Black Excellence and Joy Picturebooks | Book List

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  Black Excellence and Joy Picturebooks  
Waiting to Welcome: A New Baby Story from West Africa (King of Scars Duology, 51)

Samantha Cleaver - Feiwel & Friends
Format: Hardcover

Readers are invited to a joyous cultural celebration full of delicious food, laughter, and love in Samantha Cleaver and Reuben Nantogmah's charming picture book, adorably brought to life by debut illustrator Bri Marie McNish. In Ghana and some other west African countries, when a baby...
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Zora, the Story Keeper

Ebony Joy Wilkins - Kokila
Format: Hardcover

A young Black girl and her aunt celebrate the wonder and magic of their family's legacy through storytelling.. When Zora grows up, she wants to be just like Aunt Bea. Aunt Bea is the best storyteller she knows! Every day after school, Zora heads to her aunt's house, where they take...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Naming Ceremony

Seina Wedlick - Abrams Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

A sweet sibling story all about making family traditions your own - perfect for fans of Alma and How She Got Her Name and Welcome to the Party. Today's the day! It's Baby Sister's naming ceremony, and big sister Amira could not be more excited. She has the perfect name picked...
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Joy Takes Root

Gwendolyn Wallace - Kokila
Format: Hardcover

In her grandmother's garden, a young Black girl learns about mindfulness and herbal medicine in this soothing intergenerational story about our connection to nature.. It's Joy's first summer in her grandmother's South Carolina garden - a rite of passage. In the midst of okra,...
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Be, Black Girl, Be

Taylor Darks - Balzer Bray
Format: Hardcover

A lyrical and affirming ode to Black girls. An ideal next read for fans of I Am Enough and the perfect gift for mothers and daughters, baby showers, and graduation.Be, Black Girl, BeBreathe in your truth. And never let anyone dull your shine.With poetic text and exuberant artwork, this...
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Saturday Magic: A Hoodoo Story

Nyasha Williams - Running Press Kids
Format: Hardcover

An ode to the family, friendship, and the beautiful tradition of Hoodoo practice, this book celebrates the magic and symbolism to be found in every day, written by bestselling author Nyasha Williams.. Dayo practices Hoodoo with her family. One Saturday, she wakes from an interesting dream...
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Mama's Sleeping Scarf

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Knopf
Format: Hardcover

The first children's book from the best-selling author of We Should All Be Feminists and Americanah - a tender story about a little girl's love for her mother's scarf, and the adventures she shares with it and her whole family. Chino loves the scarf that her mama ties around...
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For Our Daughters

Mel Nyoko - Random House Studio
Format: Hardcover

An inspirational and empowering book about what mothers, especially Black mothers, want their daughters to know. This inspiring book gives girls permission to let their lights shine. They want all girls to know that there are no limits on what they can achieve. One by one, common misconceptins...
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Smart Sisters (Happy Hair)

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

Confident, empowered sisters and best friends are celebrated in this read-together picture book celebrating sisterly love and joy. From the author of the Happy Hair series, which promotes self-love, positivity, and acceptance.. Perfect together! Always and forever! My sister and me!. Beautiful...
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Sugar Pie Lullaby: The Soul of Motown in a Song of Love

Carole Weatherford - Sourcebooks Explore
Format: Hardcover

Celebrate the love between a child and caring adult with this soulful bedtime book!Shoo-be-do-wop along with your little one as you introduce them to the legendary music of the Motown era. Enjoy a jazzy drift into dreamland, filled with sentiment and heart, as together, child and caring...
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Juneteenth Is

Natasha Tripplett - Chronicle Books
Format: Hardcover

An intimate look at Juneteenth, this story is a warm exploration of a family and a community. . Juneteenth is the smell of brisket filling the air. Juneteenth is the sounds of music, dancing, and cheering ringing from the parade outside. It is love. It is prayer. It is friends and relatives...
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We Could Fly

Rhiannon Giddens - Candlewick
Format: Hardcover

In a companion to Build a House, Rhiannon Giddens - Grammy Award winner and cofounder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops - gives wing to a moving tale of grace and transcendence, with acclaimed artist Briana Mukodiri Uchendu.. At a sparrow's urging, a young girl feels a mysterious trembling...
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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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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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