Get ready for some fun summer reading, because this May list is hot—over 50 books by Black authors! Here are some of the topics you’ll find: several “daddy” books, more Juneteenth stories, picture book biographies, magic, fantasy, romance, and so much more. Check them out for yourself. If we missed any, please leave a comment below.
BCBA is an Amazon and Bookshop Affiliate. Clicking on the book links will direct you away from this site, and BCBA may earn a small percentage on purchases.
Picture Books
The Rainbow Park (Sunday Adventures)
Harold Green III | DeAnn Wiley | Running Press Kids | May 2, 2023 | BdBk | Amazon | Bookshop
The Numbers Store (Sunday Adventures)
Harold Green III | DeAnn Wiley | Running Press Kids | May 2, 2023 | BdBk | Amazon | Bookshop
Big Kids Don’t Get Butterflies
Ceece Kelley | Sawyer Cloud | Soaring Kite Books | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Daddy & Me, Side by Side
Pierce Freelon | Nadia Fisher | Little, Brown BYR | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Repeat After Me: Big Things to Say Every Day
Jazmyn Simon | Dulé Hill | Shamar Knight-Justice | Random House BYR | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
What My Daddy Loves
Raissa Figueroa | HarpersCollins | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Unstoppable: How Bayard Rustin Organized the 1963 March on Washington
Michael G. Long | Bea Jackson | little bee books | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Malaika, Carnival Queen (The Malaika Series, Bk. 4)
Nadia L. Hohn | Irene Luxbacher | Groundwood Books | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
My Dad Is a DJ
Kathryn Erskine | Keith Henry Brown | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Little Troublemaker Makes a Mess
Luvvie Ajayi Jones | Joey Spiotto | Philomel Books | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
The Night Before Freedom: A Juneteenth Story
Glenda Armand | Corey Barksdale | Crown BYR | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Big
Vashti Harrison | Little, Brown | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Jayylen’s Juneteenth Surprise
Lavaille Lavette | David Wilkerson | Golden Books | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Simone Biles: A Little Golden Book Biography
JaNay Brown-Wood | Kim Holt | Golden Books | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Looking for Happy
Ty Chapman | Keenon Ferrell | Beaming Books | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Juneteenth
Van G. Garrett | Reginald C. Adams | Samson Bimbo Adenugba | Versify | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush
Patrice Lawrence | Camilla Sucre | Nosy Crow | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Maurice
Jessixa Bagley | Chronicle | May 9, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Every Body: A First Conversation About Bodies
Megan Madison | Jessica Ralli | Tequitia Andrews | Rise x Penguin Workshop | May 9, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
A Day With No Words
Tiffany Hammond | Kate Cosgrove | Wheat Penny Press | May 9, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
A Family Prayer
Shay Youngblood | Kristina Swarner | Convergent Books | May 9, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
I Know Who I Am: A Joyful Affirmation of Your God-Given Identity
Dorena Williamson | Dana SanMar | WaterBrook | May 16, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
The Noisy Classroom Goes to the Museum (The Noisy Classroom, Bk. 2)
Angela Shanté | Alison Hawkins | West Margin Press | May 16, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Boy Dad
Sean Williams | Jay Davis | HarperCollins | May 16, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Jackie Ormes Draws the Future: The Remarkable Life of a Pioneering Cartoonist
Liz Montague | Random House Studio | May 16, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
All Good in the Hood
Dwayne Reed | Gladys Jose | Little, Brown BYR | May 23, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Good Night, Little Man
Daniel Bernstrom | Heidi Woodward Sheffield | HarperCollins | May 23, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Hello, Mister Blue
Daria Peoples | Greenwillow Books | May 30, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Early Readers, Chapter, & Middle-Grade
The Gray Day (Rainbow Days, Bk. 1)
Valerie Bolling | Kai Robinson | Scholastic | May 2, 2023 | Early Reader | Amazon | Bookshop
How to Love a Pony
Michelle Meadows | Nneka Myers | Random House BYR | May 2, 2023 | Early Reader | Amazon | Bookshop
Ellie Engle Saves Herself
Leah Johnson | Disney Hyperion | May 2, 2023 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
Charmed Life (Wildseed Witch, Bk. 2)
Marti Dumas | Amulet Books | May 2, 2023| MG | Amazon | Bookshop
The Golden Frog Games (Witchlings 2)
Claribel A. Ortega | Scholastic Press | May 2, 2023 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
It’s Not Bragging If It’s True: How to Be Awesome at Life
Zaila Avant-garde | Marti Dumas | Random House BYR | May 2, 2023 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
Voice for Refuge
Zaynab Abdi | Achraf Attar | Green Card Voices | May 2, 2023 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
Camp-Out (Ty’s Travels Comics)
Kelly Starling Lyons | Niña Mata | HarperAlley | May 9, 2023 | Early Reader | Amazon | Bookshop
Epic Ellisons: Cosmos Camp
Lamar Giles | Morgan Bissant | Versify | May 9, 2023 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
Grounded
S.K. Ali | Huda Al-Marashi | Aisha Saeed | Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow | Amulet | May 9, 2023 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
There Flies the Witch
Mayonn Paasewe-Valchev | Greenwillow Books | May 16, 2023 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
CROWNED: Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora
Kahran Bethencourt | Regis Bethencourt | May 23, 2023 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
Save the…Polar Bears
Christine Taylor-Butler | Philomel Books | May 30, 2023 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels
Tolá Okogwu | Margaret K. McElderry Books | May 30, 2023 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
Young Adult
We Don’t Swim Here
Vincent Tirado | Sourcebooks Fire | May 2, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man Novel
Jason Reynolds | Zeke Peña | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books | May 2, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
Charisma’s Turn: A Story of Girls and Their Gifts
Monique Couvson | Amanda Jones | The New Press | May 2, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
I’m Not Supposed to Be in the Dark
Riss M. Neilson | Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) | May 9, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
Nigeria Jones
Ibi Zoboi | Balzer + Bray | May 9, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
The Vibes You Feel: What I’ve Learned about Life and Relationships through the Holy Spirit
Kierra Sheard-Kelly | Zonderkidz | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
As Long As We’re Together
Brianna Peppins | Scholastic Press | May 16, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
Last Canto of the Dead (Outlaw Saints, Bk. 2)*
Daniel Older | Rick Riordan Presents | May 16, 2023| YA | Amazon | Bookshop
Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic
g. haron davis | HarperTeen | May 16, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
Forever Is Now
Mariama J. Lockington | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) | May 23, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
On This Day in Black History
Christin Farley | Bushel & Peck Books | May 23, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
The Melancholy of Summer
Louisa Onome | Feiwel & Friends | May 30, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
When the Vibe Is Right
Sarah Dass | Balzer + Bray | May 30, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
You Bet Your Heart
Danielle Parker | Joy Revolution | May 30, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
Rhythm & Muse
India Hill Brown | Quill Tree | May 30, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
Her Good Side
Rebekah Weatherspoon | Razorbill | May 30, 2023 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
*It was believed that Daniel José Older is Afro-Latino. He is not a Black author, therefore Older’s titles will not be included in future posts.
If you enjoy the new releases announcements, book lists, and other features on our blog, go here to support BCBA with a tax-deductible donation and here to subscribe to our newsletter. Thanks for your support!
2 Comments
Daniel Jose Older is not a Black author.
You are correct! I thought that Daniel José Older was Afro-Latino. Thanks so much❤️