Here is an inspirational fact about Dr. Carter G. Woodson—the Father of Black history—he began high school in 1895 at the age of twenty and went on to earn a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. Dr. Woodson’s intense and purposeful focus on history cultivated this belief, “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” We observe and celebrate Black History Month because of Woodson’s love for people of African descent and his efforts to ensure that they are recognized for their achievements and contributions to society. Included in this post are not only biographies of great people but also books that impart beautiful images and words. Such inspirational images, stories, and poems by Black authors and mostly Black illustrators, uplift and validate the culture, every day experiences, and reflections of Black children—and that is worth celebrating during Black History Month and all year.
For more images and inspiration see, “85 Picture Book Biographies.” Happy Black History Month. Our stories matter.
1 We Wait for the Sun
Dovey Johnson Roundtree | Katie McCabe | Raissa Figueroa | Roaring Brook | February 9, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
2 Black Is a Rainbow Color
Angela Joy | Ekua Holmes | Roaring Brook Press | January 14, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
3 Off to See the Sea
Nikki Grimes | Elizabeth Zunon | Sourcebooks | January 12, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
4 Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston
Alicia D. Williams | Jacqueline Alcántara | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy | January 12, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
5 Time for Kenny
Brian Pinkney | Greenwillow Books | January 12, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
6 Baby Young, Gifted, and Black: With a Mirror! (Board Book)
Jamia Wilson | Andrea Pippins | Wide Eyed Editions | January 5, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
7 One Step Further: My Story of Math, the Moon, and a Mission
Katherine Johnson | Joylette Hylick | Katherine Moore | Charnelle Pinkney Barlow | January 5, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
8 Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge
Ray Anthony Shepard | Keith Mallett | Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR | January 5, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
9 The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership, and Legacy
Kekla Magoon | Laura Freeman | January 5, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
10 Song in a Rainstorm: The Story of Musical Prodigy Thomas Blind Tom Wiggins
Glenda Armand | Brittany Jackson | Albert Whitman | January 1, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
11 I Am Smart, I Am Blessed, I Can Do Anything!
Alissa Holder | Zulekha Holder-Young | Nneka Myers | Flamingo Books | December 29, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
12 My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World
Malcolm Mitchell | Michael Robertson | Orchard Books | December 29, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
13 Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles
Michelle Meadows | Ebony Glenn | Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) | December 29, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
14 Curls
Ruth Forman | Geneva Bowers | Little Simon | December 22, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
15 The ABCs of Black History
Rio Cortez | Lauren Semmer | Workman Publishing Company | December 22, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
16 Flying Free: How Bessie Coleman’s Dreams Took Flight
Karyn Parsons | R. Gregory Christie | Little, Brown BYR | December 1, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
17 Tani’s New Home: A Refugee Finds Hope and Kindness in America
Tanitoluwa Adewumi | Courtney Dawson | Thomas Nelson | November 24, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
18 Praline Lady
Kirstie Myvett | Kameko Madere | Pelican Publishing | November 2, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
19 William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad
Don Tate | Peachtree Publishing Company | November 1, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
20 My Hair is Magic!
M. L. Marroquin | Tonya Engel | Page Street Kids | October 6, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
21 All Because You Matter
Tami Charles | Bryan Collier | Orchard Books | October 6, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
22 Bunheads
Misty Copeland | Setor Fiadzigbey | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BYR | September 29, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
23 Brown
Nancy Johnson James | Constance Moore | Cameron Kids | September 22, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
24 If Dominican Were a Color
Sili Recio | Brianna McCarthy | Denene Millner Books/S & S BYR | September 22, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
25 Red Shoes
Karen English | Ebony Glenn | Scholastic | September 15, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
26 The Magic Doll: A Children’s Book Inspired by African Art
Adrienne Yabouza | Élodie Nouhen | Prestel Junior | September 8, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
27 I Am Every Good Thing
Derrick Barnes | Gordon C. James | Nancy Paulsen Books | September 1, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
28 Rocket Says Clean Up!
Nathan Bryon | Dapo Adeola | Random House BYR | September 1, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
29 Me & Mama
Cozbi A. Cabrera | Denene Millner Books/S&S BYR | August 25, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
30 RESPECT: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul
Carole Boston Weatherford | Frank Morrison | Atheneum BYR | August 25, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
31 Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice
Nikki Grimes | Laura Freeman | Atheneum BYR | August 25, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
32 Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
Tony Hillery | Jessie Hartland | S&S/Paula Wiseman Books | August 18, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
33 Freedom, We Sing
Amyra León | Molly Mendoza | Flying Eye Books | July 7 , 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
34 Shirley Chisholm Is a Verb
Veronica Chambers | Rachelle Baker | Dial Books | July 28, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
35 Nana Akua Goes to School
Patricia Elam Walker | April Harrison | Schwartz & Wade | June 16, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
36 Southwest Sunrise
Nikki Grimes | Wendell Minor | Bloomsbury Children’s Books | May 5, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
37 The Noisy Classroom
Angela Shanté | Alison Hawkins | West Margin Press | May 5, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
38 My Rainy-Day Rocket Ship
Markette Sheppard | Charly Palmer | Denene Millner/S&S BYR | May 5, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
39 BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom
Carole Boston Weatherford | Michele Wood | Candlewick | April 14, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
40 Who Will You Be?
Andrea Pippins | Schwartz & Wade | April 7, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
41 Bedtime Bonnet
Nancy Redd | Random House BYR | April 7, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
42 Cool Cuts
Mechal Renee Roe | Doubleday BYR | February 11, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
43 I Am a Promise
Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce | Rachel Moss | Black Sheep | February 4, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
44 Brown Sugar Babe
Charlotte Watson Sherman | Akem | Boyds Mills | February 4, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
45 Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate, from Farm to Family
Elizabeth Zunon | Bloomsbury Children’s Books | May 21, 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
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