“You must give your own story to the world.”-Carter G. Woodson
Earlier this week, artist C.G. Esperanza won a 2022 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award for Soul Food Sunday, written by Winsome Bingham! Booklist’s starred review states, “Esperanza’s vibrant illustrations are awash in saturated colors, photo-realistic facial expressions, and pronounced outlines, and they positively radiate this family’s joy and love for one another.” What a wonderful review of a book that features a Black family’s traditions, smiles, laughter, intergenerational sharing and caring, and good food. For Black History Month, Part 2, more of that is on the menu as this book list features stories about families, food, and friendship. These are much-needed picture book stories that show wide-ranging views, reflections, and experiences of Black life to the world. Happy Black History Month!
See Black History Month: Part 1: 10 Black Lives Matter Books for more book selections.
1. Daddy Speaks Love
Leah Henderson | E. B. Lewis | Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
2. Who Are Your People?
Bakari Sellers | Reggie Brown | Quill Tree Books, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
3. Fly
Brittany J. Thurman | Anna Cunha | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
4. Dream Street
Tricia Elam Walker | Ekua Holmes | Anne Schwartz Books, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
5. The Get-Together
Christine Taylor Butler | Lonnie Ollivierre | Reycraft Books, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
6. Soul Food Sunday
Winsome Bingham | Charles G. Esperanza | Abrams BYR, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
7. Better Together, Cinderella
Ashley Franklin | Ebony Glenn | HarperCollins, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
8. Shhh! The Baby’s Asleep
JaNay Brown-Wood | Elissambura | Charlesbridge, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
9. A Day with the Panye
Tami Charles | Sara Palacios | Candlewick, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
10. Chef Toussaint
David Miller | C J Love | Dare To Be King Project, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
11. Sundays Are the Best
Portia Perkins | Shereen Said Clarendon Publishing, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
12. Rocket Says Clean Up!
Nathan Bryon | Dapo Adeola | Random House BYR, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
13. Me & Mama
Cozbi A. Cabrera | Denene Millner Books/S&S BYR, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
14. Nana Akua Goes to School
Patricia Elam Walker | April Harrison | Schwartz & Wade, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
15. Ruby’s Reunion Day Dinner
Angela Dalton | Jestenia Southerland | HarperCollins, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
16. Family Reunion
Chad And Dad Richardson | Ashleigh Corrin | Barefoot Books, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
17. When My Cousins Come to Town
Angela Shanté | Keisha Morris | West Margin Press, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
18. Bedtime Bonnet
Nancy Redd | Random House BYR, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
19. Just Like a Mama
Alice Faye Duncan | Charnelle Pinkney Barlow | Denene Millner/S&S BYR, 2020 | Amazon |Bookshop | IndieBound
20. Brown Baby Lullaby
Tameka Fryer Brown | A.G. Ford | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
21. Bedtime for Sweet Creatures
Nikki Grimes | Elizabeth Zunon | Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
22. The Old Truck
Jerome Pumphrey | Jarrett Pumphrey | Norton Young Readers, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
23. Octopus Stew
Eric Velasquez | Holiday House, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
24. I Can Write the World
Joshunda Sanders | Charly Palmer | Six Foot Press, 2019 | Amazon |Bookshop | IndieBound
25. Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate, from Farm to Family
Elizabeth Zunon | Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
26. The King of Kindergarten
Derrick Barnes | Vanessa Brantley-Newton | Nancy Paulsen, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
27. Going Down Home with Daddy
Kelly Starling Lyons | Daniel Minter | Peachtree Publishing, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
28. Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment
Parker Curry | Jessica Curry | Brittany Jackson | Aladdin, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
29. Thank You, OMU!
Oge Mora | Little, Brown BYR, 2018 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
30. Mommy’s Khimar
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow | Ebony Glenn | Salaam Reads / S & S, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
31. The Big Bed
Bunmi Laditan | Tom Knight | Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR, 2018 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
32. Grandma’s Tiny House
JaNay Brown-Wood | Priscilla Burris | Charlesbridge Publishing, 2017 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
33. Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Lashon Daley | Emile Henriquez | Pelican, 2016 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
34. My Caribbean Grandma
Sandra Campbell-Notice | Anura Srinath | Brer Anancy Press, 2016 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
35. Don’t Let Auntie Mabel Bless the Table
Vanessa Newton | Blue Apple Books, 2010 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
36. The Electric Slide and Kai
Kelly J. Baptist | Darnell Johnson | Lee & Low Books, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
37. We Chose You: A Book About Adoption, Family, and Forever Love
Tony Dungy | Lauren Dungy | Guy Wolek | Harvest House Publishers, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
38. I Am Perfectly Designed
Karamo Brown | Jason “Rachel” Brown | Anoosha Syed | Henry Holt and Co BYR, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
39. Nighttime Symphony
Timbaland | Christopher Myers | Kaa Illustration | Atheneum BYR, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
40. My Brother Charlie
Holly Robinson Peete | Shane Evans | Ryan Elizabeth Peete | Scholastic Press, 2010 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
If you believe BCBA provides a valuable service, please take a few minutes to donate and support our mission to promote awareness of children’s and young adult literature by Black authors.
Amazon/Bookshop/IndieBound Disclosure: BCBA is a participant in the Amazon, Bookshop, and IndieBound Affiliate Programs. The affiliate programs offer participants the opportunity to earn fees by linking to Amazon, Bookshop, and IndieBound websites. Clicking on the book links will direct you away from bcbooksandauthors.com. Thank you!
