Black History Month
Books for Black History Month
Celebrate Black stories in your classroom or library!
Little Daymond Learns to Earn By Daymond John; illustrated by Nicole Miles
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Entrepreneur, FUBU founder, and Shark Tank fan fave Daymond John introduces kids to basic ideas about money and starting their own business in this accessible picture book!
Meet Little Daymond and his enterprising friends! When Daymond hatches an idea for a small business to make money to buy a music poster he wants, the whole crew comes together and figures out their unique strengths so they can each get exactly what they want—and even have some change to spare.
Bestselling author and Shark Tank star Daymond John uses this fun story to ignite kids' early interest in how money works--including the concepts of saving, spending, budgeting, and borrowing--to develop a basic foundation of financial literacy that sets children up for success in the future.
Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar By Written and illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
A picture-book biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the woman who invented rock and roll—a warm, inspiring tale of a childhood filled with music, community, and a drive to succeed.
"Music is the heart of our story," says Momma to young Rosetta, surprising her with her first guitar. Rosetta's strums sound like ker-plunks. But with practice and determination, she makes music, fingers hopping "like corn in a kettle," notes pouring over the church crowd "like summer rain washing the dust off a new day."
In this stunning picture book, author and illustrator Charnelle Pinkney Barlow imagines the childhood of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose rural roots inspired the music we still hear today.
Young readers will see a child's dream become reality through hard work and perseverance. And they'll learn the overlooked story of a pioneering Black artist, whose contribution to music history is only now being discovered.
This Is Your Time By Ruby Bridges
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • CBC KIDS’ BOOK CHOICE AWARD WINNER
Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges—who, at the age of six, was the first black child to integrate into an all-white elementary school in New Orleans—inspires readers and calls for action in this moving letter. Her elegant, memorable gift book is especially uplifting in the wake of Kamala Harris making US history as the first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president–elect.
Written as a letter from civil rights activist and icon Ruby Bridges to the reader, This Is Your Time is both a recounting of Ruby’s experience as a child who had to be escorted to class by federal marshals when she was chosen to be one of the first black students to integrate into New Orleans’ all-white public school system and an appeal to generations to come to effect change.
This beautifully designed volume features photographs from the 1960s and from today, as well as stunning jacket art from The Problem We All Live With, the 1964 painting by Norman Rockwell depicting Ruby’s walk to school.
Ruby’s honest and impassioned words, imbued with love and grace, serve as a moving reminder that “what can inspire tomorrow often lies in our past.” This Is Your Time will electrify people of all ages as the struggle for liberty and justice for all continues and the powerful legacy of Ruby Bridges endures.
Honest June: The Show Must Go On By Tina Wells; illustrated by Brittney Bond
June can't tell a lie - and that made for a lot of drama even before she joined her school musical! An enchanting middle grade series that readers won't want to miss. Honestly.
June has a hard time telling the truth when it isn't what people want to hear. But she's trying to be honest with herself, and auditioning for the school musical is what she really wants -- even if her parents have other ideas.
But the drama is brewing offstage, too. On the night of the play, June's secret blog is released to the whole school. ALL of the inner secrets she's been desperate to keep to herself are unleashed! Will her friends and family forgive her fibs? Or will this be June's final act?
Caste (Adapted for Young Adults) By Isabel Wilkerson
In this young adult adaptation of the Oprah Book Club selection and New York Times bestselling nonfiction work, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson explores the unspoken hierarchies that divide us across lines of race and class. Revealing and timely, this work will speak to young people who are engaged more than ever with the world around them, or to anyone who believes in a more just existence for all.
Readers will be fascinated by this young adult adaptation of the New York Times bestselling nonfiction work as they follow masterful narratives about real people that reveal an insidious phenomenon in the United States: a hidden caste system. Caste is not only about race or class; it is about power—which groups have it and which do not. Isabel Wilkerson explores historical social hierarchies, including those in India and Nazi Germany, and explains how perpetuating these rankings dehumanizes vast sections of society. Once we learn the reasons behind caste and see the often heartbreaking effects, Wilkerson says, we can bridge the divides and make way for an inclusive future where we are all equal.
