Black Poetry Day is observed annually on October 17th. The lives, legacies, and literature of Black poets past and present are recognized with honor and remembrance. The picture books listed feature the works of historical figures such as Lucille Clifton, Langston Hughes, Eloise Greenfield, and Useni Eugene Perkins, alongside contemporary creators Nikki Grimes, Ruth Forman, Kwame Alexander, Van G. Garrett, and more. The topics range from somber to silly and all in between. Stay tuned for an upcoming picture book biography by Don Tate and Laura Freeman celebrating the life of poet, publisher, and activist Dudley Randall. The release date for A Poem for Dudley Randall is forthcoming.
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1. Light
Ruth Forman | Katura Gaines | Little Simon | September 10, 2024 | Bk Bk
2. One
Ruth Forman | Katura Gaines | Little Simon | August 29, 2023 | Bd Bk
3. Bloom
Ruth Forman | Talia Skyles | Little Simon | April 26, 2022 | Bd Bk
4. Glow
Ruth Forman | Geneva Bowers | Little Simon | May 4, 2021 | Bd Bk
Sam Cooke | Nikkolas Smith | little bee books | September 2, 2025
6. Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature: A biography in poems
Caroline Brewer | What on Earth! | September 2, 2025
Joseph Coelho | Richard Johnson | Frances Lincoln Ltd | September 2, 2025
8. Specs
Van G. Garrett | Reggie Brown | Versify | August 5, 2025
9. Good
Alexs Pate | Tequitia Andrews | Capstone | August 1, 2025
10. Never Take Your Rhino on a Plane
K.E. Lewis | Isabel Roxas | Clarion Books | June 3, 2025
11. Black Diamond Kings: Heroes of Negro League Baseball
Charles R. Smith | Adrian Brandon | Candlewick | May 6, 2025
Antwan Eady | London Ladd | Knopf BYR | May 6, 2025
Amanda Gorman | Loveis Wise | Viking Children’s Books | January 7, 2025
14. Rap It Up!
Carole Boston Weatherford | Jeffery Boston Weatherford | Ernel Martinez | Henry Holt | March 18, 2025
Leslé Honoré | Cozbi A. Cabrera | Little, Brown BYR | November 19, 2024
Rio Cortez | Ashleigh Corrin | S&S/Denene Millner | August 27, 2024
17. Bros
Carole Boston Weatherford | Reggie Brown | Candlewick Press | March 12, 2024
18. There Was a Party for Langston
Jason Reynolds | Jerome Pumphrey | Jarrett Pumphrey | Atheneum | October 3, 2023
Kwame Alexander | Deanna Nikaido | Melissa Sweet | Quill Tree Books | April 4, 2023
20. You So Black
Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. | London Ladd | Millner/Simon & Schuster | January 10, 2023
21. A Library
Nikki Giovanni | Erin Robinson | HMH/Versify | September 27, 2022
22. Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual
Carole Boston Weatherford | Frank Morrison | Crown BYR | September 20, 2022
23. Black Gold
Laura Obuobi | London Ladd | HarperCollins | October 11, 2022
24. Dear Black Child
Rahma Rodaah | Lydia Mba | HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray | September 27, 2022
25. Maya’s Song
Reneé Watson | Bryan Collier | HarperCollins | September 20, 2022
26. Playtime for Restless Rascals
Nikki Grimes | Elizabeth Zunon | Sourcebooks Jabberwocky | September 6, 2022
Brynne Barnes | Tatyana Fazlalizadeh | Chronicle Books | June 28, 2022
Kevin Young | Chioma Ebinama | Make Me a World | March 15, 2022
29. The 1619 Project: Born on the Water
Nikole Hannah-Jones | Renée Watson | Nikkolas Smith | Kokila | November 16, 2021
Cleo Wade | Lucie de Moyencourt | Feiwel & Friends | March 23, 2021
Tami Charles | Bryan Collier | Orchard Books | October 6, 2020
Derrick Barnes | Gordon C. James | Nancy Paulsen Books | September 1, 2020
Zetta Elliott | Noa Denmon | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) | July 21, 2020
34. A Girl Like Me
Angela Johnson | Nina Crews | Millbrook Press | February 4, 2020
35. Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me
Eloise Greenfield | Ehsan Abdollahi | Sourcebooks Jabberwocky | April 2, 2019
36. A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks
Alice Faye Duncan | Xia Gordon | Sterling | January 1, 2019
Maya Angelou | Jean-Michel Basquiat | Harry N. Abrams | January 9, 2018
Langston Hughes | Daniel Miyares | Anne Schwartz Books | October 3, 2017
39. Hey Black Child
Useni Eugene Perkins | Bryan Collier | Little, Brown BYR | November 14, 2017
40. Lullaby (for a Black Mother)
Langston Hughes | Sean Qualls | Clarion Books | March 19, 2013
41. My People
Langston Hughes | Charles R. Smith Jr. | Atheneum BYR | January 6, 2009
42. Bronzeville Boys and Girls
Gwendolyn Brooks | Faith Ringgold | HarperCollins | December 26, 2006
43. There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me
Alice Walker | Stefano Vitale | HarperCollins | May 09, 2006
44. Everett Anderson’s Goodbye
Lucille Clifton | Ann Grifalconi | Square Fish | July 15, 1988
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