This Black History Month book list is made up of wonderful books that celebrate African-Americans and their history. With so many amazing books out there, it was incredibly hard to select which books to include in my 2009 list. I plan on expanding this list for 2010 — in the meantime, please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions by leaving a comment at the end of this post. The list begins with books suitable for babies and finishes with a great book for young-adult readers. Enjoy!
Honey, I Love
by Eloise Greenfield (Author), Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Illustrator)
Reading level: 0 – 6
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Amistad; 1st edition (December 24, 2002)
by Nikki Grimes
Reading level: 0 – 6
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Orchard Books; 1 edition (September 1, 2006)
This Jazz Man
by Karen Ehrhardt (Author), R.G. Roth (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books (November 1, 2006)
The Colors of Us
by Karen Katz
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks (April 3, 2007)
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
by Kadir Nelson
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Dial (August 8, 2005)
Wind Flyers
by Angela Johnson (Author), Loren Long (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing (January 9, 2007)
The Story of Ruby Bridges
by Robert Coles (Author), George Ford (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (June 1, 2004)
When Marian Sang
by Pam Munoz Ryan (Author), Brian Selznick (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope
by Nikki Grimes (Author), Bryan Collier (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing; illustrated edition edition (August 26, 2008)
Something Beautiful
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Dragonfly Books (January 8, 2002)
I am Rosa Parks
by Rosa Parks (Author), Jim Haskins (Author), Wil Clay (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Puffin (December 1, 1999)
Bright Eyes, Brown Skin
by Cheryl Willis Hudson (Author), George Ford (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Just Us Books (November 1, 1990)
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Reading level: Ages 5 – 9
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Scholastic (2001)
Talkin’ About Bessie
by Nikki Grimes (Author), Earl B. Lewis (Illustrator), B. Moser (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 7 – 10
Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Orchard (November 1, 2002)
Jackie Robinson and the Story of All-Black Baseball
by Jim O’Connor
Reading level: Ages 8 -12
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (May 6, 1989)
Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (May 1, 1987)
Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference
by Joyce Hansen
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperback Nonfiction (January 1, 2007)
March On!: The Day My Brother Changed the World
by Christine King Farris (Author), London Ladd (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (August 1, 2008)
Through my Eyes
by Ruby Bridges
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 64 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 1, 1999)
Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll (Author), Christopher Myers (Illustrator)
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; Library Binding edition (September 4, 2007)
2 Comments
thanks for the mention of my book…
however the title is misspelled —
it’s THIS Jazz Man, not THE Jazz Man
thanks for updating your post,
karen ehrhardt
Oops! My bad. Thanks for pointing that out, sometimes my typing fingers work faster than my brain.
I truly enjoyed reading This Jazz Man, and I think it was the perfect fit for this list.