Boys

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…

Courtney Carbone (A) and Hilli Kushnir (ILT)

List Price: $5.99 (Paperback – Dealing With Feelings / Sadness – 2018)

If feeling blue isn’t bad enough, it’s even worse without your best furry friend. This Makes Me Sad follows a young boy after he accidentally lets his dog, Kit, loose from the yard. Despite his parents’ attempt to…

Wade Hudson (A) and George Ford (ILT)

List Price: $9.95 (Paperback – Family / Attending School – 1991)

Jamal is a happy youngster who knows just how important his school day is. It is just as important as his mother and father work day. Jamal…

Heather Henson (A) and Bryan Collier ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Legendary Cave Explorer and Slave -2016)

Grab your lantern and follow the remarkable and world-famous Mammoth Cave explorer—and slave—Stephen Bishop as he guides you through the world’s largest cave system in this remarkable homage to the resilience of human nature.

Welcome…

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…

Eve Bunting (A) and James Ransome (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Gang Situation / Brothers / Peer Pressure – 1998)

When ten-year-old James gang initiation endangers his six-year-old brother Isaac, they find the courage to say, Thanks, but no thanks. One night while their mom’s at work, ten-year-old James…

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…

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

List Price: $11.99 (Paperback – Yoruba / Father and Son – 2012)

Shango’s Son is a short story based on ancient African knowledge (Yoruba Ifa). Shango has a son who becomes his companion and protector. The son has amazing abilities that help Shango succeed. The…

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…

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…

Tanitoluwa Adewumi (A) &  Courtney Dawson (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Biography /Chess Champion- 2019)

Tani Adewumi’s moving true story of immigrating to America, developing his talent for chess, and finding a new home will inspire families looking for stories of hope and kindness.

Tani was just six years old…

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…

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…

Angela Johnson (A) and Loren Long (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Flying / Tuskegee Airmen – 2007)

All he ever wanted to do was fly. Three-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson and New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long invite readers to ponder a…

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

From critically acclaimed artist Elizabeth Zunon, a picture book about one boy on a journey to deliver salt across the desert-a journey that will reveal the precious rock’s true value.

In the Sahara, salt is worth its weight in gold. When Malik is finally old enough to…

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…

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…

Susan Verde (A) and Peter Reynolds (ILT)

List Price: $14.99 ( Hardcover – Teaches Empathy and Compassion -2018)

From the picture book dream team behind I Am Yoga and I Am Peace comes the third book in their wellness series: I Am Human. A hopeful meditation on all the great (and challenging) parts…

Vanda Micheaux Nelson (A) and R. Gregory Christie (ILT)

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – African History / Harlem Bookstore – 2016)

“In the 1930s, Lewis’s dad, Lewis Michaux Sr., had an itch he needed to scratch a book itch. How to scratch it? He started a bookstore in Harlem and named it the…

Tami Charles (A) and Bryan Collier (ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – An Affirmation of Worth – 2020)

Instant New York Times bestseller!

A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to Black and brown children everywhere: reminding them how much they matter, that they have always mattered, and they always…

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…

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…

Pete Seeger (Storysong) and Michael Hays (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Folktale / South African – 2003)

American folk singer Pete Seeger retells a South African folktale about a boy and his father who, after being banished from town for making mischief, are welcomed back when they find a way…

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…

Eric Velasquez(A & ILT)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Tall Fish Tale – 2021

The octopus Grandma is cooking has grown to titanic proportions. “¡Tenga cuidado!” Ramsey shouts. “Be careful!” But it’s too late. The octopus traps Grandma! Ramsey must use both art and intellect to free his beloved abuela.

Then…

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.

…

Carole Boston Weatherford (A) and Eric Velasquez (ILT)

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback – Explorer / North Pole – 2007)

Matthew Henson was not meant to lead an ordinary life. His dreams had sails. They took him from the port of Baltimore, around the world, and north to the pole. No amount of fear,…

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…

Tameja Fryer Brown (A) and Shane Evans (ILT) 

List Price: $18.99 (Hardcover – Sibling Story – 2013)

What color is your mood?

On a really good day, Jamie feels purple like the first bite of a juicy cold plum.

And with a crayon in his hand, Jamie eases into a green feeling–like a dragon dancing through…

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

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

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…

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…

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,…

Sandy Lynne Holman (A) and Lela Kometiani (ILT)

List Price: $18.95 (Hardcover – African Heritage / Racism and Prejudice – 1998)

An illustrated story of an African American boy who gains appreciation for his dark skin by learning about his African heritage from his grandfather and his drum. (32 pgs) Ages 5 -…

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

A Coretta Scott King Author Honor winner!

As a little boy grows into a bigger boy, ready to take on the world, he first must have that very difficult conversation far too familiar to so many Black and Brown Americans in this gentle and ultimately hopeful picture book.

Jay’s most favorite things…

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…

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…

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…

Suzy Capozi (A) and Eren Unten (ILT)

List Price: $5.99 (Paperback – Level 2 / Science Project – 2018)

When his teacher announces that there will be a science fair in a few weeks, the young boy in I Am Smart is worried. He doesn’t like science. Science is hard! But when his mom…

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…