Girls

Karen Katz (A and ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Multi-Cultural / Friends – 2002)

My name is Lena and I am seven. I am the color of cinnamon. Mom says she could eat me up.

Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her…

The New York Times bestselling team behind Parker Looks Up returns with this Level 1 Ready-to-Read about trying to make a good day out of a bad one.

Parker is not having a good day.  All she wants is some time alone to read her book, but her brother and sister will not stop following…

A perfect picture book about perseverance, overcoming challenges, and working hard to achieve your goals!

Sydney learns to conquer her fear of public speaking at school, in this affectionate father-daughter story referencing inspiring role models who dealt with similar issues.

Sydney wants to be a great leader when she grows up. There’s just one…

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…

ESPN SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan and Corretta Scott King Illustrator Honoree Laura Freeman team up in this moving ode to Duncan’s daughter that will resonate with mothers and daughters everywhere.

I will wrap my arms around you, so you will know comfort.
And when you’re ready to leave, I’ll be…

Anna McQuinn (A) and Rosalind Beardshaw (ILT)

List Price $16.99 (Hardcover / Lola Series / First Day of School – 2019)

Spunky Lola embarks on a new adventure–the first day of school!

Lola and her family prepare for the first day of school the night before, then get up early, take pictures, and head to…

Sharon Dennis Wyeth (A), Sharon Dennis Wyeth (ILT) , Chris K. Soentpiet (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Finding Beauty Everywhere – 2002)

Everyday a young girl is disheartened by the things in her neighborhood: the trash on the streets, the graffiti on the walls, and the homeless woman that sleeps in a…

A moving tribute to the joy and grounding that fathers bring to their children’s lives.

What does a daddy do? From day one, this daddy speaks love to his little one. And along with that love, his words and actions speak many other things, too: like truth, joy, comfort,…

Winner of the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award!

In this moving story that celebrates cultural diversity, a shy girl brings her West African grandmother–whose face bears traditional tribal markings–to meet her classmates. This is a perfect read for back to school!

It is Grandparents Day at Zura’s elementary school, and the…

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…

A young biracial girl looks around her world for her color. She finally chooses her own, and creates a new word for herself―honeysmoke.

Simone wants a color.

She asks Mama, “Am I black or white?”

“Boo,” Mama says, just like mamas do, “a color is just a word.”

She asks Daddy,…

Monica Gunning (A) and Elaine Peddlar (ILT)

List Price $11.95 (Paperback -Homelessness / Mother and Daughter – 2013)

When her father died, Zettie and her mother left their warm and comfortable home in Jamaica for an uncertain future in the United Sates. Zetties mother cant find a steady job so they are forced…

Nina Crews (A and ILT)

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – Adventure and Discovery / 1995)

A simple story of a child everyday adventures, told in an innovative, yet accessible style that will be enjoyed by young listeners no matter what the season. Most of the fun filled activities, are centered around…

An inspirational and empowering book about what mothers, especially Black mothers, want their daughters to know.

This inspiring book gives girls permission to let their lights shine. They want all girls to know that there are no limits on what they can achieve.

One by one, common misconceptins are flipped and replaced by empowering…

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…

Anna McQuinn (A) and Rosalind Beardshaw (ILT)

List Price $16.99 (Hardcover / Lola Series / Library / Reading – 2014)

Lola has a big smile on her face. Why? Because it’s Tuesday–and on Tuesdays, Lola and her mommy go to the library. Join Lola in this cozy celebration of books and the people…

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

Farhan Zia (A) and Stephanie Fizer Coleman (ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Identity Story / Discovery – 2022)

A vivacious and endearing story of identification, values, and the rewards in looking closely and thinking imaginatively.
Lali finds a little feather in the field. Who might it belong to? Lali sets out to…

Jacqueline Woodson (A) and Sophie Blackall (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – New Baby / Mother Daughter Bond – 2009)

Gia is tired of hearing about the new baby. It hasn’t even been born yet, but everyone, even her friends, seem fixated on it. Gia thinks things are fine just the way they…

Libby loves science! In this STEM-themed picture book, a companion to the popular Cece Loves Science, Libby and her friends are put in charge of the science booth at their school fair. There’s only one problem: No one is visiting their booth! Does everyone…

Sharee Miller (A and ILT) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – It’s About Hair and Personal Boundaries – 2019) 

An entertaining picture book that teaches the importance of asking for permission first as a young girl attempts to escape the curious hands that want to touch her hair.

Jacqueline Woodson (A) and James Ransome (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Family / Incarcerated Parent – 2002)

In this moving picture book from multi-award winning author Jacqueline Woodson, a young girl and her grandmother prepare for a very special day–the one day a month they get to visit the girl’s father in…

Mary Hoffman (A) and Caroline Binch (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Family / Travel to Africa / Reunites with Father – 2000)

When Grace gets the opportunity to go to Gambia with her Grandmother and visit with her father and his new family, she feels a little strange. But Nana says families…

Angela Johnson (A) and David Soman (ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Grandfather and Grandson / Generations / Love – 2007)

A small child imagines a future when he will be old with his Grandaddy. . . . The African-American child and grandfather are distinct individuals, yet also universal figures, recognizable to anyone who…

Sylviane A. Diouf (A) and Shane W. Evans (ILT)

List Price: $6.99 ( Paperback – West Africa / Beauty and Braids – 2004)

Bintou wants braids. Long, pretty braids, woven with gold coins and seashells, just like her older sister and the other women in her family. But she is too young for…

Renee Watson (A) and Christian Robinson (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover Singer / Harlem Renaissance – 2012)

From Caldecott Honor winner Christian Robinson and acclaimed author Renee Watson, comes the inspiring true story of Florence Mills.

Zora and Langston. Billie and Bessie. Eubie and Duke. If the Harlem Renaissance had a court, they were…

Patricia Hubbell (A) and Don Tate (ILT)

List Price: $10.95 (Paperback – Imagination / Celebration of the Color Black – 2010)

A little girl contemplates all the wonders in the color black all around her. A lively poetic tribute to the color black, the letters and words in a book, a limousine, a…

Cynthia Levinson (A) and Vanessa Brantley-Newton (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Civil Rights / Protest – 2017)

Meet the youngest known child to be arrested for a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, 1963, in this moving picture book that proves you’re never too little to make a difference.

Nine-year-old Audrey Faye…

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…

Kamala Harris (A) and Mechal Renee Roe (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Biography / Senator and Presidential Candidate – 2019)

From Senator Kamala Harris comes a picture book with an empowering message: Superheroes are all around us–and if we try, we can all be heroes too. Now a #1 New York…

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…

Anna McQuinn (A) and Rosalind Beardshaw (ILT)

List Price $16.99 (Hardcover / Lola Series / Big Sister Reads – 2012)

We all know how much Lola loves books. In this third book in the Lola series (LOLA AT THE LIBRARY and LOLA LOVES STORIES), Lola has a new baby brother and she can’t…

Quvenzhane Wallis (A) and Vanessa Brantley-Newton (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Mother and Daughter Adventure – 2017)

From Academy Award–nominated actress Quvenzhané Wallis comes a story about glitz, glamour, and the most important thing of all—family.A very talented little girl has a very special night ahead of her. A night where she’ll…

Doug Kuntz (A) and Amy Shrodes (A) and Sue Cornelison (ILT) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – A Story About Compassion – 2017)

This heartwarming true story of one lost cat’s journey to be reunited with his refugee family gently introduces children to a difficult topic and shows how ordinary people can help with…

Discover the hidden figure who created the first comprehensive computer program to design ships for the US Navy.

Girls like Raye Montague weren’t supposed to like math or science, or go to engineering school. But tenacious Raye had a plan, one that eventually took her all the way to the US Navy. There, she…

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…

Mary Hoffman (A) and (ILT)

List Price: $6.99 (Paperback – Series / Imagination / Positive Attitude – 2011)

To mark the 20th anniversary of the publication of Amazing Grace, the spirited little girl with a big imagination returns. In this story Grace begins to grow up. When her family…

Mary Hoffman (A) and Caroline Binch (ILT)

A warm, wonderful picture book that gently reminds us of the importance of respecting our natural world and highlights the joys and rewards of helping others.

Join a girl as she helps a mama and papa bird build a nest in her bathroom, hatch their eggs, and teach their…

Chris Barton (A) and Eukua Holmes (ILT) 

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover –  Biography / Congresswoman Barbara Jordan – 2017) 

When Barbara Jordan talked, we listened.” —Former President of the United States, Bill Clinton

Congresswoman Barbara Jordan had a big, bold, confident voice—and she knew how to use it! Learn all about her…

Derrick Barnes (A) and Vanessa Newton Brantley (ILT) 

Lists Price:$18.99 (Hardcover – Intro to Kindergarten – 2022) 

A stunning, poetic debut picture book from Pasha Westbrook about honoring one’s roots and the unbreakable bond of familial love, brought to life with enchanting illustrations by Madelyn Goodnight.

Father braids my hair, just like his,

scented of coconut oil, the familiar tug of fingers on my scalp,

love in every twist…

As a young…

Camille Yarbrough (A)

List Price: $7.95 (Paperback – Family / Decision Making – 2004)

Tamika loves being a member of the Sweet Fruit club. Tamika also loves to wonder and use her mind freely. But sometimes this gets her into trouble, especially…

Nina is an energetic girl who loves gymnastics. 

It is her dream to become a gymnast. Everywhere Nina goes, she wants everyone to see her awesome gymnastics moves and she is NOT shy about it. Nina even helps her friends and family learn how to do gymnastics moves too. 

Margaree King Mitchell (A) and James E. Ransome (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Family / Barbershop Story – 1993)

Sarah Jean Uncle Jed was the only black barber in the county. He had a kind heart and a warm smile. Living in the segregated South of the 1920, where…

June Peters, is a vibrant ten year old girl who understands the importance of giving. She’s determined to make a difference in the world and will do whatever it takes to complete her mission.

However, she learns a valuable lesson about talking to strangers and giving away her lunch money. June is still eager…

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,…