AGES 4-8 / GRADES K-3

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…

Julius Lester (A) and Karen Barbour (A) and (ILT) 

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Race / Similarities and Differences – 2005)

This gorgeous book—great to read with kids of any age—allows for open-ended conversation and questions.” (Brightly.com)

In this acclaimed book, the author of the Newberry Honor Book To Be a Slave shares his…

Carole Boston Weatherford (A) and Jamey Christoph (ILT) 

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – Harlem Renaissance Photographer – 2015)

His white teacher tells her all-black class, You’ll all wind up porters and waiters. What did she know? Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first black director in Hollywood. But before he made…

Bryan Collier (A and ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Fiction / Reflecting the Culture / Harlem – 2004)

Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier discovers the vibrant world of Harlem, New York, as seen through the eyes of a little boy

Uptown . . .

Harlem, New York.

Chicken and waffles.

…

Cathyrn Falwell (A) and (ILT)

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback / Family / Counting – 2003)

In this rhyming counting book, an African-American mother and her children shop for and prepare a festive family dinner. At the supermarket, the count begins with one grocery cart and ends with ten hands helping to load the…

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…

James Ransome (A and ILT) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Siblings Escape to Freedom – 2019)

A young slave girl witnesses the heartbreak and hopefulness of her family and their plantation community when her brother escapes for freedom in this brilliantly conceived picture book by Coretta Scott King Award winner James E. Ransome.

…

Julia Finley Mosca (A) and Daniel Rieley (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Scientist /  Cured Blindness -2017)

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Selection
NSTA Best STEM Books for K-12 Selection
A Mighty Girl Book of the Year

If you like to think big, but some say you’re too…

Monica Brown (A) and Rafael Lopez (ILT) 

List Price: $15.95 (Hardcover – Famous Cuban Singer – 2004)

This bilingual book allows young readers to enter Celia Cruz’s life as she becomes a well-known singer in her homeland of Cuba, then moves to New York City and Miami where she and others create a new…

Virginia Hamilton (A) and Leo and Dianne Dillon (ILT)

List Price: $25.99 (Hardcover – African American Folktales / Fairy Tales – 1995)

Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner

In the tradition of Hamilton’s The People Could Fly and In the Beginning, a dramatic new collection of 25 compelling tales…

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…

This joyous and loving celebration of family is…

Angela Dalton (A)  Jestenia Southerland (ILT)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – Family Dinner Story – 2021

On Here Wee Read’s 2021 Ultimate List of Diverse Children’s Books! 

Publisher Weekly Starred Review! “Warm digital art by Southerland makes excellent use of…

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

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

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…

Erica M. Burrell M.Ed (A and ILT)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – Food Knowledge and Eating – 2022)

Elodie never eats school lunch like her classmates do and they want to know why. So she educates her friends about different types of food and how food is made. Do you know where…

Chris Paul (A) and Courtney Lovett (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover –  Basketball and Grandpa – 2023)

From NBA All-Star Chris Paul comes an inspirational and uplifting picture book about chasing your basketball dreams and the lessons he learned both on and off the court from his beloved grandfather Papa Chilly.

Growing up, young…

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…

In this book from the #1 New York Times bestselling series, learn how this vibrant Black neighborhood in upper Manhattan became home to the leading Black writers, artists, and musicians of the 1920s and 1930s.

Travel back in time to the 1920s and 1930s to the sounds of jazz in nightclubs and the…

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…

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

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback – Performance /Composer / Jazz – 2006)

A swinging, vibrant picture book about America’s greatest jazz composer, Duke Ellington. By the award-winning duo Andrea and Brian Pinkney. (32 pgs) Ages 4-8

• Grade Level: Kindergarten – 4
• Product Dimensions: 8.5…

Carole Boston Weatherford (A) and Frank Morrison (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Soul Singer / Queen of Soul – 2020)

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustration Award! From a New York Times bestselling author and an acclaimed illustrator comes this vibrant portrait of Aretha Franklin that pays her the R-E-S-P-E-C-T this…

Monica Brown (A) and Raul Colon (ILT)

List Price: $15.95 (Hardcover – Award Winning Writer  – 2007)

Can you imagine a shipwrecked sailor living on air and seaweed for eight days? Can you imagine a trail of yellow butterflies fluttering their wings to songs of love? Once, there was a little boy…

National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine teams up with Keith Henry Brown on this lyrical picture book that celebrates music and Black identity.

Trevor’s dad is a DJ, and he always picks the best music—
tunes jivin’, beat drivin’, high fivin’!
—he’s DJ Dap Daddy!

But after his parents split up…

Deloris Jordan (A) and Barry Root (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Sports / Basketball – 2014)

Olympic dreams come true in this inspiring picture book from Michael Jordan’s mother, author of the New York Times bestselling Salt in His Shoes.

Long before he became a professional All-Star basketball player, Michael Jordan had dreams of winning an…

Barack Obama (A) and Loren Long (ILT)

List Price: $17.99  (Hardcover – President Obama Letter to His Daughters: Sasha and Malia – 2010)

In this tender, beautiful letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation. From the…

Before the Ships is a powerful and poetic celebration of the early roots of Black history. The great achievements and accomplishments across Africa prior to the Transatlantic slave trade are told through melodious text and evocative illustrations, that culminate into the strength and resilience of modern-day Black people.

For so many of us,…

How will Maya create a brighter world? By learning to honor her glowing feelings, just like Black women have done throughout history!

Maya feels a warm glow when she picks strawberries in the community garden, hears music in her neighborhood, or spends time with the people she loves.

She feels a different kind of…

Matthew A. Cherry (A) and Vashti Harrison (ILT) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Father and Daughter / Hair Love – 2019) 

“I love that Hair Love is highlighting the relationship between a Black father and daughter. Matthew leads the ranks of new creatives who are telling unique stories of the Black experience. We need this.” <br…

Lesa Cline- Ransome (A) and James E. Ransome (ILT) 

List Price: $8.99 (Hardcover – Biography – African American Leader / Pioneer – 2019) 

Who was Harriet Tubman before she was Harriet?

Description: We know her today as Harriet Tubman, but in her lifetime she was called by many names. As General Tubman she…

From beloved African American folklorist Zora Neale Hurston comes a moving adaptation by National Book Award winner and #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and Antiracist Baby, Ibram X. Kendi. 

Magnolia Flower follows…

 Peter Tosh (A) and Rachel Moss (ILT)

 List Price:  $17.95 (Hardcover – African / Song Lyric  –  2020)

A beautiful children’s picture book featuring the lyrics of Peter Tosh’s global classic celebrating children of African descent.

So don’t care where you come from
As long as you’re a black man, you’re an African
No mind…

Ilima Loomis (A) and Kenard Pak (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Hawaiian Heritage – 2022)

Join the family, or ohana, as they farm taro for poi to prepare for a traditional luau celebration with a poetic text in the style of The House That Jack Built. Now…

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

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Biography / African American Leader / Abolitionist and Feminist – 2009)

A dynamic portrait of the freed slave whose physical and spiritual strength made her one of America most powerful abolitionist voices.

Synopsis:She was big. She was black. She was…

Kajara Nia Yaa Nebthet (A) and Kasmos Kari Black (ILT)

List Price: $11.99 (Paperback – Spirit and Oneness – 2017)

This is an excellent choice for introducing the concept of spirit and unity with nature. I am Mind, Body and spirit speaks about three main aspects of the self in a way that children can…

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.

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…

Javaka Steptoe (A)

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…

Courtney Carbone (A) and Hilli Kushnir (ILT)

List Price: $5.99 (Paperback – Dealing With Feelings / Happiness – 2022)

This Makes Me Happy follows a young girl on a field trip to the fair, complete with a roller coaster, pie-eating contest, and petting zoo! But when her pesky nut allergy keeps her from having…

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…

Anna McQuinn (A) and Rosalind Beardshaw (ILT)

List Price $16.99 (Hardcover / Lola Series / Planting A Garden – 2014)

Readers who loved Lola at the Library, Lola Loves Stories, and Lola Reads to Leo are in for a backyard treat. After Lola reads a book of garden poems, she wants to plant…

Carole Boston Weatherford (A) and (ILT) James E. Ransome

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Kids Bio of Dr. King – 2018)

You can be a King. Stamp out hatred. Put your foot down and walk tall.

You can be a King. Beat the drum for justice. March to your own conscience.

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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…

Tami Chalres (A) and Clare Almon (ILT) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – African American Trailblazer / US Postal Carrier – 2018)

A little-known but fascinating and larger-than-life character, Mary Fields is one of the unsung, trailblazing African American women who helped settle the American West. A former slave, Fields became the first African…

Deloris Jordan (A) and Kadir Nelson (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback- Biography / Sports / Basketball – 2000)

Young Michael Jordan, who is smaller than the other players, learns that determination and hard work are more important than size when playing the game of basketball. (32 pgs) Ages 4-8

• Product Dimensions:…

So, You’re Gonna Be a Parent?! takes you on a heartfelt journey through the first stages of life—from babies first cries and facial expressions to toddlerhood.

This book helps guide parents through important childhood milestones building growth, trust, and love.
Written by Deborrah A. Bremond, this book is a must-have for every person stepping…

Rose Blue (A), Corinne Nadine (A) and Don Tate (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Astronaut / Activist / Ron McNair /Reading Rights and Freedoms- 2009)

Nine-year-old Ron loves going to the Lake City Public Library to look through all the books on airplanes and flight. Today, Ron is ready to take out…

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…

Monica Brown (A) and John Parra (ILT)

List Price: $15.95 (Hardcover – First Latina Nobel Prize Winner – 2005)

Gabriela Mistral loved words and sounds and stories. Born in Chile, she would grow to become the first Nobel Prize-winning Latina woman in the world. As a poet and a teacher, she inspired…