I recently shared 10 favorite picture books for Martin Luther King Day, and many could also work for Black History Month. However, I think this is such an important month and worth highlighting with even MORE books. My kids love learning about these amazing men and women from history.
Don’t have kids? I promise they’re interesting even for adults, and this is a great way to learn about black history when you’re short on time. Check out these 11 picture books for Black History Month.
Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins. I got this from the library for my kids last week, and we are still making our way through it and absolutely loving it. The amazing people spotlighted in this book include legends like Harriet Tubman and current heroes like Serena and Venus Williams. It’s really colorful and easy to digest, even for 6-year-olds.
Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became the Bookmobile Ballerina by Lea Lyon, Alexandria LaFaye, and Jessica Gibson. This was one of my all-time favorites from 2019. It’s the true story of a girl who taught herself ballet by reading books from the bookmobile since she wasn’t allowed to take dance classes. My own ballerina daughter adored this one, and so did I.
All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson and E.B. Lewis. I didn’t know what Juneteenth was until 2020. Not sure what it is either? The holiday, celebrated June 19, commemorates the day slaves in Texas were finally freed from slavery. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect more than two years earlier, many slaves weren’t free because there weren’t enough Union soldiers to enforce the law. This lyrical picture books shows a family learning they are no longer slaves.
Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson by Kathleen Krull, Paul Brewer, and Frank Morrison. Everyone has heard of Neil deGrasse Tyson. However, most of what I knew about him came from Big Bang Theory episodes and hearing people gushing about his books. This beautifully illustrated story was SO well-done and really captured deGrasse Tyson’s passion for science and his amazing life.
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson and Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Want to wow your kids? This one will do it. My kids were fascinated to learn that a nine-year-old marched to protest segregation and was held in jail for several days. This would be a great one to read in a classroom and inspire other kids to help where they can.
Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton and Don Tate. This is a really fun story about the man who invented the Super Soaker water gun by accident when trying to cool fridges and air conditioners. The illustrations really make this one shine, and it’s a lighter story among many that focus on segregation and racism.
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora. I have shared this book several times before, but I still think about it often. Born into slavery, Mary Walker worked many jobs throughout her life, raised a family, and didn’t learn to read until she was 116. Keep a box of tissues close for this one. It’s an amazing story.
Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson. What a ride! This boy literally mailed himself in a crate to the north so he could escape slavery. It’s both heartbreaking and inspiring. I especially love Kadir Nelson’s illustrations (he often graces the cover of the New Yorker).
When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Brian Selznick. Maybe it’s because I’m a singer myself, but this book absolutely blew me away. It’s about famed opera singer Marian Anderson’s 1939 performance at the Lincoln Memorial, where an integrated crowd gathered to hear her sing. Keep in mind that this was a BIG deal, since it was years before the civil rights movement.
Hammering for Freedom by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and John Holyfield. Yes, I’m including two books by the same author because I LOVE her work. This one is about a blacksmith who saved enough money through his work to save not only himself but his entire family from slavery. I still can’t fathom earning money to buy freedom that should have been yours all along. Such an inspiring story.
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly and Laura Freeman. Read this rather than watching the film. Seriously. The part where Kevin Costner rips down the bathroom sign is completely fabricated and makes me mad. This tells the same story but focuses more on the four female mathematicians who worked at NASA and helped make space travel possible.
There are so many great books out there about amazing black people in history, and I’ve loved reading these with my kids. Did I miss one of your favorites? Any new releases I should know about?
