25 Must-Read Children’s Books for Black History Month

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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