AGES 4-8 / GRADES K-3

Natasha Anastasia Tarpley (A) and E.B. Lewis (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – African American Girls / Hair Care / Pride and Self Esteem – 2005)

Natural Hair is Perfect for Our Little Girl’s Hair

No matter how gently Mama pulls as she combs Keyana’s hair, it still hurts. Keyana doesn’t feel lucky…

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…

Adapted from one of Bob Marley most beloved songs, One Love brings the joyful spirit and unforgettable lyrics of his music to life for a new generation.

Readers will delight in dancing to the beat and feeling the positive groove of change when one girl enlists her community to help transform her neighborhood for…

An empowering and joyous picture book by actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Sandman) that instills confidence and encourages little Black girls to reach for their wildest dreams.

Illustrated by the talented Paul Davey, this inspiring picture book celebrates all little Black girls, the power of community, and the joy and hope of being…

An ode to Black hair and Black girl joy, this joy-filled rhyming picture book invites young readers into the world of a young Black girl as she rocks her God-given beauty.

Hello, world! I’m a gift from above.
I already know that I am loved.

Gazing around with a great big…

Julie Gassman(A) and Andy Ekerton ILT)

List Price: $14.95 ( Hardcover – Playful Behavior Advice – 2016)

Have you ever thought about bringing your dragon to the library? Don’t do it! You might have the best intentions, but that dragon will cause nothing but trouble. Using rhyming text and a diverse cast of…

Derrick Barnes (A) and Gordon C. James (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Young Black Male Empowerment – 2020)

An upbeat, empowering, important picture book from the team that created the award-winning Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut

I am
a nonstop ball of energy.
Powerful and full…

Nikki Grimes (A) and Bryan Collier (ILT)

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback – Biography – African American History/President – 2008)

Ever since Barack Obama was young, Hope has lived inside him. From the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Chicago, from the jungles of Indonesia to the plains of Kenya, he has held…

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…

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…

Now a New York Times bestseller! Using child-friendly language, this playful picture book explains how genetics make each person unique and celebrates how we are more alike than different and are all part of the human race.

In The Smallest Spot of…

Matt de a Pena (A) and Kadir Nelson (Ilt) 

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Biography / Sports Boxing – 2013)

Loretta Setto (A) & Renne Benoit (ILT)

List Price: $14.95 (Paperback – Multicultural Bilingual – 2017)

Mooncakes is the lyrical story of a young girl who shares the special celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival with her parents. As they eat mooncakes, drink tea and watch the night sky together, Mama and Baba…

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.…

Maurie J. Manning (A and ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Family / Dancing / Bedtime Story – 2008)

A little girl wakes in the night to mysterious, inviting noises. She rouses her brother, and they sneak downstairs and peek into the kitchen. To their amazement and delight, their parents are dancing and…

George Gershwin (A) and Mike Wimmer (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback / Plantation Life – 2002)

This lavish picture book is based on the beloved folk opera Porgy and Bess features Wimmer lush, epic oil paintings which reveal a vision of plantation life that extends the lyrics of this enormously popular…

Bursting with warmth and words of encouragement, this lyrical picture book celebrates growing up and believing in yourself―the perfect gift for graduations, birthdays, the first day of school, and beyond.

You are brave.
You are enough.
You are your own best thing.

All the Greatness in You is a sweet and affirming story…

Ysaye M. Barnwell (A) and Synthia Saint James (ILT)

List Price: $10.99 (Paperback – Book and CD / Self Pride – 2005)

The beauty in the cracked and crowded hallway, the beauty in her own dark skin, the beauty in the outside world – it all in her Nana eyes.…

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…

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…

Mary Kay Carson (A)

List Price: $19.99 (Paperback – African American History and Activity Book- 2008)

An Inspiring story of brave people and their lives

The heroic struggles of the thousands of slaves who sought freedom through the Underground Railroad are vividly portrayed in this powerful activity book, as are the abolitionists, free blacks, and…

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…

Shaquille O’Neal (A) and Theodore Taylor III (ILT)

List Price: $9.99 (Hardcover – Basketball Star / Confidence – 2017)

This new story in the exciting series created by Shaquille O’Neal and illustrated by Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent award winner Theodore Taylor III, encourages kids to find their own true talents.

Like…

Follow a day in the life of a young Black child and learn the different ways we experience love every day with this striking illustrated children’s book.

Created in 1993, Black Love Day is celebrated annually on February 13. This holiday was created to demonstrate love, forgiveness, and acceptance among Black people. Throughout the…

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…

Patricia A. Keeler (A and ILT) and Jíulio Leitaio (A)

List Price: $10.95 (Paperback- African Dance / History / Rituals – 2006)

Come along as we explore the fascinating origins of African dance, as rich and diverse as the continent itself. Discover unique rituals, colorful costumes, and…

Mary Chamberlin and Richard Chamberlin (A) and Julia Cairns (ILT)

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback- East African Culture / Kenya/ Mother and Son / Cooking / Generosity – 2006)

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Mama Panya and her son, Adika, are all ready for market day where Mama is planning on using her few coins to buy the…

Tony Dungey (A)

List Price: $19.99. (Hardcover – Finding Your Talent and Following Your a Dream – 2008)

Tony Dungy’s little brother, Linden, is a third grader who is having a bad day at school. Linden is the youngest of the Dungy family and the least motivated because he hasn’t found “it.” In a family…

Verna Aardema (A), Leo Dillon (ILT), & Diane Dillon (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Folk Tale / West Africa – 2004)

In this astonishingly beautiful and imaginatively illustrated picture book, Mosquito tells Iguana a tall…

Various Authors and Tom Feelings (EDIT) and ILT)

List Price: $8.99  (Paperback – Poetry / African American – 1999)

Artist Feelings invited poets whom he admired to compose original, short verses for these drawings, with breathtakingly rich and powerful results. Together they created a tribute to African-American creativity, the collection…

Ann Turner (A) and James Ransome (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Biography / Abolitionist / Women’s Rights Activist / Evangelists – 2015)

Here is the remarkable true story of how former slave Isabella Baumfree transformed herself into the preacher and orator Sojourner Truth, as told by acclaimed author Ann Turner and award-winning…

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…

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…

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…

Kekla Magoon (A) and Laura Freeman (ILT) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – First Black Supreme Court Justice – 2022)

A brilliant picture book biography about Thurgood Marshall, who fought for equality during the Civil Rights Movement and served as the first Black justice on the Supreme Court, from Coretta…

Nikki Grimes (A) and Jerome LaGarrique (ILT)

List Price: $7.99  (Paperback – Poetry / Friendship / Mentor – 1999)

In 14 knowing, heartfelt poems, Nikki Grimes invites readers to witness the friendship that blossoms between Damon, an African-American boy without a father, and Blue, a tough-looking man who has lost…

Rob Sanders (A) and Jared Andrew Schorr (ILT) 

 List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – Civil Rights  – 2018)  

A primer for peaceful protest, resistance, and activism from the author of Rodzilla and Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag.

Protesting. Standing up for what’s right. Uniting around the common good—kids have questions about all of these…

From the mother-son duo behind the New York Times bestselling A Bucket…

Karen Katz (A and ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Saying Peace / Various Languages – 2006)

Children everywhere wish for peace

International Peace Day is September 21. On this day and every day throughout the year, children all over the world wish for peace. Karen Katz takes readers on a bright and…

Susan Verde (A) and Peter H. Reynolds (ILT) 

List Price: $14.95 ( Hardcover- Peace/ Mindfulness- 2019)

Discover the power of mindfulness in this companion to New York Times bestsellers I Am Human and I Am Love! 

Mindfulness means being fully in the present moment. Children can learn how to manage their emotions, make good choices, and balance their busy…

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…

The bestselling illustrator of I Am Enough brings to life the story of a boy whose mirror gives him a whole new way of seeing himself.

Chris loves his long, curly hair, so why do his classmates tease him about it? When he looks for answers in his mirror, something wonderfully wild and…

“This installment in the Geisel-winning Ty’s Travels series adds some much-needed diversity to the beginning-reader shelf” —Booklist 

Join Ty on his imaginative adventures in Ty’s Travels: Lab Magic, a My First I Can Read book by acclaimed author and illustrator team Kelly…

This sweet picture book celebrates a parent’s love and support of a child through life’s milestones, from learning to walk to the first day of school and all the highs and lows in between.

From the night you arrive to your first night away,
from learning to…

From Sean Connolly, the master of messy and dangerous (and therefore extra-fun) science, a collection of more than 20 hands-on experiments that are like an interactive journey through the periodic table of elements.

In this  introduction to chemistry for STEM-curious kids ages 9 and up, each chapter of The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry focuses…

Rachel Isadora (A and ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback / South Africa / Children’s Love for their Fathers – 1994)

The children of a South African village eagerly gather at the crossroads to welcome their fathers, who have been away for months working in the mines. The children wait, but the men don’t…

What makes a great juice that keeps everyone healthy? Art and his dad discover it takes carrots … collards … cayenne … and community!

When Art’s father can’t get over a cold, Art knows exactly what his daddy needs: some delicious sick-fighting juice! After looking through the fridge and cupboards,…