Black History Month (BHM) is almost here! Teachers, parents, students, BCBA has an abundance of book suggestions for lesson plans, book reports, and other school and community activities. Of course, honoring Black history and culture should not be designated to only one month out of the year, the shortest one at that. But a man named Carter G. Woodson (known as “The Father of Black History”) realized that the achievements of Blacks were barely recognized at all. He helped form the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915. The group’s mission was to commemorate events and achievements of Black Americans as well as Blacks throughout the African diaspora. Carter believed, “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” Carter’s efforts, and there were many, led to the start of Negro History Week in February of 1926. February was chosen because it is the birth month of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. In the 1960s, the week of celebrations extended throughout February, this was due to the Civil Rights Movement’s emphasis on Black pride and power. The first part of this BHM series features 25 picture books. For more picture book selections, click here.
Carter G. Woodson: Black History Pioneer – Patricia & Fredrick McKissack
Ira's Shakespeare Dream – Glenda Armand
Fifty Cents and a Dream – Jabari Asim
Major Taylor: Champion Cyclist – Lesa Cline-Ransome
Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George – Lesa Cline Ransome
Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change – Michelle Cook
Paul Robeson – Eloise Greenfield
Talkin' About Bessie – Nikki Grimes
African Princess: The Amazing Lives of Africa's Royal Women – Joyce Hansen
African Beginnings - James Haskins & Kathleen Benson
The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can – Tererai Trent
Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights – James Haskins
Howard Thurman's Great Hope – Kai Issa
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – Kamkwamba
The Great Migration: An American Story – Jacob Lawrence
Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told – Walter Dean Myers
Toussaint L'ouverture: The Fight for Haiti's Freedom – Walter Dean Myers
For the Love of Soccer! – Pele
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone – Katheryn Russell-Brown
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X - Ilyasah Shabazz
28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World – Charles R. Smith Jr.
Langston Hughes, American Poet – Alice Walker
Harlem's Little Blackbird – Renee Watson
Oprah: The Little Speaker – Carole Boston Weatherford
I, Matthew Henson – Carole Boston Weatherford
