100 Must Read Children’s Books by African American Creators

Hi friends,

It has been a really heavy couple of weeks. I have spent a lot of time reading and listening and thinking and donating. One of the things I decided to do was create a list of 100 incredible books by African American creators. As a contributing editor at Book Riot for the last five years, I have been very lucky to read, review, and recommend hundreds of children’s books by black authors and illustrators. The following list includes books that I have in my apartment, that I’ve read with my children, that I’ve bought at bookstores or borrowed from libraries, and that I’ve given as gifts. Diversifying our homes and classrooms and schools and neighborhood libraries is one way to learn and listen and understand and support.

Here is my list, based on my original thread on Twitter that you can find here:

The Twitter thread also includes a short description of why I loved each book. Please note that this list includes a couple of deviations from the original Twitter thread based on reader feedback, and the numbering might not match up because I reordered some of the books for easier browsing.

Board Books

1. Dream Big, Little One Board Book by Vashti Harrison
2. Woke Baby Board Book by Mahoghany L. Browne, illustrated by Theodore Taylor, III
3. Baby Says Board Book by John Steptoe
4. Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Picture Books

5. All Things Bright and Beautiful by Ashley Bryan
6. The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
7. Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins, illustrated by Bryan Collier
8. Hands Up! By Breanna J. McDaniel, illustrated by Shane W. Evans
9. Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison
10. What Is Given From the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by April Harrison
11. Tallulah The Tooth Fairy CEO by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli, illustrated by Federico Fabiani
12. Everett Anderson’s Goodbye by Lucille Clifton, illustrated by Ann Grifalconi
13. Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James
14. This is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by James Ransome
15. Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan
16. Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
17. Blue Sky, White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
18. You Matter by Christian Robinson
19. The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
20. Bird by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Shadra Strickland
21. Please, Louise by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison, and illustrated by Shadra Strickland
22. A Place Where Hurricanes Happen by Renee Watson, illustrated by Shadra Strickland
23. Don’t Touch My Hair! By Sharee Miller
24. Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
25. Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou, illustrated by Jean-Michel Basquiat
26. Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson, illustrated by Elizabeth Catlett
27. Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome
28. Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beatty, illustrated by Bryan Collier
29. I Love My Hair! By Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
30. Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
31. Uptown by Bryan Collier
32. Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan

Chapter Books

33. Nikki and Deja (series) by Karen English, illustrated by Laura Freeman
34. The Lucky Stone by Lucille Clifton
35. Dragons in a Bag (series) by Zetta Elliott
36. Jada Jones (series) by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
37. Sasha Savvy Loves to Code by Sasha Ariel Alston, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Middle Grade Books (for ages 8 – 12)

38. It All Comes Down to This by Karen English
39. New Kid by Jerry Craft
40. The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon
41. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
42. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
43. Hoodoo by Ronald Smith
44. Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
45. Blended by Sharon Draper
46. Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
47. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
48. My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi
49. So Done by Paula Chase
50. Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson
51. The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles
52. One Shadow on the Wall by Leah Henderson
53. For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington
54. Tight by Torrey Maldonado
55. Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
56. Some Places More Than Others by Renee Watson
57. King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
58. Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
59. Miles Morales Spider Man by Jason Reynolds
60. The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore
61. We Could Be Brothers by Derrick Barnes
62. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
63. The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis
64. Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia
65. The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
66. 8th Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
67. Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender
68. Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper
69. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Middle Grade Book Series

70. Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson
71. The Logan Family Saga (includes Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry) by Mildred D. Taylor
72. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
73. The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
74. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
75. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia

Nonfiction Picture Books

76. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
77. Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe
78. By and By: Charles Tindley, the Father of Gospel Music by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Bryan Collier
79. Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington
80. Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
81. Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
82. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shutterly, illustrated by Laura Freeman
83. The Oldest Student by Oge Mora
84. Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
85. Harlem’s Little Blackbird by Renee Watson, illustrated by Christian Robinson
86. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
87. Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate
88. Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome
89. Someday is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, illustrated by Jade Johnson

Non-Fiction for Middle Grade Readers

90. Black Women in Science by Kimberly Brown Pellum
91. We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson
92. This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy
93. Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African-Americans by Kadir Nelson
94. Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace by Ashley Bryan
95. Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
96. You Can Fly by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jeffrey Boston Weatherford

Poetry

97. Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahoghany L. Browne, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
98. One Last Word by Nikki Grimes
99. Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
100. I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Bryan Collier

 

I am thinking of all of you during this time. Thank you for being willing to read and learn and listen with me.

Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at KarinaBookRiot@gmail.com.

xox,
Karina

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