Who
can be born black
and not
sing
the wonder of it
the joy
the
challenge…
Who
can be born
black
and not exult!
-Mari Evans
Mari Evans was an outstanding poet, educator, and author of both adult and children’s books. Although she was a member of the Black Arts Movement, her writings before and long after, reflected Black life, “the wonder of it / the joy / the / challenge.” October 17th is Black Poetry Day, a day to remember the literary contributions of past poets like Evans, Lucille Clifton, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, and so many others. But it is not just a day for history lessons and reciting classic verses, let’s also celebrate contemporary Black poets whose expressions are written in children’s books, from picture to verse novels. These are great selections to buy or borrow just in time to share for Black Poetry Day. For more choices, go to these past posts, here, here, and here.
All Because You Matter
Tami Charles | Bryan Collier | Orchard Books | October 6, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
I Am Every Good Thing
Derrick Barnes | Gordon C. James | Nancy Paulsen Books | September 1, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
A Place Inside of Me
Zetta Elliott | Noa Denmon | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) | July 21, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Who Will You Be?
Andrea Pippins | Schwartz & Wade | April 7, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
A Girl Like Me
Angela Johnson | Nina Crews | Millbrook Press | February 4, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Just Like Me
Vanessa Newton | Knopf BYR | January 14, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration
Samara Cole Doyon | Kaylani Juanita | Tilbury House | January 7, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Bitty Brown Babe (Board Book)
Deborah LeFalle | Keisha Morris | Beaming Books | September 10, 2019 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter
Shabazz Larkin | Readers to Eaters | August 1, 2019 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me
Eloise Greenfield | Ehsan Abdollahi | Sourcebooks Jabberwocky | April 2, 2019 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel
Jason Reynolds | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books | October 13, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Concrete Kids (Pocket Change Collective)
Amyra León | Ashley Lukashevsky | Penguin Workshop | October 13, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Becoming Muhammad Ali
Kwame Alexander | James Patterson | Dawud Anyabwile | Jimmy Patterson | October 5, 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Before the Ever After
Jacqueline Woodson | Nancy Paulsen Books | September 1, 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Punching the Air
Ibi Zoboi | Yusef Salaam |Balzer + Bray | September 1, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Black Flamingo
Dean Atta | HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray | May 26, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Clap When You Land
Elizabeth Acevedo | Quill Tree Books | May 5, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice
Mahogany L. Browne | Elizabeth Acevedo | Olivia Gatwood | Theodore Taylor III | Roaring Brook | March 10, 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir
Nikki Grimes | Wordsong | October 08, 2019 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Women Who Caught The Babies: A Story of African American Midwives
Eloise Greenfield | Daniel Minter | Alazar Press | September 1, 2019 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
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