After the murder of George Floyd while in police custody, there have nearly two weeks of protests, uprisings, and chants of “Black Lives Matter” all across the world. Before the video recording that showed George Floyd taking his last breath went viral, the Black community was already seeking justice for Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and sadly many others whose stories have gone untold for years. In the wake of the historic protests, The Obama Foundation posted a “Meet Anguish with Action” resource that helps people find and support organizations that champion criminal justice reform, antiracism, and human rights. Purposeful and sustained action is what effects change and educating oneself is the beginning of taking action. For parents, teachers, librarians, students, or anyone wanting children’s literature that addresses those issues and more, the following list of picture books are stories and poems that speak of protesting injustice, pride in one’s Blackness, and the promise of a better world. Thank you for your support of Black children’s book creators. Our stories matter.
AntiRacist Baby
Ibram X. Kendi | Ashley Lukashevsky | Kokila | Board Book | 2020 | Amazon | IndieBound |Bookshop
Black Is a Rainbow Color
Angela Joy | Ekua Holmes | Roaring Brook Press | PB | 2020 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Brown Sugar Babe
Charlotte Watson Sherman | Akem | Boyds Mills | 2020 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration
Samara Cole Doyon | Kaylani Juanita | Tilbury House | PB | 2020 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Cool Cuts
Mechal Renee Roe | Doubleday BYR | 2020 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Who Will You Be?
Andrea Pippins | Schwartz & Wade | PB | 2020 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Get Up, Stand Up
Bob Marley | Cedella Marley | John Jay Cabuay | Chronicle Books | 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
An ABC of Equality (Board Book)
Chana Ginelle Ewing | Paulina Morgan | Frances Lincoln Children’s Books | 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop
Happy Hair
Mechal Renee Roe | Doubleday BYR | 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Sulwe
Lupita Nyong’o | Vashti Harrison | Simon & Schuster BYR | 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child
Tiffany Rose | little bee books | 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment
Parker Curry | Jessica Curry | Brittany Jackson | Aladdin | 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
I Can Write the World
Joshunda Sanders | Charly Palmer | Six Foot Press | 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Hands Up!
Breanna J. McDaniel | Shane W. Evans | Dial Books | 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Woke Baby
Mahogany L. Browne | Theodore Taylor III | Roaring Brook Press | 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
I Am Enough
Grace Byers | Keturah A. Bobo | Balzer + Bray | 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Black Girl Magic: A Poem
Mahogany L. Browne | Jess X. Snow | Roaring Brook Press | 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Being You
Alexs Pate | Soud | Capstone | 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
Hey Black Child
Useni Eugene Perkins | Bryan Collier | Little, Brown BYR | 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
In Your Hands
Carole Boston Weatherford | Brian Pinkney | Atheneum BYR | 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
That Is My Dream!
Langston Hughes | Daniel Miyares | Schwartz & Wade | 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
I, Too, Am America
Langston Hughes | Bryan Collier | Simon & Schuster BYR | 2012 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
We March
Shane W. Evans | Roaring Brook Press | 2012 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
My People
Langston Hughes | Charles R. Smith Jr. | Atheneum BYR | 2009 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
A Sweet Smell of Roses
Angela Johnson | Eric Velasquez | Simon & Schuster BYR | 2005 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
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