The are a lot of great Black authors creating great reads for our beautiful, Black children. Depending on where you are located, trip down to your local bookstore can leave you feeling a little disappointed, but a few minutes searching online can unearth a treasure trove of goodies for your bundles of joy! Here are just 6 of our faves.
Girl Of Mine by Jabari Asim
This companion book to Boy of Mine shows a dazzling little girl enjoying playtime in the moon’s soft glow. As daddy cradles his baby girl, she is suddenly whisked away on a fantastical adventure, swinging above lush floral gardens under the golden moonlight. The sweet text, inspired by “Rock-A-Bye Baby,” will whisk little ones off to peaceful slumber.
I Love My Hair by Natasha Anastasia Tarple
This whimsical, evocative story about a girl named Keyana encourages African-American children to feel good about their special hair and be proud of their heritage. A BlackBoard Children’s Book of the Year. Full-color illustrations.
A Kid’s Guide to African American History: More than 70 Activities (A Kid’s Guide series) by Nancy I. Sanders
This book includes more than 70 hands-on activities, songs, and games that teach kids about the people, experiences, and events that shaped African American history. This expanded edition contains new material throughout, including additional information and biographies. Children will have fun designing an African mask, making a medallion like those worn by early abolitionists, playing the rhyming game “Juba,” inventing Brer Rabbit riddles, and creating a unity cup for Kwanzaa. Along the way they will learn about inspiring African American artists, inventors, and heroes like Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Banneker, Rosa Parks, Langston Hughes, and Louis Armstrong, to name a few.
I Am Blacky by Terrence Terrell
Skyler, like most of us, feels like he was born different. He doesn’t know how he will ever fit in. After a little guidance, a quick science lesson, and a whole lot of love, he learns he is more special than he could’ve imagined. An uplifting story about a young boy’s journey to self-confidence, Blacky will encourage readers to embrace the things that make them different.
Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
Go back to bed,
baby, please, baby, please.
Not on your HEAD,
baby baby baby, please!…
From moments fussy to fond, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, producer Tonya Lewis Lee, present a behind-the-scenes look at the chills, spills, and unequivocal thrills of bringing up baby!
Vivid illustrations from celebrated artist Kadir Nelson evoke toddlerhood from sandbox to high chair to crib, and families everywhere will delight in sharing these exuberant moments again and again.
The Princess And The Pea by Rachel Isadora
When a prince sets out to find a princess to marry, he soon discovers this is not a simple task. There is no shortage of so-called princesses, but how can he tell whether or not they are what they claim to be? Then one night a great storm rages, there comes a knock on the palace gate, and the prince’s life is never the same . . .
All of these books are available on Amazon.com except for I Am Blacky which is available via the author’s website.
