SJPL Picks: Picture Books for Black History MonthLike this list

34 items

• Fighting With Love

  the Legacy of John Lewis

  Cline-Ransome, Lesa,

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  In a beautiful prose telling, the story of a groundbreaking civil rights leader, John Lewis. John Lewis left a cotton farm in Alabama to join the fight for civil rights. He was only a teenager. He soon became a leader of a moment that changed a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature

  a Biography in Poems

  Brewer, Caroline,

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  When Harriet Tubman was born enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland in 1822, nobody knew this tiny Black girl-child would be so rooted in the natural world. Nobody knew she would find her way by the stars or move through the woods as silently as an…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• And She Was Loved

  Toni Morrison's Life in Stories

  Pinkney, Andrea Davis,

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  From imaginative child to visionary storyteller, Toni Morrison was a fiercely inspiring writer that helped change the world. This poetic picture book is part love letter and part biography, praising the power of this Nobel Prize winner. With its…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Go Tell It

  How James Baldwin Became a Writer

  Harris, Quartez,

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  A boy who loves stories grows into a teenager who escapes into his writing and then a young man who plays his typewriter like a piano to show the fullness of Black life, in this lyrical picture book biography of James Baldwin, the celebrated…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Let's Fly

  Barrington Irving's Record-breaking Flight Around the World

  Irving, Barrington, 1983-

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  The true story of how pilot Barrington Irving broke records as the youngest person and first Black man to fly solo around the world.

• Sharing the Dream

  Moses, Shelia P.,

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  Agnes and her family travel from Birmingham, Alabama to Washington DC, and participate in the March on Washington where they advocate for equal rights.

• Claudette Colvin

  I Want Freedom Now!

  Colvin, Claudette, 1939-

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  Civil rights icon Claudette Colvin teams up with Phillip Hoose--author of the Newbery Honor and National Book Award-winning blockbuster biography Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice--to tell her groundbreaking story in this unforgettable picture…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Go, Wilma, Go!

  Wilma Rudolph, From Athlete to Activist

  Davis, Amira Rose,

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  At the 1960 Summer Olympics, Wilma Rudolph became a gold-medal-winning track star. Discover the powerful story of what happened after she soared across the finish line . . .

• Let Us March On!

  James Weldon Johnson and the Silent Protest Parade

  Williams, Yohuru., 1971-

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  Empowering and educational, this nonfiction picture book about James Weldon Johnson, an NAACP leader who wrote the uplifting poem "Lift Every Voice and Sing," shows how he led thousands of Black people in the Silent Protest Parade for civil rights…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Finding Rebecca

  the Forgotten Life of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, America's First Black Female Doctor

  King, Shani Mahiri,

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  This book examines the casual disappearance of America's first Black female doctor from records and memory. But author Shani King uses the few details we do have to piece together a picture of the life she led, her hardships, and her many…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Freedom on the Sea

  the True Story of the Civil War Hero Robert Smalls and His Daring Escape to Freedom

  Moore, Michael Boulware,

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  On the night of May 13th, 1862, as the Civil War raged on in the United States, 16 enslaved people decided they would reach freedom or die trying. Filled to the brim with suspense, this true story details how Robert Smalls commandeered a Confederate…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Voice of Hope

  the Myrlie Evers-Williams Story

  Salomon, Nadia,

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  Honoring the remarkable life of the civil rights activist and singer, this beautifully illustrated picture book chronicles her fight for equal rights alongside her husband, Medgar Evers, and her journey to performing at Carnegie Hall to share her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bridges Instead of Walls

  the Story of Mavis Staples

  Staples, Mavis,

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  Legendary singer and Civil Rights activist Mavis Staples has teamed with an award-winning children’s poet to share her rousing life story in this spectacular picture book.

• Jimmy's Rhythm & Blues

  the Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin

  Meadows, Michelle,

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  This first-ever picture book biography of the legendary writer and activist introduces readers to this passionate Black man who discovered his true power in the written word, which opened the world to him as he used his voice fearlessly.

• To Boldly Go

  How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights

  Dalton, Angela,

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  To Boldly Go tells the true story of Nichelle Nichols and how she used her platform on Star Trek to inspire and recruit a new generation of diverse astronauts and many others in the space and STEM fields.

• Coretta's Journey

  The Life and Times of Coretta Scott King

  Duncan, Alice Faye,

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  Told in poetry and prose, this introduction to Coretta Scott King, the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and an important figure in the history of activism and civil rights, shows how she carried on the struggle after his death, preserving his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar

  the Musical Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll

  Pinkney Barlow, Charnelle,

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  A picture book biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the woman who invented rock and roll. Author and illustrator Charnelle Pinkney Barlow imagines the childhood of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose rural roots inspired and helped create the music we…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• An American Story

  Alexander, Kwame,

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  From the fireside tales in an African village, through the unspeakable passage across the Atlantic, to the backbreaking work in the fields of the South, this is a story of a people's struggle and strength, horror and hope. This is the story of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Choosing Brave

  Mamie Till-Mobley, Emmett Till, and the Voice That Sparked the Civil Rights Movement

  Joy, Angela, 1975-

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  A Caldecott-honor winning picture book biography of the mother of Emmett Till, and how she channeled grief over her son's death into a call to action for the civil rights movement.

• When the Schools Shut Down

  a Young Girl's Story of Virginia's "lost Generation" and the Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka Decision

  Gladden, Yolanda,

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  An autobiographical picture book tells the story of a young African American girl who lived during the shutdown of public schools in Farmville, Virginia, following the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.