Black History Month 2026 - Booklist for ChildrenLike this list

21 items

• Lola at the Library With Mommy

  McQuinn, Anna,

  Add Lola at the Library With Mommy to your for later shelf

  Board book about Lola and her weekly trips to the library with her mother.

• My Afro Is a Rising Sun

  Yahu, Yaram,

  Add My Afro Is a Rising Sun to your for later shelf

  Story about a young boy and the celebration of black hair.

• Unsung Voices of Black History

  Hinton, KaaVonia, 1973-

  Add Unsung Voices of Black History to your for later shelf

  Book about "athletes...educators, activists, and more" who have made significant contributions but may be less well known than other historical figures.

• Carter G. Woodson

  Black History Pioneer

  McKissack, Pat, 1944-2017

  Add Carter G. Woodson to your for later shelf

  Known as the "Father of Black History", this book for early readers provides the story of the historian and author started Negro History Week, now Black History Month, in 1926.

• The Making of Butterflies

  Kendi, Ibram X.,

  Add The Making of Butterflies to your for later shelf

  Historian Ibram X. Kendi retells folklorist Zora Neale Hurston's folktale in this board book which introduces "the youngest of readers to the beauty of Hurston's storytelling and will spark curiosity in children about how things in our world came to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Is for Affrilachia

  Walker, Frank X., 1961-

  Add A Is for Affrilachia to your for later shelf

  "ABC primer" about African Americans in Appalachia "that offers a rich display of regional, racial, and cultural heritage through word and image".

• Answering the Cry for Freedom

  Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution

  Woelfle, Gretchen,

  Add Answering the Cry for Freedom to your for later shelf

  In this year of 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States, this book provides information 'about the death-defying attempts of black Americans to gain the inalienable rights promised in the Declaration of Independence'.

• Schomburg

  the Man Who Built a Library

  Weatherford, Carole Boston, 1956-

  Add Schomburg to your for later shelf

  Book about the Afro-Puerto Rican pioneer of the Harlem Renaissance Arturo Schomburg whose collection of books and other materials established the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of New York Public Library.

• Claudette Colvin

  I Want Freedom Now!

  Colvin, Claudette, 1939-

  Add Claudette Colvin to your for later shelf

  Biography by the civil rights icon who played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement as a teenager and who recently passed away in January, 2026.

• Opening the Road

  Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book

  Dawson, Keila V.,

  Add Opening the Road to your for later shelf

  Book about Victor Hugo Green who published guides to help African Americans travel safely across the country during the 1930s and decades when segregation was legal.

• The Port Chicago 50

  Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

  Sheinkin, Steve,

  Add The Port Chicago 50 to your for later shelf

  "Presents an account of the 1944 civil rights protest involving hundreds of African-American Navy servicemen who were unjustly charged with mutiny for refusing to work in unsafe conditions after the deadly Port Chicago explosion" in nearby Contra…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hidden Landmarks of Black History

  Leslie, Jay,

  Add Hidden Landmarks of Black History to your for later shelf

  Book about communities, institutions, and spaces Black people have founded in their fight for equality.

• Sit-in

  How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

  Pinkney, Andrea Davis

  Add Sit-in to your for later shelf

  Picture book about the college students who organized to integrate the Woolworth's lunch counter and the pivotal role of their peaceful protests in the civil rights movement.

• Freedom Summer 1964

  Turning Point for Voting Rights

  Nnachi, Ngeri,

  Add Freedom Summer 1964 to your for later shelf

  Book about the legacy of the voting rights movement in Mississippi including the leadership of young organizers.

• Overlooked Creations of Black Art and Culture

  Leslie, Jay,

  Add Overlooked Creations of Black Art and Culture to your for later shelf

  "Discover lesser-known works of art and culture that have shaped Black history in the United States...This book shines a spotlight on ten such 'overlooked creations'' including "revolutionary fine arts, groundbreaking books, pioneering shows, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• One Big Open Sky

  Cline-Ransome, Lesa,

  Add One Big Open Sky to your for later shelf

  "Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free—or cost them everything they have—in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement."

• Dancing With Water

  Wallace, Gwendolyn,

  Add Dancing With Water to your for later shelf

  "Nonbinary Kit learns water divining, well digging, and respect for the Earth from his traditional grandfather."

• On My Journey Now

  Looking at African-American History Through the Spirituals

  Giovanni, Nikki

  Add On My Journey Now to your for later shelf

  Renowned poet Nikki Giovanni "tells the story of Africans in America through the words of 46 spirituals.'

• Sing a Song

  How "Lift Every Voice and Sing" Inspired Generations

  Lyons, Kelly Starling,

  Add Sing a Song to your for later shelf

  Picture book about how the song known as the "Black National Anthem" inspires a family through generations.

• Like So

  Forman, Ruth,

  Add Like So to your for later shelf

  "Just as the sun loves the day and the moon loves the waves, a grandmother shows how her family's love is natural and connected to the world around them."