Years ago, we wrote a post about books featuring characters of color, but a reader pointed out that some of those authors were white. So! Today, we wanted to feature great children’s books written by Black authors. Here are 15 we like…
Any others to add to the list? We’d love to hear…
P.S. Children’s books with female characters, and five books to teach kids kindness.
(Top illustration by Bryan Collier from the book Trombone Shorty.)
37 COMMENTS
Please, Baby, Please and Please, Puppy, Please are classic children’s literature and belong on every bookshelf! There are my go to baby shower books. Others ones we love are here: https://beyondthesnowyday.blogspot.com/search/label/Black%20Author
Love this list! I’m working on my first children’s book and could really use the wisdom and insight from other authors. Anyone know of writing communities and forums to join?
My 12 year old daughter Kelsey Thomas has written a epic fantasy called “Call of the Wolves”. It’s is for sale on Amazon.com. The cover is a picture of a girl who looks like a wolf. Kelsey has finished writing her second book and is looking for a publisher.
Since many black families are dealing with grief this year, I suggest “My Forever Guardian” by Kristina Jones. The book helped my son heal from the loss of so many people and things this year. Highly recommend. https://www.amazon.com/My-Forever-Guardian-Healing-friends/dp/1734814217/ref=nodl_
Love this list! I don’t have kids of my own but am always looking for gift ideas for friends’ kids.
Adding a book to the list by a friend’s grandmother. She wrote “How Old is Grandma?”. It’s a sweet, intergenerational story–-great for young kids to read with their grandparents!
http://nanasbookshelf.com/where-to-buy/
Check out The Brown Bookcase (https://www.thebrownbookcase.com/about)! From their About page:
“The Brown Bookcase is an independent bookstore founded by 9 year old, Rylei, in order to display diversity in children and teen books.
‘I was having trouble finding books to read with characters that look like me and that I could relate to. So, I wanted to start a bookstore for kids to be able to find books they are able to identify with.'”
I love Grandma’s Tiny House by JaNay Brown-Wood, Grandma’s Purse by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Brown Baby Lullaby by Tameka Fryer Brown, both Saturday and Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora, anything illustrated by Christian Robinson, and Bedtime for Sweet Creatures by Nikki Grimes. Andrea Pinkney wrote a book about Ezra Jack Keats called a Poem for Peter.
Some folks were looking for baby books and Gabrielle Union wrote Welcome to the Party which looks very sweet. Donald Crews’ board books are essential though.
Then as for chapter fun chapter books: anyone a fan of the Little Shaq series by Shaquille O’Neal? They’re popular at our library! Christopher Myers is a profilic writer of sports-themed chapter books. The Last, Last Day of Summer by L. R Giles is a fun chapter book.
I bought ‘Don’t touch my hair’ after it was listed here. Lovely book about consent which my kids have asked for again and again.
Tar Beach made a big impression on me when I was a kid, especially in my school of mostly non-black students.
Beautiful Beautiful Me.
A book written by Ashley Sirah Chea and illustrated by Vanessa Newton. Its about diversity, love, family and skin tone with playful poems for kids to read.
donald crews is a favorite in our house (kids are 4 & 2)—freight train, ten black dots, and flying are frequently pulled from the shelves.
Grace Byers – I Believe I Can and I am Enough.
Elizabeth Acevedo is a Dominican-American author of YA books – I’ve been enjoying her books recently! I read With the Fire on High and Poet X earlier this year and currently have Clap When You Land on hold at my library :)
All of Ashley Bryan’s books are phenomenal. He is a gifted artist, writer, and illustrator who calls a small island in Maine his home. https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ashley-Bryan/706174
Thank you for featuring books written by black authors- and thanks for naming how you didn’t do that last time. I’ve been thinking recently about how the concept of “growth mindset” can apply to white people learning how to be anti-racist. We actually can get better at this. No white person has to be stuck where they are now or where they were yesterday. Naming how you didn’t get it quite right last time around shows that growth mindset. And that’s powerful. Thank you.
I would suggest Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea, by Meena Harris. I heard great positive things about it.
here’s one from a New Zealand / Pacific writer: Mophead: How Your Difference Makes a Difference by Selina Tusitala Marsh https://aucklanduniversitypress.co.nz/mophead-how-your-difference-makes-a-difference/
Although the story itself isn’t written by a black author, The Talking Eggs by Robert Souci, is a Creole folktale and illustrated by Caldecott-award winner Black illustrator Jerry Pinkney. It’s a beautiful book!
Yes! This is one of my very favorite books from childhood.
Anything by Nicola Yoon, Angie Thomas, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Nic Stone, Kwame Alexander.
Also, PET is a newer release by a black non-binary author. I haven’t read it yet but it is high on my list!
https://www.akwaeke.com/pet
Would love to see more young adult options!!
Please baby please was one of my boys’ favorites. Any book by or illustrated by Kadir Nelson is a treasure to own.
Please check out Cree Wins the Day (linking on Amazon, sorry: https://www.amazon.com/Cree-Wins-Day-Lora-Bynum/dp/0692872736/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=cree+wins+the+day&qid=1591724388&sr=8-1).
I went to college with the author, Ti, and would love to see her get a wave of books sold, plus the reviews are great!
We bought a bunch of new books by Black authors and our favorites are ,” Mufaro’s beautiful daughters,” (its won a caldecott award and was by the 1st Black children’s illustrator) and a new one, “A good kind of trouble” for my 13 year old and she loves it!!
I would add Belle, the last mule at Gee’s Bend and The Green Book by Calvin Ramsey…I read these to my 3rd and 4th graders every year. Also, I know the author is white, but I just love Jabari Jumps….by Gaia Cornwall.
I would love some recommendations for children’s books with Asian and/or Latinx authors and characters. My daughter and I love Eva Chen’s books.
Soup Day by Melissa Iwai was a favorite of my daughter’s :)
Hi Jamie,
Pat Mora is an amazing Chicana writer, and all her books have Latinx characters. She wrote several children’s books but also several poetry collections, and a wonderful memoir called House of Houses, if you’re interested!
I second Pat Mora! Please check out books by Yuyi Morales, Duncan Tonatiuh, Matt de la Peña, Alma Flor Ada, Isabel Quintero and Juana Martinez-Neal. There are so many more, enjoy!
Mahogany books (mahoganybooks.com) is a black-owned bookstore which has a great selection, and have an online store.
https://www.mahoganybooks.com/children/
They also curate bundles, such as this one for young readers:
https://www.mahoganybooks.com/yabundle-1
Thanks for the links! I just ordered four books for my kids (ages 0-4). I can’t wait to read them together!
Someone may have already posted this, but if you missed it, watch the KidsLit4BlackLives Rally from last Thursday, put on by the Brown Bookshelf (https://thebrownbookshelf.com/). Link to the rally: https://youtu.be/fElXu_MdRrs
Donald Crews is a wonderful Black illustrator and author. He has been making books for decades. His artwork is distinctive, simple and beautiful. I’d bet many of your readers here have checked his books out from the library and/or would recognize them even if they didn’t realize he was the author. Some of our family’s faves are “Freight Train,” “Shortcut” & “Night at the Fair.”
I submitted “Freight Train” last night but it must not have gone through. We love Donald Crews books too.
The great Virginia Hamilton, who died in 2002, wrote 35 books for children and young adults. She won every major children’s literature award and the American Library Assn gives an annual award in her memory. Her books include Zeely, The House of Dies Drear, MC Higgins the Great, The Planet of Junior Brown, and The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales.
Sam and the tigers by Julius Lester (a retelling and reimagining of an old racist book that he turns into a beautiful story about a smart and brave black boy)
For older readers, the “Children of Blood and Bone” books by Tomi Adeyemi stand out.
Here is a great resource: https://thebrownbookshelf.com/
All of Kwame Alexander’s books. He writes in a fantastic rhythm with great stories and messages.
I teach 5th grade and many a reluctant reader zoomed through all of his books.