Explore our selection of children’s books for Black History Month. Engage kids with inspiring tales that celebrate Black culture and history.
Engaging Narratives for Young Readers
In our homeschool, Black History is simply history. It’s important to see history from all sides. I wanted to create a list of some of the best Children’s Books for Black History Month. These can and should be read during other times of year as well! This list is exclusively books we have read and loved in our own homeschool.
Our Favorite Children’s Books for Black History Month:
Mae Among the Stars
A beautiful picture book for sharing and marking special occasions such as graduation, inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison.
Mae Jemison: Ready-to-Read Level 3
Blast off into space and get to know Mae Jemison—the first African-American woman to ever go to space—with this fascinating, nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read, part of a new series of biographies about people “you should meet.”
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space
The incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space.
The Story of Ruby Bridges
The inspirational true story of Ruby Bridges. Ruby’s story of courage, faith, and hope continues to resonate more than 60 years later.
Through My Eyes
An icon of the civil rights movement, Ruby Bridges chronicles each dramatic step of this pivotal event in history through her own words.
The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver
The inspirational story of George Washington Carver and his childhood secret garden is brought to life in this picture book biography by the author-illustrator team behind Muhammad Ali: A Champion Is Born.
In the Garden with Dr. Carver
One day, Dr. George Washington Carver shows up to help the grown-ups with their farms and the children with their school garden. He teaches them how to restore the soil and respect the balance of nature.
A Picture Book of George Washington Carver
A man of deep faith, Carver worked throughout his life to create scientific discoveries that would improve the lives of Southerners–especially African Americans.
Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.
Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter
Learn about the inspiring life of Harriet Tubman in this early reader biography. This I Can Read book is an excellent choice to share in the classroom or at home.
William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad
From award-winning author-illustrator Don Tate comes a remarkable picture book biography of William Still, known as Father of the Underground Railroad.
Who Was Harriet Tubman?
Throughout her long life (she died at the age of ninety-two) and long after the Civil War brought an end to slavery, this amazing woman was proof of what just one person can do.
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans
The story of America and African Americans is a story of hope and inspiration and unwavering courage.
A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent
Told for the first time in picture book form is the true story of James Lafayette―an enslaved person who spied for George Washington’s army during the American Revolution.
A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet
Amid the tumult of the Revolutionary War, Phillis Wheatley became a poet and ultimately had a book of verse published, establishing herself as the first African- American woman poet this country had ever known.
Black Heroes of the American Revolution
Crispus Attucks is known as the escaped slave whose freedom ended when he died in the Boston Massacre, but there are many other lesser-known black men and women who made enormous contributions to U.S. independence.
Ticktock Banneker’s Clock
Inspired by a pocket watch he had seen, at the age of 22 he built a strike clock based on his own drawings and using a pocket-knife. This picture book biography focuses on one episode in a remarkable life.
Dear Benjamin Banneker
This is the story of Benjamin Banneker–his science, his politics, his morals, and his extraordinary correspondence with Thomas Jefferson.
Child of the Civil Rights Movement
A child’s unique perspective to an important chapter in America’s history.
Rosa’s Bus: The Ride to Civil Rights
Like all buses in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950’s, Bus #2857 was segregated: white passengers sat in the front and black passengers sat in the back—until Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., brings his extraordinary life and profound message to young readers through powerful collage art and Dr. King’s own words.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (National Geographic Kids Readers)
In this title, readers will learn about the fascinating life and legacy civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I Have a Dream
Experience history with this picture book of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic speech.
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.
An accessible narrative of Dr. King’s life, this book is ideal for a discussion about the history behind the holiday, or an early introduction to the struggle for civil rights in America. Includes a timeline of important dates.
Jackie Robinson: He Led the Way
Perfect for Black History Month and sports fans! Independent readers will be inspired by the story of this barrier-breaking baseball player.
Fly High!: The Story of Bessie Coleman
Bessie became the first African-American to earn a pilot’s license.
Flying Free: How Bessie Coleman’s Dreams Took Flight
Before Bessie Coleman blazed a high trail with her plane, performed in death-defying flying shows that would earn her fame as “Queen Bess”, or traveled the country speaking out against discrimination, Bessie was a little girl with a big imagination that took her to the sky, through the clouds, and past the birds.
Langston Hughes (Poetry For Young People Series)
Showcasing the extraordinary Langston Hughes, it’s edited by two leading poetry experts and features gallery-quality art by Benny Andrews that adds rich dimension to the words. Hughes’s magnificent, powerful words still resonate today, and the anthologized poems in this splendid volume include his best-loved works
Want More Black History Month Ideas?
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