Black Music Month is an annual June celebration of the cultural and economic impact that Black artists and musicians have made across the world. Kenny Gamble and Dyana Williams are the creators of Black Music Month, and President Jimmy Carter held the first formal White House observance in 1979. Although President Barack Obama changed the name to African American Music Appreciation Month in 2009, many still use the former name. According to Roots of African American Music, “Many of the instruments historically used in African American music, including the banjo and the drum, have antecedents in African musical instruments, and many features common to African American music likewise have roots in African musical traditions, such as the call and response song form and an immersive approach to singing.” To Be a Drum, In the Hollow of Your Hand: Slave Lullabies and All Night, All Day: A Child’s First Book of African-American Spirituals are examples of such. Our list features fiction and nonfiction picture, middle-grade, and young adult books that are reflections of various music artists and genres such as jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, rap, etc. Happy Black Music Month! Our stories matter.
Nonfiction
Sing a Song: How Lift Every Voice and Sing Inspired Generations
Kelly Starling Lyons | Keith Mallett | Nancy Paulsen Books, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
Beyoncé: Shine Your Light
Sarah Warren | Geneva Bowers | HMH BYR, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop
Carole Boston Weatherford | Frank Morrison | little bee books, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
The 5 O’Clock Band
Troy Andrews | Bryan Collier | Harry N. Abrams, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
Unlocking the Truth: Three Brooklyn Teens on Life, Friendship and Making the Band
Unlocking the Truth | Charisse Jones | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BYR, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound
Andrea Davis Pinkney | Roaring Brook Press, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
I and I Bob Marley
Tony Medina | Jesse Joshua Watson | Lee & Low Books, 2013 | Amazon | IndieBound
I See the Rhythm of Gospel
Toyomi Igus | Michele Wood | Zonderkidz; Har/Com, 2010 | Amazon | IndieBound
Odetta: The Queen of Folk
Samantha Thornhill | Stephen Alcorn | Scholastic Press, 2010 | Amazon | IndieBound
Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat
Nikki Giovanni | Alicia Vergel de Dios | Damian Ward, et al | Sourcebooks,2008 | Amazon | IndieBound
Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits
Wynton Marsalis | Paul Rogers | Phil Schaap | Candlewick, 2005 | Amazon | IndieBound
I See the Rhythm
Toyomi Igus | Michele Wood | Children’s Book Press, 2005 | Amazon | IndieBound
Blues Journey
Walter Dean Myers | Christopher Myers | Holiday House, 2003 | Amazon | IndieBound
The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World
Julius Lester | Lisa Cohen | Jump At The Sun, 2001 | Amazon | IndieBound
All Night, All Day: A Child’s First Book of African-American Spirituals
Ashley Bryan | Atheneum BYR, 1991 | Amazon | IndieBound
Fiction
Early Sunday Morning
Denene Millner | Vanessa Brantley-Newton | Agate Bolden, 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound
Oscar Lives Next Door: A Story Inspired by Oscar Peterson’s Childhood
Bonnie Farmer | Marie Lafrance | Owlkids, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band
Kwame Alexander | Tim Bowers | Sleeping Bear Press, 2011 | Amazon | IndieBound
The Gospel Cinderella
Joyce Carol Thomas | David Diaz | Amistad, 2004 | Amazon | IndieBound
Willie Jerome
Alice Faye Duncan | Tyrone Geter | Atheneum, 1995 | Amazon
The Sweetest Sound
Sherri Winston | Little, Brown BYR, 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
Rita Williams-Garcia | Frank Morrison | Amistad, 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound
No Ordinary Sound: A Classic Featuring Melody
Denise Lewis Patrick | American Girl, 2016 | Amazon | IndieBound
Garvey’s Choice
Nikki Grimes | Wordsong, 2016 | Amazon | IndieBound
Never Stop Singing: A Melody Classic Volume 2
Denise Lewis Patrick | American Girl, 2016 | Amazon | IndieBound
Let Me Hear a Rhyme
Tiffany D. Jackson | Katherine Tegen Books, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
Spin
Lamar Giles | Scholastic Press, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
On the Come-up
Angie Thomas | Balzer + Bray, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
Solo
Kwame Alexander | Mary Rand Hess | Blink, 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound
Show and Prove
Sofia Quintero | Knopf BYR, 2015 | Amazon | 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. Thanks in advance for your thoughtful gift!
Amazon/IndieBound Disclosure: BCBA is a participant in the Amazon and IndieBound Affiliate Programs, both are services that offer participants the opportunity to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and IndieBound.org. Clicking on the book links will direct you away from bcbooksandauthors.com. Thanks for your support!
