10 Children’s Picture Books That Celebrate Black History Month and All Year Round
Join us this month as we celebrate Black History Month 2021. These 10 staff favorites make for excellent reads all year round and are great choices for this years BHM theme The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity. Utilize our curbside service for readers or read these titles using our Libby or Overdrive apps.
National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López have teamed up to create a heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
There will be times when you walk into a room
and no one there is quite like you.
There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it’s how you look or talk, or where you’re from; maybe it’s what you eat, or something just as random. It’s not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.
Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical text and Rafael López’s dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.
Tender and empowering, Hair Love is an ode to loving your natural hair — and a celebration of daddies and daughters everywhere. From Academy-Award winning director and former NFL wide receiver Matthew A. Cherry and New York Times bestselling illustrator Vashti Harrison.
Zuri’s hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it’s beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he’ll do anything to make her — and her hair — happy.
From illustrator Tara Nicole Whitaker and author Vanessa Williams comes a sweet, sparkling story about a young girl whose beloved pet fish has wonderful, magical powers.
She gives me bubble kisses, bubble kisses as she swims by in the water.
She never misses with her bubble kisses. And I’m so glad I got her.
A young girl adores her goldfish, Sal. But Sal is no ordinary pet: while she can’t fetch a ball or curl up on a lap, she can give bubble kisses that transform the girl into a mermaid and transport her to a world of underwater adventures.
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Written and illustrated by Mechal Renee Roe, creates a joyful, positive, read-together book celebrating boys and girls with natural black hair that will have kids everywhere chanting: “I love being me!” Cool Cuts and Happy Hair are inspiring and positive hair book for boys and girls.
M Is for Melanin is an empowering alphabet book that teaches kids their ABCs and celebrates Black children!
M is for Melanin
shining in every inch of your skin.
Every shade, every hue.
All beautiful and unique.
Each letter of the alphabet contains affirming, Black-positive messages, from A is for Afro, to F is for Fresh, to W is for Worthy. This book teaches children their ABCs while encouraging them to love the skin that they’re in.
Meet Rocket–a plucky aspiring astronaut intent on getting her community to LOOK UP! from what they’re doing and reach for the stars in this auspicious debut picture book.
A comet will be visible tonight, and Rocket wants everyone to see it with her–even her big brother, Jamal, whose attention is usually trained on his phone or video games. Rocket’s enthusiasm brings neighbors and family together to witness a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. Perfect for fans of Ada Twist, Scientist and Cece Loves Science–Rocket Says Look Up! will inspire readers of all ages to dream big as it models Rocket’s passion for science and infectious curiosity.
One of her earlier works, Jacqueline Woodson brings us a joyful read for youngsters who can also share experiences about their own family gatherings.
Through Teeka’s eyes, readers will discover the humor, love, and, of course, the wonderful food that make up the quintessential family picnic.
Read We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past
From Bunmi Laditan, the creator of the Honest Toddler blog, The Big Bed is a humorous picture book about a girl who doesn’t want to sleep in her little bed, so she presents her dad with his own bed―a camping cot!―in order to move herself into her parents’ big bed in his place. A twist on the classic parental struggle of not letting kids sleep in their bed.
I Am Perfectly Designed is an exuberant celebration of loving who you are, exactly as you are, from Karamo Brown, the Culture Expert of Netflix’s hit series Queer Eye, and Jason Brown―featuring illustrations by Anoosha Syed.
In this empowering ode to modern families, a boy and his father take a joyful walk through the city, discovering all the ways in which they are perfectly designed for each other.
Nilah Magruder’s debut picture book charmingly tells the story of what it means to not give up and how sometimes what you’re looking for is closer than you think.
Equipped with a camera and determination, a little girl sets out to track down an elusive red fox. But foxes are sneaky, and it proves more difficult than she thought.
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Patricia Blanco Sr. Librarian-Youth Services
Updated 2/23/21
Blanco-patricia@monroecounty-fl.gov