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  Black Excellence and Joy Picturebooks  
My Hair Is a Book

Maisha Oso - HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover

"Osos metaphors illustrate how Black hair tells the story of those who wear it; hair announces its wearers beauty to the world, be it cornrowed, locked, twisted, or curled... A stellar work that belongs in every collection serving young people." Kirkus Reviews(starred review)
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Before the Ships: The Birth of Black Excellence

Maisha Oso - Orchard Books
Format: Hardcover

Before the Ships is a powerful and poetic celebration of the early roots of Black history. The great achievements and accomplishments across Africa prior to the Transatlantic slave trade are told through melodious text and evocative illustrations, that culminate into the strength and resilience...
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We Are Free, You and Me

Colin Kaepernick - Scholastic Inc.
Format: Hardcover

Activists Colin Kaepernick and Nessa Diab present a poetic anthem to your brilliance, your beauty, your very existence. Every child has the right to be free. . . the right to reach. . . the right to dream. . . This lyrical affirmation of what freedom truly means celebrates the principles...
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Crowning Glory: A Celebration of Black Hair

Carole Boston Weatherford - Candlewick Press
Format: Hardcover

Celebrate the beauty of Black hair creations through the rhyming text and vibrant collage art of lauded Coretta Scott King Award winners Carole Boston Weatherford and Ekua Holmes.. Our hair is a lioness, born to be wild. We pride ourselves on flair and style. . Cornrows forming complex...
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Soul Step

Jewell Parker Rhodes - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Follow one girl's journey to discover the joy and history of step dancing- an ode to sisterhood and a strong mother-daughter bond, perfect for fans of Bunheads.. What does sisterhood sound like? STOMP, CLAP! How does pride move? FLIP, FLAP! How do we uphold tradition? GO HARD, SNAP...
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When I Wrap My Hair

Shauntay Grant - Quill Tree Books
Format: Hardcover

In the vein of I Am Enough and Hold Them Close, this inspiring and beautiful picture book celebrates how hair wrapping ties together past and present. When I wrap,my roots run deep.As deep as an African marketplaceor a city sidewalkor the stories between them.With lyrical text by acclaimed...
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The Spark in You

Andrea Pippins - Random House Studio
Format: Hardcover

This jubilant picture book filled with powerful affirmations celebrates the beautiful magic that makes each of us special. This is the perfect heartfelt gift for a birthday, graduation or other new beginnings.. There is a spark in you!. The spark in you shines when you smile. It sparkles...
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Your Voice, Your Vote

Leah Henderson - HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover

Discover both the past and present day's fight to vote with Quetta Little as she learns the power of casting your vote in this ideal picture book from acclaimed author Leah Henderson and illustrator Keisha Morris. The perfect companion for any young reader during election year!It's...
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Hair Love

Matthew A. Cherry - Kokila
Format: Hardcover

It's up to Daddy to give his daughter an extra-special hair style in this ode to self-confidence and the love between fathers and daughters, from former NFL wide receiver Matthew A. Cherry and New York Times bestselling illustrator Vashti Harrison.Zuri's hair has a mind of its own....
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Big

Vashti Harrison - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Filled with truth, beauty, joy, and acceptance, this is a tour de force from bestselling and award-winning creator Vashti Harrison. . The first picture book written and illustrated by award-winning and creator Vashti Harrison traces a child's journey to self-love and shows the power...
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Mae Among the Stars

RODA AHMED - HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover

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,...
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Braver Than Brave

Janet Sumner Johnson - Capstone Editions
Format: Hardcover

Wanda desperately wants to be brave like her big brother Zane, but it's not easy. When the Coaster of Doom opens at the local amusement park, Wanda is determined to show her brave. With all eyes on her, Wanda must find the confidence to be her own kind of Brave. Mixing humor with themes...
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Patchwork Prince

Baptiste Paul - ‎Dial Books
Format: Hardcover

A joyful, empowering story of a boy made royal by his mother's hand-stitched clothes, inspired by the author's childhood in St. Lucia, and with art by a #1 NYT bestselling artist with St. Lucian roots.What makes a patchwork prince? A prince must be ready for adventure - ready for the night,...
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Nesting Dolls

Vanessa Brantley-Newton - Crown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

A heartwarming picture book about how one little girl's unique beauty has been growing for generations in her family tree.. Anyiaka is in awe of her gorgeous Gullah Geechee family - she wants to be beautiful like her older sister, Sorie, a great listener like her mom, and a talented...
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What If One Day...

Bruce Handy - Enchanted Lion Books
Format: Hardcover

This thought-provoking, playful picture book from NYT Best Children's Book author Bruce Handy and Ezra Jack Keats Award winning illustrator Ashleigh Corrin plays with the idea of how life would be if certain of the things we love most were no longer here.What if one day, all the birds...
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I Love Your Face!

Karma Wilson - Orchard Books
Format: Hardcover

From New York Times bestselling duo Karma Wilson and AG Ford comes this sweet, read-aloud picture book that celebrates how utterly irresistible our litte ones are and how much we adore those beautiful faces!I love your face, I really do!Nobody has a face like you.Your eyes, your ears, your...
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Jump In!

Shadra Strickland - Bloomsbury Children's Books
Format: Hardcover

This bright, joyful picture book celebrates a community at play!It's a sunny spring day, and the tic tac tic tac sound of jump ropes hitting the ground floats through the wind. "Jump in!"Everyone lines up for a turn. The Delancy twins, double dutch divas. Leroy Jones with...
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What My Daddy Loves

Raissa Figueroa - Clarion Books
Format: Hardcover

In her joyous authorial debut, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor winner Raissa Figueroa celebrates the warm love between Black fathers and their children. Capturing a child's perspective and infused with gentle humor, Raissa Figueroa's tender, insightful look at fathers...
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Rock Stars Don't Nap

Jason Perkins - HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover

Inspired by classic rock songs and eighties hair bands, Rock Stars Don't Nap is a hilarious bedtime story for anyone who's got "Moves Like Jagger."There was no denying it: Jimmy was born to rock. With his mom and dad in tow, Jimmy is rocking and rolling wherever he goes.But...
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I'm Going to Be a Princess

Stephanie Taylor - Nosy Crow
Format: Hardcover

What will Maya be when she grows up? A rocket scientist like Annie Easley? An Olympic athlete like Alice Coachman? A brain surgeon like Alexa Canady? . In this heart-warming and funny story, Maya discovers the achievements of some amazing Black women . . . but it's a brave Nigerian...
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What Does Brown Mean to You?

Ron Grady - Nancy Paulsen Books
Format: Hardcover

This joyously affirming picture book follows a young boy throughout his day as he plays, paints, and bakes, making positive associations with the color of his skin.To Benny, brown is more than just a color. Brown is his Gram's coffee and his Gramp's morning kiss. Brown is the wooden...
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Today

Gabi Snyder - Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Format: Hardcover

This welcoming and joyful picture book reminds us that every moment can hold many surprises and to look for the wonder in every day.. Today may seem long before leaving for a summer vacation or short during the time away. The moments that make up the day are filled with surprises, joy,...
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You So Black

Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. - Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Based on Theresa Wilson's (a.k.a. Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.'s) beautiful, viral spoken word poem of the same name, You So Black is a picture book celebration of the richness, the nuance, and the joy of Blackness.Black is everywhere, and in everything, and in everyone - in the night...
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I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams

Tanisia Moore - Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover

YOU are your ancestors' wildest dreams. How will you express YOUR greatness? This electrifying anthem to Black boy joy and pride is perfect for fans of I Am Every Good Thing, Little Legends, and All Because You Matter. I am fly.From my crowndown to the kickson my feet...I AM my ancestors'...
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Jabari Jumps

GAIA CORNWALL - Candlewick
Format: Hardcover

Working up the courage to take a big, important leap is hard, but Jabari is almost absolutely ready to make a giant splash.Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he's a great jumper, so he's not scared...
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Lullaby

Langston Hughes - HMH Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

“My little dark baby, / My little earth-thing, / My little love-one, / What shall I sing / For your lullaby?" With a few simple words as smooth as a song, the poet Langston Hughes celebrates the love between an African American mother and her baby. The award-winning illustrator...
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Saturday

Oge Mora - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

In this warm and tender story by the Caldecott Honor-winning creator of Thank You, Omu!, join a mother and daughter on an up-and-down journey that reminds them of what's best about Saturdays: precious time together. Today would be special. Today would be splendid. It was Saturday!...
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Come on, Rain!

Karen Hesse - Scholastic Press
Format: Print book

Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse recreates the body and soul-renewing experience of a summer downpour after a sweltering city heat wave.
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I Got the Rhythm

Connie Schofield-Morrison - Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Format: Hardcover

. On a simple trip to the park, the joy of music overtakes a mother and daughter. The little girl hears a rhythm coming from the world around her- from butterflies, to street performers, to ice cream sellers everything is musical! She sniffs, snaps, and shakes her way into the heart of the beat,...
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Ambitious Girl

Meena Harris - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

When a young girl sees a strong woman on TV labeled as "too assertive" and "too ambitious," it sends her on a journey of discovery through past, present, and future about the challenges faced by women and girls and the ways in which they can reframe, redefine, and reclaim...
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Not Quite Snow White

Ashley Franklin - HarperCollins
Format: Audiobook

A picture book for magical yet imperfect children everywhere, written by debut author Ashley Franklin and perfect for fans of such titles as Matthew A. Cherrys Hair Love, Grace Byerss I Am Enough, and Lupita Nyongos Sulwe.Tameika is a girl who belongs on the stage. She loves to act, sing,...
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Your Name Is a Song

Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow - The Innovation Press
Format: Hardcover

Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern...
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What If...

Samantha Berger - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Creativity, the power of imagination, and the importance of self-expression are celebrated in this inspiring picture book written and illustrated by real-life best friends.This girl is determined to express herself! If she can't draw her dreams, she'll sculpt or build, carve or collage....
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Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment

Parker Curry - Aladdin
Format: Hardcover

A visit to Washington, DC's National Portrait Gallery forever alters Parker Curry's young life when she views First Lady's Michelle Obama's portrait.When Parker Curry came face-to-face with Amy Sherald's transcendent portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery,...
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Cool Cuts

Mechal Renee Roe - Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

African-American boys and their cool hair are celebrated in this bright, joyful read-together picture book that will have boys everywhere repeating the book's chorus: "I am born to be awesome!"When the stars shine, the world is mine! I am born to be awesome! My hair...
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Octopus Stew

Eric Velasquez - Holiday House
Format: Hardcover

What do you do when an octopus captures Grandma Put on your superhero cape and rescue her! Two stories in one from award-winning Afro-Latino artist Eric Velasquez.The octopus Grandma is cooking has grown to titanic proportions. "Tenga cuidado!" Ramsey shouts. "Be careful!"...
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Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut

Derrick D Barnes - Agate Bolden
Format: Hardcover

A Newbery Honor BookA Caldecott Honor BookA Coretta Scott King Author Honor BookA Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor BookAn Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award BookAn Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor BookA Society of Illustrators Gold Medal BookNamed one of the best books of 2017 by NPR,...
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Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner

Janice N. Harrington - Calkins Creek
Format: Hardcover

The curiosity of the first African American entomologist Charles Henry Turner--a scientist who studied bugs--shines in this nonfiction picture book, which showcases his ideas and discoveries about ants, bees, and other insects.Charles Henry Turner's mind itched with questions. Fascinated...
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Firebird

Misty Copeland - G.P. Putnams Sons Books for Young Readers
Format: Book

In her debut picture book, Misty Copeland tells the story of a young girl--an every girl--whose confidence is fragile and who is questioning her own ability to reach the heights that Misty has reached. Misty encourages this young girls faith in herself and shows her exactly how, through...

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The Undefeated

Kwame Alexander - Versify
Format: Hardcover

The Newbery Award-winning author of THE CROSSOVER pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree. Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable...
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Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library

CAROLE BOSTON WEATHERFORD - Candlewick
Format: Hardcover

In luminous paintings and arresting poems, two of children's literature's top African-American scholars track Arturo Schomburg's quest to correct history.Where is our historian to give us our side? Arturo asked. Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance...
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Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters

Barack Obama - Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format: Book

In this tender, beautiful letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation. From the artistry of Georgia O'Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George...
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The ABCs of Black History

Rio Cortez - Workman Publishing Company
Format: Hardcover

Brimming with passion, beauty, flow, and style, here is an ABC book like no other - a celebration of Black history and culture in lively verse, matched with illustrations that are each like a folk painting. Written by the poet Rio Cortez and illustrated by Lauren Semmer, the book teaches...
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My Block Looks Like

Janelle Harper - Viking Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

A love letter to the hustle, the bustle, the joy, and the grit of city life by debut author and Bronx native, Janelle Harper, and two-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner, Frank Morrison.. "My block looks likea collision of culturesa melting pot of coola burst of lifemy...
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Bros

Carole Boston Weatherford - Candlewick Press
Format: Hardcover

A celebration of childhood from an award-winning author, this upbeat day-in-the-life of a bunch of friends was inspired by the #BlackBoyJoy meme that spurred a movement.. From sunrise to sunset, a group of young Black boys joyously spend the day together as they live their best lives freely...
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For You, I Will

Elle Duncan - Disney Hyperion
Format: Hardcover

ESPN SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan and Corretta Scott King Illustrator Honoree Laura Freeman team up in this moving ode to Duncan's daughter that will resonate with mothers and daughters everywhere.. I will wrap my arms around you, so you will know comfort.And when you're ready...
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Homegrown

DeAnn Wiley - Macmillan Audio
Format: Audiobook

A touching and stunningly illustrated ode to the homes - and loved ones - that raise us, perfect for fans of Christian Robinson, Oge Mora, and Ekua Holmes.While her mother puts the finishing touches on her twists, a young girl asks what it means to be "homegrown". Touring precious...
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I See Color

Valerie Bolling - HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover

For fans of The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and Little Leaders by Vashti Harrison, I See Color is a picture book that affirms people of color - of all shades - by celebrating their achievements and contributions to society. Highlighting people such as Madonna Thunder Hawk, Basemah Atweh,...
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