Written by Katherine Russel-Brown, illustrated by Frank Morrison
Ages 6-9
Brimming with ebullience and the joy of making music, Little Melba and Her Big Trombone is a fitting tribute to a trailblazing musician and a great unsung hero of jazz.
Written by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Shane W. Evans
Ages 6-10
With powerful illustrations, this book is a completely unique look at the importance and influence of African Americans on the history of this country.
Written by Carol Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jamey Christoph
Ages 4-8
Told through lyrical verse and atmospheric art, this is the story of how, with a single photograph, a self-taught artist got America to take notice.
Written by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by James Ransome
Ages 5-8
During the time of the Great Migration, millions of African American families relocated from the South, seeking better opportunities. The story of one family’s journey north during the Great Migration starts with a little girl in South Carolina who finds a rope under a tree one summer. She has no idea the rope will become part of her family’s history.
Written by Jabari Asim, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
Ages 5-8
This book gives readers a fascinating glimpse into the boyhood of Civil Rights leader John Lewis.
Written by Monica Clark-Robinson, illustrated by Frank Morrison
Ages 6-9
In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for their civil rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak. They protested the laws that kept Black people separate from white people. Facing fear, hate, and danger, these children used their voices to change the world.
Written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams
Ages 4-8
After their home is destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her mother, and grandmother save their coins to buy a really comfortable chair for all to enjoy.
Written by Margot Lee Shetterly, illustrated by Laura Freeman
Ages 4-8
This beautifully illustrated picture book explores the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as "colored computers," and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career.
Written by Carol Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Ages 4-8
This award-winning book offers a resounding, reverent tribute to Harriet Tubman, the woman who earned the name Moses for her heroic role in the Underground Railroad.
Written by Robert Coles, illustrated by George Ford
Ages 4-8
Ruby's story of courage, faith, and hope continues to resonate more than 60 years later.
Written by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Don Tate
Ages 4-8
Effa always loved baseball. As a young woman, she would go to Yankee Stadium just to see Babe Ruth’s mighty swing. But she never dreamed she would someday own a baseball team. Or be the first—and only—woman ever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Written by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, illustrated by James E. Ransome
Ages 6-9
Based on the true story of one family’s struggle for voting rights in the civil rights–era South, this moving tale shines an emotional spotlight on a dark facet of U.S. history.
Written by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Ages 4-8
A stirring, dramatic story of an enslaved boy who mails himself to freedom.
Gift Guide 
