Books for Black History Month
February is Black History Month. I am hoping to share just a small sampling of book suggestions for you to consider reading this month.
My library system provided a variety of lists and places to look for some diverse books about Black history, books by Black authors and books featuring Black characters. There is a lot of other very useful information on the previous link, too. I snapped a picture of the display at my library for Black History Month.
Here are a number of books I selected to share. I tried to include a wide variety of books for various age groups and interests. Many of them I have read and some are on my list to read this month.
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
- Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
- You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson
- Concrete Rose By Angie Thomas
- Change Sings by Amanda Gorman
- I Am Enough by Grace Byers
- Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
- New Kid by Jerry Craft
- From The Desk Of Zoey Washington by Janae Marks
- Ada Twist And The Perilous Pants by Andrea Beaty and is a chapter book. And not pictured, but this is a similar book for younger kids: Ada Twist Scientist.
- Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
- Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Another great one by her is The Mothers.
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Born A Crime by Trevor Noah. This book also has an edition that has been adapted for young readers.
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi
- King And The Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
- Party Of Two by Jasmine Guillory. She has a bunch of other books as well.
- The Truths We Hold and Superheroes Are Everywhere by Kamala Harris. Also shown are Kamala And Maya’s Big Idea by Meena Harris and Kamala Harris: Rooted In Justice by Nikki Grimes.
- Ambitious Girl by Meena Harris
- Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman. There are a couple other books about Grace as well.
- Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson
- Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly which is a picture book. There is also an adult novel and a version adapted for young readers.
- I Love My Hair by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
- The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
- Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
- What Color Is My Hijab? by Hudda Ibrahim
- Black Enough by Ibi Zoboi
- The Adventures Of Super Diaper Baby by Dav Pilkey. There is a second book as well.
- Grace For President by Kelly DiPucchio. There is a second book as well, Grace Goes To Washington.
- Dragsons In A Bag and The Dragon Theif by Zetta Elliot
- Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
- A Promised Land by Barak Obama
- Ways To Make Sunshine by Renee Watson, which also has a sequel, Ways To Grow Love.
- The Girl With The Louding Voice by Abi Dare
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- Meet Cecile by Denise Lewis Patrick and is part of the American Girls Collection.
- Blended by Sharon M. Draper
- For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington
- Princess Hair by Sharee Miller
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. She also write On The Come Up.
- How To Code A Sandcastle and How To Code A Rollercoaster by Josh Funk
- Twins by Varian Johnson
- Zoey And Sassafras - Dragons And Marshmallows by Asia Citro. There are currently 8 books in this series.
- Boxitects by Kim Smith
- The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
- All Beacuse You Matter by Tami Charles
The links I included are from Amazon, but many of these can be purchased through Scholastic Book Clubs and can usually help your child’s teacher get more books for their classroom or school.
Ponder This:
- What other books have you read that I should have added to the list?
- Do you enjoy reading a diverse selection of books?
- Did you find a book on this list you want to read?