Every February, the U.S. honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation. Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs and adversities that are an indelible part of our country's history. Celebrating Black History Month is a great way to help your children learn more about African American history and by using picture books as a teaching tool. Picture books break history into bite-sized, age-appropriate pieces for young children, with vivid illustrations and easy-to-digest text. A big thanks to the Naperville Public Library for proving this list.
| Title | Author (first then last name) | Format Locations | Summary | |
 | As Brave as You | Jason Reynolds | book, eBook eaudiobook (axis 360 and Overdrive) | 11-year-old Genie and his brother Ernie visit their grandparents in Virginia. There the boys learn that bravery and manhood are not everything they thought it would be after their grandfather makes them learn how to use guns. The novel explores family relationships, guilt, disability, and contemporary masculinity. |
 | The Watson's Go to Birmingham | Christopher Paul Curtis | book, eBook eaudiobook (axis 360 and Overdrive) | This historical fiction novel follows an African American family on their visit to Birmingham Alabama in 1963. There the family witnessed firsthand the activities of both civil rights protesters as well as racist hate groups, culminating in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, where 4 girls were killed in a racist attack by the KKK. The family grapples with how to explain this tragedy to the children, and they learn how to keep moving forward. |
 | What Color is My World? | Kareem Abdul Jabbar & Raymond Obstfeld | book, eBook (axis 360) | In this nonfiction work, Kareem Abdul Jabbar writes a framing story of two children talking with an older handyman. This handyman explains to them where some of the tools he is using come from and then details many little-known African American inventors and the massive yet underappreciated impact they have on our world as we know it. The children learn a lot and feel a renewed admiration for their ancestors. |
 | Who was George Washington Carver? | Jim Gigliotti | book, eBook (axis 360) | An illustrated biography on the life and many inventions of George Washington Carver. The book covers his early life as a slave, his time as the first black student in an Iowa college, the first black professor at that same college, and his many achievements as a botanist. |
 | Who was Nelson Mandela? | Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso | book, eaudio book (axis 360) | An illustrated biography on the life of Nelson Mandela. The text covers the many years he spent in prison, all the ways he fought against apartheid, and the racial justice he promoted and fought for as the first black president of South Africa. |
 | Becoming Muhammad Ali | James Patterson and Kwame Alexander | book, eBook eaudiobook (OverDrive) | James Patterson and Kwame Alexander unite to tell the story of young Muhammad Ali in both prose and verse. His childhood, his early experiences with boxing, and the barriers he faced due to racism are chronicled in this book. |
 | Let the Children March | Monica Clark-Robinson | book, kit, book on cd, eBook (OverDrive, axis 360, and Hoopla), eaudiobook (axis 360) | Tells the story of Martin Luther King marching against segregation in Alabama. The book follows children and teenagers who march with him, stand up to racism, and prove that age is no barrier to fighting for social justice. |
 | Brown Girl Dreaming | Jacqueline Woodson | book | Jacqueline Woodson writes about her own childhood and experiences growing up as a black girl in the south, and later in New York. Through a collection of poems and stories in verse she discusses the civil rights movement and Jim Crow discrimination and how these things shaped her childhood. |
 | What is the Black Lives Matter Movement? | Hedreich Nichols with Kelisa Wig | book | Seeking to provide children with answers they may not find elsewhere about problems with race and America, this book educates children on the BLM movement. The goals, history, and achievements of the movement are discussed in age-appropriate ways but without holding back from the harsh truths about contemporary racism in America. |
 | Black Heroes of the Wild West | James Otis Smith | book | This a graphic novel nonfiction book about three real figures from the wild west. Three black heroes, including a former slave, turned stagecoach driver, the first black US marshal, and an expert cowboy has their stories told through vivid and fun illustrations. |
 | When Stars are Scattered | Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed | book | This book tells the story of Omar Mohamed, a refugee from Somalia living in Kenya with a foster mother and a disabled brother. He dreams of being able to resettle in the United States while struggling with the decision to stay with his brother or attend school. Omar deals with trauma, and life as a refugee, in this autobiographical story. |
 | A Good Kind of Trouble | Lisa Moore Ramée | book, eBook (axis 360 and OverDrive) eaudiobook (OverDrive and Hoopla) | Shayla, 12 years old, wears a Black Lives Matter armband to school and is punished for violating the dress code. She is pushed to do so when she notices the increasing amount of stories of police brutality, as well as realizing the ways race affects her social life at school in ways she did not notice before. Dealing both with issues of social justice and race, Shayla also navigates middle school friend drama and learns important lessons about friendship. |
 | For Black Girls Like Me | Mariama J Lockington | book, eBook eaudiobook (axis 360 and Overdrive) | Keda, an 11-year-old black girl adopted by a white couple, has moved to a new town, and left her old friends. She feels isolated as one of the very few black girls. She deals with racism and harassment, and her adoptive mother's undiagnosed mental disorder. The book is told through internet posts and messages, letters, and verses, giving the book a unique feel. |
 | Woke Baby | Mahogany L. Browne | book | In this board book a couple of color checks to see if their baby is awake, and instead find that it is both awake and woke. The baby demonstrates gestures of resistance and spouts catchphrases of social justice movements. This book does, in a very loose sense, cover issues of racial justice and social justice in ways that both parents and very young readers will enjoy. |
 | Don't Touch My Hair | Sharee Miller | book, eBook (axis 360 and OverDrive) eaudiobook (OverDrive and Hoopla) | Aria loves her hair, but the problem for her is that everyone around her seems to love it too. Aria deals with a constant barrage of people trying to touch her hair. This funny and very entertaining picture book wants to tell young readers of color with kinky/curly hair that they are allowed to set boundaries and love their special hair. |
 | Ruby Bridges | DVD | This movie tells the story of young Ruby Bridges when she becomes the only African American student allowed to attend the local white public school. While uplifting in portraying the young girl's bravery and her family's dedication to her success, there are harrowing displays of racism that will show young viewers just how intimidating the situation for Ruby was. | |
 | These Hands | Margaret H. Mason | book | A grandson and his grandfather work with their hands, and the grandfather tells his grandson of all the ways people used to join hands in protest and fight for racial justice. Covering racial justice as well as labor rights, this book tackles the subject in a moving way but is still age appropriate for the target audience of very young readers. |
 | Change Sings | Amanda Gorman | book, eBook (axis 360 and OverDrive) | A lyrical picture book by Joe Biden's inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman. A narrator takes children on a musical journey where they learn about the power of activism and using their voices to advocate for change. |
 | One Step Further | Katherine G. Johnston | book, eBook (Hoopla) | A biography of Katherine Johnston, a mathematician who worked for NASA, tells her life story along with her two daughters. She overcame many racial and gender barriers to become one of the most important people in NASA's missions to the Moon. |
 | Black History Binge Box | DVD | This is a collection of 6 different DVDs all about African American subjects, some historical and some not. The programs compiled here highlight civil rights protests, achievements in sports, important historical figures, and other stories. Follow Chester!, Let The Children March, A Ride to Remember, Voice of Freedom Fannie Lou Hammer, Sweet Dreams Sarah, and Box are the 6 individual titles. |
