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 | Amazon | Bookshop
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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