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Black Excellence: 44 Picture Book Biographies

It’s that time of the year to celebrate and educate, just like Carter G. Woodson intended! Do you know Chef Edna Lewis, Wendell Scott,  Jennifer Jones, Major Taylor,  Jackie Ormes, or Rosetta Tharpe? They are not the usual figures that children or adults learn about and discuss during Black History Month. This list of picture book biographies will introduce young readers to some extraordinary Black women and men who made history in various fields. All the books listed are written by Black authors.

For more biographies, see Nonfiction Stories of Hope, Inspiration, and Triumph and 85 Picture Book Biographies.

BCBA is an Amazon and Bookshop Affiliate. Clicking on the book links will direct you away from this site, and BCBA may earn a small percentage on purchases.



1. Miles of Style: Eunice W. Johnson and the Ebony Fashion Fair

Lisa D. Brathwaite | Lynn Gaines | Lee & Low Books | February 6, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


2. Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller

Breanna J. McDaniel | April Harrison | Dial | February 6, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


3. Jimmy’s Rhythm and Blues

Michelle Meadows | Jamiel Law | HarperCollins | January 30, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


4. Extraordinary Magic: The Writing Life of Virginia Hamilton

Nina Crews | Christy Ottaviano Books/Little Brown | January 9, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



5. Fighting with Love: The Legacy of John Lewis

Lesa Cline-Ransome | James Ransome | Paula Wiseman Books | January 9, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


6. Ida B. Wells Marches for the Vote

Dinah Johnson | Jerry Jordan | Little, Brown/Ottaviano | January 2, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


7. Colin Powell: A Little Golden Book Biography

Frank Berrios | Kristin Sorra | Golden Books | January 2, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


8. Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King | Barbara Reynolds | Ekua Holmes | Godwin Books | January 2, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



9. Born Driven

Saxton Moore Jr. | Nolwe Azul Tamis | Oni Press | November  28, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


10. Small Shoes, Great Strides: How Three Brave Girls Opened Doors to School Equality

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson | Alex Bostic | Lerner/Carolrhoda | November 7, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


11. Oprah Winfrey: A Little Golden Book Biography

Alliah L. Agostini | Tara Nicole Whitaker | Golden Books | November 7, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


12. Somebody to Love: The Story of Valerie June’s Sweet Little Baby Banjolele 

Valerie June Hockett | Marcela Avelar | Third Man Books | November 1, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



13. On the Line: My Story of Becoming the First African American Rockette

Jennifer Jones | Lissette Norman | Robert Paul, Jr. | HarperCollins | October 31, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


14. Ordinary Days: The Seeds, Sound, and City That Grew Prince Rogers Nelson

Angela Joy | Jacqueline Alcántara | Roaring Brook Press | October 24, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


15. Heroic Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Joe Delaney

Frank Murphy | Charnaie Gordon | Anastasia Magloire Williams | Triumph Books | October 17, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


16. Coretta’s Journey: The Life and Times of Coretta Scott King

Alice Faye Duncan | R. Gregory Christie | Calkins Creek | September 26, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



17. Legends of Hip-Hop: 2Pac (Board Book)

Pen Ken | Saxton Moore | HarperFestival | September 19, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


18. Legends of Hip-Hop: Queen Latifah

Pen Ken | Saxton Moore | HarperFestival | September 19, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


19. Loud and Proud: The Life of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm

Lesa Cline-Ransome | Kaylani Juanita | Paula Wiseman Books | September 19, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


20. Major Taylor: World Cycling Champion

Charles R. Smith | Leo Espinosa | Candlewick | September 12, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



21. Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir | Judith Henderson | Katherine Ahmed | Kids Can Press | September 5, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


22. Justice Ketanji: The Story of US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

Denise Lewis Patrick | Kim Holt | Orchard Books | August 1, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


23. Ketanji: Justice Jackson’s Journey to the U.S. Supreme Court

Kekla Magoon | Laura Freeman | HarperCollins | June 20, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


24. Jackie Ormes Draws the Future: The Remarkable Life of a Pioneering Cartoonist

Liz Montague | Random House Studio | May 16, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



25. Simone Biles: A Little Golden Book Biography

JaNay Brown-Wood | Kim Holt | Golden Books | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


26. Chef Edna: Queen of Southern Cooking, Edna Lewis

Melvina Noel | Cozbi A. Cabrera | Cameron Kids | April 18, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


27. How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee

Carole Boston Weatherford | Frank Morrison | Candlewick | April 11, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


28. Young, Gifted and Black Too: Meet 52 More Black Icons from Past and Present

Jamia Wilson | Andrea Pippins | Wide Eyed Editions | April 4, 2023 | PB | AmazonBookshop



29. Ketanji Brown Jackson: A Justice for All

Tami Charles | Jemma Skidmore | Simon & Schuster BYR | April 4, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


30. Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar

Charnelle Pinkney Barlow | Doubleday BYR | February 28, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


31. All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson

Carole Boston Weatherford | Ashley Evans | Crown BYR | February 28, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


32. Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!

Tonya Bolden | R. Gregory Christie | HarperCollins | February 14, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



33. You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce!: The Storied Life of Folk Artist Elijah Pierce

Chiquita Mullins Lee | Carmella Van Vleet | Jennifer Mack-Watkins | Kokila | January 31, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


34. A is for Aretha (Board Book)

Leslie Kwan | Rachelle Baker | Kokila | January 24, 2023 | Bd Bk | Amazon | Bookshop


35. To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights

Angela Dalton | Lauren Semmer | HarperCollins | January 17, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


36. Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better

Glenda Armand | Kim Freeman | Keith Mallett | Crown BYR | January 17, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



37. The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music

Roberta Flack | Tonya Bolden | Hayden Goodman | Anne Schwartz Books | January 10, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


38. Put On Your Shoes and Get Ready!

Raphael G. Warnock | Temika Grooms | Philomel Books | January 10, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


39. Justice Rising: 12 Amazing Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement

Katheryn Russell-Brown | Kim Holt | Viking BYR | January 10, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


40. Beyonce: A Little Golden Book Biography

Lavaille Lavette | Anastasia Williams | Golden Books | January 3, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



41. Harry Belafonte: A Little Golden Book Biography

Lavaille Lavette | Anastasia Williams | Golden Books | January 3, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


42. Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes

Traci N. Todd | Shannon Wright | Orchard Books | January 3, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


43. The Ashe Brothers: How Arthur and Johnnie Changed Tennis Forever

Judy Allen Dodson | David Wilkerson | Capstone | January 1, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


44. Fearless Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Surya Bonaly

Frank Murphy | Surya Bonaly | Triumph Books | Anastasia Magloire Williams | January 25, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


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