Black History Month is a great time to reflect on what it means to be African American. It’s important to teach all children about the struggles of racism, slavery, and segregation in order to build a more equal world. Everyone must learn about the history of influential black people and characters, including both important black men and black women. These books are perfect to teach children and young teens about the lives of Black people in America and around the world. These stories tell the true experiences of slaves, people who lived during the Civil Rights Movement, and modern famous black figures and inventors. More: 25 Children’s Books to Teach Kids About Race and Racism
Best True Story: Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad Best Picture Book: The Other Side Best Black History Biography: Who Was Rosa Parks? Best Book on Civil Rights: Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement Best Christmas Book: The Nutcracker in Harlem
1. Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
By: Ellen Levine Recommended ages: 6 and up
2. This Jazz Man
By Karen Ehrhardt Recommended ages: 3 and up
3. Whoever You Are
By: Mem Fox Recommended ages: 4 and up
4. Follow the Drinking Gourd
By Jeanette Winter Recommended ages: 5 and up
5. The Other Side
By: Jacqueline Woodson Recommended ages: 5 and up
6. Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
By: Doreen Rappaport Recommended ages: 5 and up
7. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
By: Carole Boston Weatherford Recommended ages: 5 and up
8. Tar Beach
By: Faith Ringgold Recommended ages: 5 and up
9. Teammates
By: Peter Golenbock Recommended ages: 6 and up
10. Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African-Americans
By: Kadir Nelson Recommended ages: 8 and up
11. Who Was Rosa Parks?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough Recommended ages: 8 and up
12. What Color Is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors
By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld Recommended ages: 8 and up
13. The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963
By: Christopher Paul Curtis Recommended ages: 8 and up
14. The Kidnapped Prince: The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Adapted by Ann Cameron Recommended ages: 9 and up
15. Nightjohn
By: Gary Paulsen Recommended ages: 12 and up
16. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
By: Vashti Harrison Recommended ages: 8 and up
17. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
By: Margot Lee Shetterly and Laura Freeman Recommended ages: 4 and up
18. I Am Martin Luther King Jr (Ordinary People Can Change the World)
By: Brad Meltzer Recommended ages: 5 and up
19. Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
By: Carole Boston Weatherford Recommended ages: 10 and up
20. Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington
By: Jabari Asim Recommended ages: 4 and up
21. Mae Among the Stars
By: Roda Ahmed Recommended ages: 3 and up
22. Life Doesn’t Frighten Me
By: Maya Angelou Recommended ages: 3 and up
23. The Story of Ruby Bridges
By: Robert Coles Recommended ages: 4 and up
24. We March
By: Shane W. Evans Recommended ages: 4 and up
25. The Nutcracker in Harlem
By: T.E. McMorrow and James Ransome Recommended ages: 4 and up
