Boys

A 2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist! 

“Black family pride and joy abound.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Joy-filled.”—Booklist, starred review 

A joyful, encouraging ode to a mother and son’s relationship and the unforgettable experience of a child’s first swimming lessons.

Jumping into the water can be more than…

Little Black Boy, Oh the things you will do.
Has anyone mentioned the world’s open to you?

A little Black boy finds the courage to go after his dreams in this empowering and inspirational picture book by actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Sandman) with actor Larry Fields.

With vivid,…

Tiki Barber (A) and Ronde Barber (A) and Barry Root (Ilt)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Sports – Football – 2004)

Based on the childhood of NFL superstar twins Tiki and Ronde Barber both spokes people for Verizon Reads, a national program to promote literacy – this inspiring story, written along…

Margaret Mason (A) and Floyd Cooper (ILT)

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback – Teaching Racial Discrimination / Grandfather and Grandson – 2011)

Josephs grandpa could do almost anything with his hands. He could play the piano, throw a curve ball, and tie a triple bowline knot in…

When happy things come to you, hold them close and never let go.

From celebrated author of Your Name Is a Song Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, fine artist Patrick Dougher, and photographer Jamel Shabazz, Hold Them Close is a picture book celebration of Black past, present, and future—a joyful…

Phil Bildner (A) and John Holyfield (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – African American History/Aviation – 2010)

The extraordinary story of James Banning, the first African-American pilot to fly across country

During the Great Depression, the ace black pilot James Banning decided to fly from coast to coast to serve as an…

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

List Price: $18.95 (Hardcover – / Boys Hair Style / Hair Care / Self-Esteem – 2017) 

A Newbery Honor Book
A Caldecott Honor Book
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
An Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award Book

…

Take Diggs (A) and Shane W. Evans (ILT) 

List Price $18.99 ( Hardcover – Father and Son – 2018)

My Child

I am not always with you
as much as I’d like.

But you are always in my mind
and my heart.

Some families look different than others. A father…

Ramona Thomas Nickens (A) and Tammy Artis (ILT)

List Price: $12.00 (Softcover – Social Situation / Nutrition – 2011)

Little Kyndle has an ear infection so his Mommy takes him to see the family doctor. At Doctor Wizmagic office she mixes up some magical potion to cure patients and puts it…

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

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Biography / Sport / Baseball – 2005)

This book examines the life of the legendary baseball player, who was the first African-American to pitch in a Major League World Series. Some say Leroy Paige was born six…

Tolowa M. Mollel (A) and E. B. Lewis (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Tanzania / Thoughtful Child – 1999)

“I emptied my secret money box, arranged the coins in piles and the piles in rows . . .” The market is full of wonderful things, but Saruni is saving his precious coins…

Daniel Beaty (A) Bryan Collier (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – A Son Dreams and Remembers His Father – 2013)

Every morning, I play a game with my father  He goes knock knock on my door and I pretend to be asleep till he gets right next to the bed.   And my papa,…

Jerdine Nolen (A) and Kadir Nelson (ILT)

List Price: $18.95 (Hardcover – Fairy Tale / Family / Self Acceptance – 2005)

Young Hewitt Anderson is his parents’ pride and joy, and they love him so. Hewitt is sweet, smart, polite — everything a boy could be — except Hewitt is small…very…

In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Jesse Owens, the great track and field star.

The youngest of ten children, Jesse grew up working in the cotton fields of Alabama. Discovered by his high school track and field coach, Jesse quickly rose to…

Trish Cooke (A) and Paul Howard (ILT)

List Price: $5.99 (Paperback – Family Gathering / Family Love – 2008)

For the youngest member of an exuberant extended family, Sunday dinner at Grannie’s can be full indeed – full of hugs and kisses, full of tasty dishes, full to the brim with happy faces, and…

Chris Barton (A) and Don Tate (ILT) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Biography / Inventor –  2016)

You know the Super Soaker. It’s one of top twenty toys of all time. And it was invented entirely by accident. Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, impressive inventor Lonnie…

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.

…

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…

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…

Vashti Harrison (A and ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Leaders and Achievers – 2019)

New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Vashti Harrison shines a bold, joyous light on black men through history.

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…

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…

YOU are your ancestors’ wildest dreams. How will you express YOUR greatness? Perfect for fans of I Am Every Good Thing, Little Legends, and All Because You Matter.

“Affirming. . . . A joyful tribute.” —<span…

From Super Bowl champion and literacy crusader Malcolm Mitchell comes an exciting new story that shows even reluctant readers that there is a book out there for everyone!

Meet Henley, an all-around good kid, who hates to read. When he’s supposed to be reading, he would rather do anything else. But one day, he gets…

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…

Taye Diggs (A) Shane Evans (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Identity / Skin Color / Self Acceptance / Self-Esteem / Teasing – 2011)

The boy is teased for looking different than the other kids. His skin is darker, his hair curlier. He tells his mother he wishes he could be more like…

Thomisha Booker (A)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Positive / Self Affirming – 2018)

Brown Boy Joy is a necessity in every classroom!
This book sparks conversations about diversity.

This book is filled with all the things little brown boys LOVE. From dinosaurs to gardening there are no limits to what little brown boys…

Troy Andrews (A) and Bryan Collier (ILT)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – Musician Bio – 2015)

“Winner of both a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award, this beautiful picture book for older kids is an inspirational look at overcoming our circumstances to follow our dreams, in this case that of a young musician…

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,…

Mechal Renee Roe (A and ILT) 

List Price: $16.99  (Hardcover –  Hairstyles for Boys – 2020) 

Mechal Renee Roe, illustrator of Vice President Kamala Harris’s Super Heroes Are Everywhere, creates a joyful, positive, read-together book celebrating boys with natural black hair that will have kids everywhere chanting: “I am born to be awesome!”

When the stars shine, the…

Lora McClain-Muhammad (A) and Asia Lewis Ross (ILT) 

List Price: $10.00  (Paperback – Activity Book for Black Boys – 2019)

The much anticipated coloring book filled with all things about a Young Kings Greatness from A-Z! It was created after the overwhelming success of the girls coloring book, I Need You to Know The ABC’s…

Michelle Cook (A) and the following Contributing Illustrators: A.G. Ford, Bryan Collier, Charlotte Riley-Webb, Cozbi Cabrera, Diane Dillon, E.B. Lewis, Eric Velasquez, Frank Morrison, James Ransome, Leo Dillon, Pat Cummings, R. Gregory Christie, Shadra, E. B. Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman (Introduction)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback -Highlights11 African American Achievers…

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…

For fans of Matt de la Pena and Grace Byers, My Afro Is a Rising Sun is a dazzling picture book inviting BIPOC children to fully express themselves, celebrate their Blackness, and embrace their ancestry. 

Black afros are more than just afros. They are a symbol of Black joy. They remind us to…

These joyous portraits of Black men engaged in everyday life celebrate the deep roots and rich cultures of African American communities.

Kelly Starling Lyons (A) and Laura Freeman (ILT)

List Price $20.95 (Hardcover – Builder / Designer / Architect – 2021)

The Story of Architect Philip Freelon

You’ve seen the building. Now meet the man whose life went into it.

Philip Freelon’s grandfather was an acclaimed painter of the Harlem…

Bob Marley’s songs are known the world over for their powerful message of love, peace, and harmony. Now a whole new generation can discover one of his most joyous songs in this reassuring picture book adaptation written by his daughter Cedella and exuberantly illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.

This upbeat story reminds children that the sun…

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…

Beautiful Black and Brown boys are the stars in this level 1 Step Into Reading book from the Happy Hair series. It’s a bright, joyful easy reader that will have boys everywhere saying “I am born to be awesome!”

Kids will love seeing strong, happy reflections of themselves in this vibrant, rhyming, level 1 reader…

Useni Eugene Perkins (A) and Bryan Collier (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Identity / Celebrating Identity – Self Esteem – 2017)

Six-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and four-time Caldecott Honor recipient Bryan Collier brings this classic, inspirational poem to life, written by poet Useni Eugene Perkins.

Derrick Barnes (A) and Shawn Martinbrough (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Super Powers / Emotion / Self-Control – 2024)

All it takes is a loving teacher to help a boy get control of his sizzling superpowers, in this vibrant picture book by bestselling author Derrick Barnes.

Bobby Beacon’s…

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,…

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…

Karamo Brown (A) and Jason “Rachel” Brown (A) and Anoosha Syed (ILT) 

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover- Family / Self Esteem – 2019)

I Am Perfectly Designed is an exuberant celebration of loving who you are, exactly as you are, from Karamo Brown, the Culture Expert of Netflix’s hit series Queer Eye, and…