York Times-bestselling author of Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea, which is based on a true story about her aunt,…

Sandy Lynne Holman (A) and Lela Kometiani (ILT)

List Price: $18.95 (Hardcover – African Heritage / Racism and Prejudice – 1998)

An illustrated story of an African American boy who gains appreciation for his dark skin by learning about his African heritage from his grandfather and his drum. (32 pgs) Ages 5 -…

Ilyasha Shabazz (A) and AG Ford (ILT)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – African American Leader / Civil Rights Era – 2014)

Malcolm X grew to be one of America’s most influential figures. But first, he was a boy named Malcolm Little. Written by his daughter, this inspiring picture book biography celebrates a vision…

From the Newberry Honor–winning author of Genesis Begins Again comes a shimmering picture book that shines the light on Zora Neale Hurston, the extraordinary writer and story catcher extraordinaire who changed the face of American literature.

Zora was a girl who hankered for tales like bees for honey. Now, her mama…

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…

Peter H. Reynolds (A and ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Imagination / Word Power / Expression – 2018)

Some people collect stamps.

Some people collect coins.

Some people collect art.

And Jerome?

Jerome collected words . . . 

In this extraordinary new tale from Peter H. Reynolds, Jerome discovers the magic of…

Rachel Isadora (A and ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Classic Fairy Tale / Africentric Version – 2009)

This adaptation of the well-known Hans Christian Andersen tale of the princess and the pea gets new look and new audience. It begins with a setting in East Africa and a prince searching for a…

2024 Golden Poppy Award Winner

An intimate look at Juneteenth, this story is a warm exploration of a family and a community. 

Juneteenth is the smell of brisket filling the air. Juneteenth is the sounds of music, dancing, and cheering ringing from the parade outside. It is love. It is prayer. It is friends…

From bestselling, award-winning creators Renée Watson and Bryan Collier comes a stunningly crafted picture book chronicling the life of poet and activist Maya Angelou.

This unforgettable picture book introduces young readers to the life and work of Maya Angelou, whose words have uplifted and inspired generations of readers. The author…

A lyrical and affirming ode to Black girls. An ideal next read for fans of I Am Enough and the perfect gift for mothers and daughters, baby showers, and graduation.

Be, Black Girl, Be

Breathe in your truth. And never let anyone dull your shine.

With poetic text and exuberant artwork, this book…

Javaka Steptoe (A)

Jeron Ashford Frame (A) and R. Gregory Christie (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Social Situation / Family / Feelings and Emotions / Colors – 2007)

A young boy ponders a variety of emotions and expresses how different members of his family experience them, from his own blues to…

A long overdue book that lyrically celebrates and teaches positive associations with two of the most important colors on Earth, black and brown.