I love this time of the year–never-ending January is finally about to wrap up, and we can celebrate all things love, sweetness, and my heritage, as a black American. You’ll find odes to black leaders, and brown faces represented in my home daily, but Black History Month and representation are SO important! A quote I’d mentioned in last year’s book list post still resonates with me so much today.
“We need diverse representation not only so that every kid can see themselves as the hero of the story, but so that every kid can understand that *other* kinds of kids are *also* the heroes of the story.”
You may not realize that minority children rarely see their own faces reflected in the most common nursery rhymes and popular movies–especially not as a main character or protagonist. It is so important to me that my girls see themselves represented as beautiful heroines, princesses, scientists, actors, and authors! I actively look for characters that mirror my own family. So, while some Black History Month rhetoric may seem too heavy for the babies(i.e. Jim Crow), you’d be surprised by how much you can teach your children about diversity, by simply choosing a more inclusive bedtime story.
This book list is comprised of books about love, black history gems, as well as some adorable storybooks that feature brown protagonists and fantastic messages. Enjoy, and I would LOVE to know some of your family favorites!
Just a reminder that for all of the books below, if you scroll over the title of the book, next to the number, and click, the link will take you directly to the Amazon Prime link to shop. You can add them to your wish list that way as well; to purchase in the future.
1. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
By: Vashti Harrison
An important book for all ages, Little Leaders educates and inspires as it relates true stories of forty trailblazing black women in American history. Illuminating text paired with irresistible illustrations bring to life both iconic and lesser-known female figures of Black history such as abolitionist Sojourner Truth, pilot Bessie Coleman, chemist Alice Ball, politician Shirley Chisholm, mathematician Katherine Johnson, poet Maya Angelou, and filmmaker Julie Dash.
Among these biographies, readers will find heroes, role models, and everyday women who did extraordinary things – bold women whose actions and beliefs contributed to making the world better for generations of girls and women to come. Whether they were putting pen to paper, soaring through the air or speaking up for the rights of others, the women profiled in these pages were all taking a stand against a world that didn’t always accept them.
The leaders in this book may be little, but they all did something big and amazing, inspiring generations to come.
There are sister versions of this book called Little Dreamers and Little Legends
2. Love is
By: Diane Adams and Claire Keane
This beautifully illustrated book tells the heartwarming story of a little girl and a duckling, who both grow to understand what it means to care for each other as they learn that love is as much about letting go as it is about holding on. A little girl finds a duckling who has wandered away from the park onto the city streets, and takes it home to care for it. The baby duck requires constant attention—early morning feedings, bathing, and tidying—until the time comes to say goodbye. When her pet has grown too big for the bath, the girl takes the full-grown duck back to the pond. Afterward, she misses it and wonders if it remembers her. One day, the duck comes back—with six ducklings of her own.
3. Please, Puppy, Please
By: Spike Lee + Tonya Lewis Lee
In page after page of tail-wagging fun, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, Beacon Award-winning producer Tonya Lewis Lee, take a close-up look at what happens when a couple of high-energy toddlers meet their match in an adventurous pup who has no plans of letting up.
Irresistible illustrations by Coretta Scott King Award winner Kadir Nelson unleash countless memorable moments of toddlerhood, and puppyhood, which families with four-legged friends will enjoy over and over again.
4. You!
By: Sandra Magsamen
You!, offering inspiration and hope to readers from 1 to 100. Includes colorful, lively illustrations along with whimsical rhyming text that can be cherished in almost any setting.
5. Not Quite Snow White
By: Ashley Franklin
A picture book for magical yet imperfect girls everywhere. Tameika is a girl who belongs on the stage. She loves to act, sing, and dance—and she’s pretty good at it, too. So when her school announces their Snow White musical, Tameika auditions for the lead princess role.
But the other kids think she’s “not quite” right to play the role. They whisper, they snicker, and they glare. Will Tameika let their harsh words be her final curtain call?
Not Quite Snow White is a delightful and inspiring picture book that highlights the importance of self-confidence while taking an earnest look at what happens when that confidence is shaken or lost. Tameika encourages us all to let our magic shine.
6. Love is a Tutu
By: Amy Novesky and Sara Gillingham
This beautifully designed and playfully illustrated novelty board book is the perfect starting point for tiny ballerinas and parents alike. Sweet and spare rhymes prance across the pages, engaging the reader with real ballet terms and plenty of pink. Parents and toddlers together will sigh Bravo as they turn off the light.
7. Love is a Truck
By: Amy Novesky and Sara Gillingham
Graphically appealing two-color illustrations pair perfectly with a spare, rhythmic ode to beloved trucks of all kinds – from fire trucks to dump trucks to ice cream trucks, the sweetest trucks of all – and to the kid who loves and collects them, Love Is a Truck follows Love Is a Tutu (our ballet-inspired ode to tutus and toe shoes) in our Love Is series. A smaller square format with thick, sturdy pages, make these little picture books perfect for young readers, ages 2-6, and for reading aloud again and again.
8. Princess Hair
By: Sharee Miller
Princesses with curls wear pearls.
Princesses with head wraps take long naps.
And princesses with teeny-weeny Afros wear teeny-weeny bows.
Celebrate different hair shapes, textures, and styles in this self-affirming picture book! From dreadlocks to blowouts to braids, Princess Hair shines a spotlight on the beauty and diversity of black hair, showing young readers that every kind of hair is princess hair. This book encourages confidence and pride in this playful, colorful picture book that teaches readers to love every bit of themselves.
9. Chocolate Me
By: Taye Diggs
The boy is teased for looking different than the other kids. His skin is darker, his hair curlier. He tells his mother he wishes he could be more like everyone else. And she helps him to see how beautiful he really, truly is.
For years before they both achieved acclaim in their respective professions, good friends Taye Diggs and Shane W. Evans wanted to collaborate on Chocolate Me!, a book based on experiences of being African American, feeling different and trying to fit in as kids. Now, both men are fathers and see more than ever the need for a picture book that encourages all people, especially kids, to love themselves.
10. Ada Twist, Scientist
By: Andrea Beaty
Inspired by real-life makers Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie, this beloved #1 bestseller champions STEM, girl power and women scientists in a rollicking celebration of curiosity, the power perseverance, and the importance of asking “Why?”
Ada Twist’s head is full of questions. Ada has always been endlessly curious. Even when her fact-finding missions and elaborate scientific experiments don’t go as planned, Ada learns the value of thinking her way through problems and continuing to stay curious.
11. Pass it On
By: Sophy Henn
Here’s a fun idea: When you laugh or smile–pass it on! A story about giving, sharing, and joy.
An ode to the excitement of sharing happiness with others. With a refrain that begs to be uttered before every turn of the page, children will eagerly read alongside their parents as they discover how wonderful–and fun!–it is to share the good things in life. After all, if you spread happiness to others, even on a gray, rainy day, when you least expect it, like a bolt out of the blue, a smile or a chuckle might be passed right back to you! This heartwarming, upbeat book is the perfect way to bring a warm ray of sunshine into every reader’s life.
12. Mae Among the Stars
By: Roda Ahmed
A beautiful picture book for sharing, inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison.
A great classroom and bedtime read-aloud, Mae Among the Stars is the perfect book for young readers who have big dreams and even bigger hearts!
When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering.
She wanted to be an astronaut.
Her mom told her, “If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.”
Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents’ encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space.
This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination.
13. Guess How Much I Love You
By: Sam McBratney
A big board book format — perfect for lap sharing.
“I love you right up to the moon — and back.” The cherished story of Little and Big Nutbrown Hare as they playfully vie to express their love for each other has been a favorite of children around the globe for nearly thirty years. It’s available in a beautifully designed big board book to share over and over again.
Whether its self-love, love for family, love for nature, or love for friends, I hope you found a new story worthy of your next library trip or Amazon order–not just for Black History Month, but for your regular reading rotation (yay, alliteration).
Please share some of your favorites with me, too. I always try to get at least one new themed book for the girls, each year! I’ve found some great ones from your past suggestions! Keep them coming! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook!
Heart and felt garlands are from Glitter Party Co.
XOXO,
Shakira
