Black Voices for Kids

Ages 9-14

Short, informative chapters, illustrated with graphs, charts, and photographs, trace the origins of America’s racist prison system from the establishment of the 13th Amendment to the present day. Author Cicely Lewis, whose own father was once incarcerated, helped to create this and other Read Woke™ titles as an educational resource and a call to action for young readers.

Ages 7-10

Through the eyes of a nine-year-old narrator, Duncan and Christie tell the true story of Black sanitation workers who protested for fair labor conditions in 1968, as the Civil Rights movement marched toward one of its most tragic turning points.

Ages 6-9

Ann Lowe was the first nationally known African American fashion designer, and made the dresses for Jackie and John F. Kennedy's wedding! This gorgeously illustrated and well documented picture book biography addresses race and class in a straightforward manner, and will surely inspire future designers.

Ages 9-12

As an Afro-Puerto Rican child, Arturo Schomburg was told his people had no history worth exploring or learning. As an immigrant living and working in New York, he made it his goal to research and collect materials that recorded that history. Carole Boston Weatherford’s narrative in verse recounts the origin of what became the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and will interest any young reader who wants to know how history is preserved.

Ages 10 and up

The Hudsons, longtime publishers of inclusive children’s books, have collected poems, essays, letters, art, and other short works from creators of color that deliver messages about racism, identity, and empowerment for younger generations.

Ages 4-7

Kadir Nelson’s rich, expressive, and often heartbreaking illustrations, which won the distinguished Caldecott medal, accompany Kwame Alexander’s poem about the traumas and triumphs woven into Black history and culture. The endnotes include plenty of historical context for curious readers.

Ages 10-14

The daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz draws upon her own family history to tell this fictionalized story of her mother’s formative years in 1940s Detroit.

Ages 10 and up

When Bones Malone moves to a new town with his single mother and younger siblings, he’s hoping to play baseball and escape his troubled past. Instead, he and his new friend Kyle find themselves up against a technological menace that is slowly taking over the community, and that they can only defeat by facing their deepest fears. Lucas mixes elements of science fiction, horror, mystery, social commentary, and family drama in this engaging and unique story.

Ages 8-12

Ella is excited to begin her magical education at the Arcanum Training Institute, even if her family’s traditions have an uneasy reputation in the Marveller community. As she navigates their prejudice along with her schoolwork, and bonds with sympathetic classmates and teachers, the disappearance of her mentor and the escape of a magical criminal lead Ella and her new friends into danger. Dhonielle Clayton’s first book for middle-grade readers is an imaginative, diversely populated take on the magical boarding school adventure.

Ages 8-12

Candice is expecting a dull summer in her late grandmother’s old house in Lambert, Alabama, but the discovery of a mysterious, unsigned letter leads her to uncover a puzzle linking her family to the bigotry and vengeance in the town’s past.

Ages 8-12

As COVID-19 and racial justice protests transform the world, four young people, who have an apartment building but little else in common, learn new ways to support each other and their neighbors.

Ages 8-12

Despite her mother’s pressure to straighten her curly hair, Marlene takes steps toward self-acceptance and a look that she can wear proudly.

Ages 8-12

As he travels between his familiar urban neighborhood and the prestigious private school where he’s one of the few students of color, aspiring artist Jordan Banks struggles to balance his two worlds and figure out who he truly is. Craft’s graphic novel won both the Coretta Scott King Award and the Newbery Medal in 2020.

Ages 7-12

Jason Reynolds’ energetic narration, and Raul the Third’s quirky art, combine to depict the inner life of young Portico Reeves, who imagines himself as Stuntboy, “the greatest superhero you’ve never heard of.” As Stuntboy, Portico faces such adversaries as the school bully, the anxiety that he calls “the frets,” the changes in his family life, and the challenges of being a good son, neighbor, and friend.

Ages 5-9

Through her own optimistic, poetic text and E.B. Lewis’s sunlit illustrations, Angela Johnson tells the story of an enslaved family learning about, and rejoicing in, the news of their emancipation. “I’d love to know how my great-grandparents celebrated when told they were free,” she writes in her afterword. “But that tale has been lost to time, so this one will have to do.”

Ages 4-8

In this wordless picture book, Christian Robinson’s signature collaged illustrations follow a young Black girl and her cat through a portal from her bedroom into a fantastical dreamland.

Ages 3-6

From “A is for Afro” to “K is for King,” to “W is for Worthy,” author-illustrator Tiffany Rose uses each letter of the alphabet to deliver messages of confidence and joy to young Black readers.

Ages 4-8

The fabulous story of Parker, a young girl who goes to see the Michelle Obama portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.