Girls

Bursting with inspiration and affirmation, Kheris Rogers’ debut picture book encourages children everywhere to love the skin they are in.

When her confidence is shaken by peers who say they are scared of her because she’s “too dark,” Imani turns to her sister for a loving reminder that she’s <span class="a-text-italic"…

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…

Shauntay Grant (Author) and Jenin Mohammad (Illustrator)

Janay Brown Wood (A) and Hazel Mitchell (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Imagination and Greatness – 2014) 

Imani is a young Massai girl with a loving mother and a desire to do something great. When she decides she wants to touch the moon, she works hard to reach her goal,…

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…

Jenny Lombard (A)

List Price $7.99 (Paperback – Teen Fiction / Friendship / Ethnic Background – 2006)

Drita and her family come to New York as refugees from war-torn Kosovo. Even though she barely speaks English, Drita can’t wait to start school and make a new…

Mary Hoffman (A) ad Caroline Binch (ILT)

List Price: $6.99 (Paperback – Center Stage / Circus – 2001)

School’s out, and that means it’s time for fun! Grace and her friends are always ready for a little adventure, and Grace’s backyard is the perfect place to set up headquarters. Suddenly the lawn is…

You have within you infinite promise. How big will YOU dream? This striking companion to I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams celebrates Black female achievement and is perfect for fans of I Am Enough, Little Leaders, and She Persisted.

“Magnificently compelling….Lets Black girls know each time…

Joyce Carol Thomas (A) and Floyd Cooper (ILT)

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – Poems / African American Identity – 2008)

We are color struck
The way an artist strikes
His canvas with his brush of many hues
Look closely at these mirrors
these palettes of skin
Each color is rich
in its own…

Mariame Kaba (A) & Bria Royal (ILT)

List Price: $18.95 (Hardcover – Missing Father – 2019)

“This book is a crucial tool for parents, educators, and anyone who cares about the well-being of children who, through no fault of their own, are forced to bear the consequences of our country’s obsession with incarceration.…

Carole Lindstrom (A) and Michaela Goade (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Native American/ Water Conservation – 2020)

Winner of the 2021 Caldecott Medal
New York Times Bestseller

Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to…

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…

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…

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…

Susan Verde (A),  George Badiel (A) and Peter H. Reynolds (ILT)

List Price: $18.99  (Hardcover – An African Princess Dreams – 2016)

Based on supermodel Georgie Badiel’s childhood, a young girl dreams of bringing clean drinking water to her African village

With its wide sky and warm earth, Princess Gie Gie’s kingdom is…

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…

Katheryn-Russell-Brown (A) and Fran Morrison (ILT)

List Price: $18.95 (Hardcover – Biography / Music / Trombone / Loved Music – 2014)

Melba Doretta Liston loved the sounds of music from as far back as she could remember. As a child, she daydreamed about beats and lyrics, and hummed along with the music from…

From New York Times bestselling author Tami Charles and rising star illustrator Sharon Sordo comes the second book in a charming picture book series about a fun, spunky girl with strong opinions, big ideas, and a huge heart!

Zuri Ray is back! And this time, she’s got a party to plan.…

Edwidge Danticat (A) and Shannon Whright

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Mother’s Loving Care – 2019)

My Mommy Medicine is a picture book about the comfort and love a mama offers when her child isn’t feeling well, from renowned author Edwidge Danticat.

Whenever I am sick,
Or just feel kind of gloomy or sad,
I…

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…

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…

Grace Byers (A) and Keturah A. Bobo (ILT)

List Price: $19.99  (Hardcover – Loving Oneself and Others/Self Respect and Self Esteem – 2017)

I Am Enough is the picture book everyone needs, and it’s now a New York Times bestseller!

This is a gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind…

This joyful, intergenerational love story celebrates Black hair, self-care, and cultural pride. Perfect for fans of Hair Love and Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut.

It’s wash day―Tasha’s least favorite day of the week!

Wash day means stinging eyes, aching back, and water everywhere, even in Tasha’s ears!  But with…

Black Hair Styles, Love and Black History 

A young girl learns to appreciate her curly, coarse hair by learning about the rich heritage of African and African American hairstyles from her grandmother.

Kadir Nelson (A) and Ntozake Shange (ILT)

List Price $17.99 (Hardcover – African American History / Civil Rights Leader – 2009)

Walking many miles to school in the dusty road, young Coretta knew, too well, the unfairness of life in the segregated south.

A yearning for equality began to grow.
Together with Martin…

The colors of Hispaniola burst into life in this striking, evocative debut picture book that celebrates the joy of being Dominican.

If Dominican were a color, it would be the sunset in the sky, blazing red and burning bright.
If Dominican were a color, it’d be the roar of the ocean…

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…

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.…

Janay Brown Wood (A) and Priscilla Burris (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Family Time and Dinner Time – 2017) 

“A warmhearted tribute to the messy joys of a big, impromptu gathering” — Publisher’s Weekly STARRED review

“A fine addition to book collections about families, food, counting, and joyous gatherings” —…

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…

Natasha Anastasia Tarpley (A), Adjoa J. Burrowes (ILT)

List Price: $10.95 (Paperback – Community / Volunteering Empathy – 2010)

The story focuses on an African American girl who uses her resourcefulness and creativity to help keep her friend’s neighborhood bookstore from going out of business

Destiny loves words, and her favourite place in…

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…

Jeanette Winter (A and I) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Sisters / International Tennis Champs – 2019)

Celebrated picture book biographer Jeanette Winter shares the story of champion tennis players—and sisters—Venus and Serena Williams.

Before they were famous tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams were sisters with big dreams growing up in Compton,…

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…

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…

For me, brown is more than feeling proud.
It’s the color I see when I see me.

Zahra sees the world in vivid color. When she’s happy, she feels a razzle-dazzle pink in her hands. When she’s sad, she feels a deep blue behind her eyes. But she isn’t quite sure how…

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,…

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…

Mechel Renee Roe (A and ILT) 

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – Hairstyles and Personalities – 2014)

Happy Hair is a call and response picture book that promotes positive self-esteem and hair love to girls of all ages! Happy Hair covers different shades and hair types all while being fun and fashionable! This book…

Dr. Winmilawe (A) and Tewodross Merchishua (ILT)

List Price: $11.99 (Paperback – Yoruba / Friendship / Character – 2012)

From the ancient stories of the West African Yoruba people comes the colorful children’s picture book “Obatala’s Daughter Discovers True Friends”. Obatala encourages his daughter Kemi to look for friends with good character.…

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…

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…

Marilyn Singer (A) and Kristi Valiant (ILT) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Social Dance and Poetry –  2017)

An irresistible book of poems about dancing that mimic the rhythms of social dances from cha-cha to two-step, by the acclaimed author of Mirror Mirror

Description: Marilyn Singer has crafted a vibrant collection of poems celebrating all…

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…

Eloise Greenfield (A) and Jan Spivey Gilchrist (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Poem / Girls / Love – 2002)

Marlon McKinney (A and ILT)

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback – Comic Book/ Graphic Novel  A Fantasy Story – Queen of Sheba – 2021)

A beautiful Ethiopian princess must use courage, strength, and leadership to conquer a dangerous enemy set on destroying the wealthy Kingdom of Sheba.

Princess Makeda was born into a loving royal family…

Spike and Tonya Lewis Lee (A) Kadir Nelson (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Toddlers with Puppy – 2005)

In page after page of tail-wagging fun, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, Beacon Award-winning producer Tonya Lewis Lee, take a close-up look at what happens when a couple…

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…

Connie Schofield-Morrison (A) and Frank Morrison (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Girl / Rhythm All Day – 2014)

On a simple trip to the park, the joy of music overtakes a mother and daughter. The little girl hears a rhythm coming from the world around her- from butterflies, to street performers, to…