August is here, and that means it’s time to observe National Black Business Month! Although we should patronize Black businesses every day and month, August is a realization of John William Templeton and Frederick E. Jordan Sr.’s reasons for founding Black Business Month: to uplift and shine a spotlight on millions of Black-led businesses in the country.
Most of the books listed are picture book biographies that tell stories of the Black men and women who started and maintained businesses in some of the harshest times for Black people—during slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era. There are 28 books to explore, including businesswoman Mellody Hobson’s best-seller, Priceless Facts about Money (Mellody on Money). Also, National Nonprofit Day is August 17th. You can support our mission to promote children’s and young adult literature by Black authors on that day and every day.
Clicking on the book links will direct you away from this site. BCBA may earn a small percentage on purchases.
1. Make Your Mark: The Empowering True Story of the First Known Black Female Tattoo Artist
Jacci Gresham | Sherry Fellores | David Wilkerson | Dial Books | January 14, 2025 | PB
2. Miles of Style: Eunice W. Johnson and the Ebony Fashion Fair
Lisa D. Brathwaite | Lynn Gaines | Lee & Low Books | February 6, 2024 | PB
3. Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever
Don Tate | Cherise Harris | S & S/Paula Wiseman | August 29, 2023 | PB
4. Chef Edna: Queen of Southern Cooking, Edna Lewis
Melvina Noel | Cozbi A Cabrera | Harry N. Abrams | April 18, 2023 | PB
5. Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better
Glenda Armand | Kim Freeman | Keith Mallett | Crown BYR | January 17, 2023 | PB
6. Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book
Tonya Bolden | Eric Velasquez | Quill Tree Books | October 4, 2022 | PB
7. Curve and Flow: The Story of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams
Andrea J. Loney | Keith Mallett | Knopf BYR | September 27, 2022 | PB
8. Mae Makes a Way: The True Story of Mae Reeves, Hat and History Maker
Olugemisola Rhuday-Perkovich | Andrea Pippins | Crown BYR | May 24, 2022 | PB
9. O.W. Gurley
J. P. Miller | Amanda Quartey | Discovery Library | January 7, 2022 | PB
10. Saving the Day: Garrett Morgan’s Life-Changing Invention of the Traffic Signal
Karyn Parsons | R. Gregory Christie | Little, Brown BYR | 2021 | PB
11. Stitch by Stitch: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly Sews Her Way to Freedom
Connie Schofield-Morrison | Elizabeth Zunon | Holiday House | November 9, 2021 | PB
12. Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
Tony Hillery | Jessie Hartland | Simon & Schuster/Wiseman | August 18, 2020 | PB
13. Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon
Kelly Starling Lyons | Laura Freeman | Lee & Low | January 14, 2020 | PB
14. No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas
Tonya Bolden | Don Tate | Knopf BYR | October 16, 2018 | PB
15. Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee!
Andrea J. Loney | Keith Mallett | Lee & Low Books | July 24, 2017 | PB
16. Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Lashon Daley | Emile Henriquez | Pelican | February 1, 2016 | PB
17. The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson | R. Gregory Christie | Carolrhoda | November 1, 2015 | PB
18. George Crum and the Saratoga Chip
Gaylia Taylor | Frank Morrison | Lee & Low Books | April 1, 2006 | PB
Eloise Greenfield | Jerry Pinkney | HarperCollins | July 21, 1994 | PB
20. Priceless Facts about Money (Mellody on Money)
Mellody Hobson | Caitlin Stevens | Candlewick | October 1, 2024 | Chp Bk
21. The Untold Story of Annie Turnbo Malone: Hair Care Millionaire
Dr. Artika R. Tyner | Capstone Press | January 1, 2023 | Chp Bk
22. She Persisted: Oprah Winfrey
Renée Watson | Gillian Flint | Philomel Books | December 21, 2021 | Chp Bk
23. All about Madam C. J. Walker
Lelia Bundles | Kirsten Halvorsen | Blue River Press | January 1, 2018 | Chp Bk
24. Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid
Mikaila Ulmer | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BYR | August 18, 2020 | MG
Shavone Charles | Ashley Lukashevsky | Penguin Workshop | November 8, 2022 | YA
26. Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre
Alverne Ball | Stacey Robinson | Harry N. Abrams | May 4, 2021 | YA
Moziah Bridges | Tramica Morris | Running Press Kids | October 15, 2019 | YA
28. You Got This!: Unleash Your Awesomeness, Find Your Path, and Change Your World
Maya S. Penn | Gallery Books | April 12, 2016 | YA
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