LibraryAware

Celebrating Black History Month

February, Black History Month, is a great opportunity to highlight African American achievements and to observe, commemorate, and champion Black culture: past, present, and future. Here is a staff-recommended book list for young readers that is sure to enlighten, encourage, and inspire. Click a title to place a hold or find electronic copies to download.

Jump at the Sun : the true life tale of unstoppable storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston
by Alicia Williams

The Newbery Honor-winning author of Genesis Begins Again offers a picture book rendering of Zora Neale Hurston’s childhood to illuminate the rich natural-world and cultural experiences that shaped her education and career as a storyteller.

Ready to Fly : how Sylvia Townsend became the bookmobile ballerina
by Lea Lyon

A picture book inspired by the early life of African American dancer Sylvia Townsend describes the limited opportunities that compelled her to use books from her hometown’s bookmobile to teach herself classical ballet.

Brave. Black. First. : 50+ African American women who changed the world
by Cheryl Willis Hudson

Published in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, a biographical collection introduces 50 remarkable African American women, from Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks to Aretha Franklin and Michelle Obama.

Changing the Equation : 50+ US Black women in STEM
by Tonya Bolden

Award-winning author Tonya Bolden explores the black women who have changed the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in America. Including groundbreaking computer scientists, doctors, inventors, physicists, pharmacists, mathematicians, aviators, and many more, this book celebrates over 50 women who have shattered the glass ceiling, defied racial discrimination, and pioneered in their fields.

Muhammad Ali
by Ma Isabel Sánchez Vegara

Introduces Muhammad Ali, detailing how young Cassius Clay learned how to box and became a legendary athlete, civil rights activist, and global icon.

Lizzie Demands a Seat : Elizabeth Jennings fights for streetcar rights
by Beth Anderson

After being denied a seat on a New York City streetcar, Elizabeth Jennings begins the fight for equality by telling her story in churches, to newspapers, and finally in the courtroom.

A Voice Named Aretha
by Katheryn Russell-Brown

An inspiring picture book biography about the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, traces her life story from childhood as the shy daughter of a famous Detroit preacher and civil rights activist to become one of the most celebrated vocal artists of the past six decades as well as an outspoken proponent for equal rights.

The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver
by Gene Barretta

A picture book account inspired by George Washington Carver’s secret childhood garden describes how his experiences with growing things helped him develop a love of nature that shaped his adult achievements as a botanist, scientist and inventor.

Lifting As We Climb : black women's battle for the ballot box
by Evette Dionne

Explores the lesser-known efforts of such black suffrage activists as NAACP founder Mary Church Terrell, education advocate Anna Julia Cooper and journalist Ida B. Wells in helping African American women obtain the same rights as their white feminist counterparts.

Rosa
by Nikki Giovanni

Provides the story of the young black woman who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger in Alabama, setting in motion all the events of the Civil Rights Movements that resulted in the end of the segregated south, gave equality to blacks throughout the nation, and forever changed the country in which we all live today.

Voice of Freedom : Fannie Lou Hamer, spirit of the civil rights movement
by Carole Boston Weatherford

The Caldecott Honor-winning author of Moses presents a collage-illustrated treasury of poems and spirituals inspired by the life and work of civil rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer.

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker : the unlikely friendship of Elizabeth Keckley & Mary Todd Lincoln
by Lynda Jones

Examines the friendship that developed between two very different women: Elizabeth "Lizzie" Keckley, a former slave who became Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker and friend during the White House years; and the wife of President Abraham Lincoln, a fragile, flighty, and demanding woman who confided in Lizzie for her constant support and companionship.

She Loved Baseball : the Effa Manley story
by Audrey Vernick

Introduces Effa Manley, the first women inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, from her childhood in Philadelphia to her groundbreaking role as business manager and owner of the Newark Eagles baseball team.

Martin & Mahalia : his words, her song
by Andrea Davis Pinkney

A poetic tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Great March on Washington explores the intersecting lives of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and gospel singer Mahalia Jackson at the historic moment when their joined voices inspired landmark changes.

Little Leaders : bold women in black history
by Vashti Harrison

A biographical reference by a debut author and illustrator is based on her popular Instagram posts and shares the stories of 40 African-American women who shaped history.

Black Heroes of the Wild West
by James Otis Smith

Celebrates the extraordinary lives of three black heroes who took control of their destinies and stood up for their Old West communities, including barrier-breaking Mary “Stagecoach Mary” Fields, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves and mustang tamer Bob Lemmons.

Lunch Counter Sit-Ins : how photographs helped foster peaceful civil rights protests
by Danielle Smith-Llera

"On point historical photographs combined with strong narration bring the saga of the Woolworth lunch counter sit-ins in the early 1960s to life. Readers will learn about the four brave college students who started it all, as well as the many who came after. These events changed the world. The photographer who took the photographs shown in this book is now in his 90s, but he agreed to an exclusive interview for this book."--Provided by publisher

A Place to Land : Martin Luther King Jr. and the speech that inspired a nation
by Barry Wittenstein

An introduction to Martin Luther King Jr’s legendary “I Have a Dream” speech shares the lesser-known story of how it was written and had not been originally intended to coincide with the history-changing 1963 March on Washington.

March Forward, Girl : from young warrior to Little Rock Nine
by Melba Beals

The Congressional Gold Medal-winning civil rights activist and author of the best-selling Warriors Don't Cry presents an ardent and profound childhood memoir of growing up in the face of adversity in the Jim Crow South.

Hammering for Freedom : the William Lewis story
by Rita L Hubbard

"Presents the inspirational story of William ""Bill"" Lewis, a hardworking blacksmith who slowly saved his money and bought the freedom of each and every member of his enslaved family."

The Undefeated
by Kwame Alexander

Originally performed for ESPN’s The Undefeated, this poem by the Newbery Award-winning author of The Crossover and artwork from a two-time Caldecott Honoree is a love letter to black life in the United States, highlighting the unspeakable trauma of slavery; the faith and fire of the Civil Rights Movement; and the grit, passion and perseverance of some of the world’s greatest heroes.