Laura Freeman

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

By Shana Keller

A moving and triumphant picture book inspired by the printed newspaper ads placed by African Americans who were separated from family members by the Civil War, enslavement, and emancipation.

After the war’s end, everyone is missing someone. Lettie’s missing her family. They had been sold and lost long before enslavement was abolished. Every week, she reads the advertisements in the newspapers to her congregation. “Do you know them? I would like to find my people. My mother’s name was Charlotte King, and when I was sold, I had five brothers.”

Lettie is determined to find her loved ones, too. She saves every penny she earns, but not to buy candy or toys. She saves for something better—something that could bring her whole family together.

Every ad depicted in this poignant tale is authentically historical, bringing the heart-wrenching past to life.

Published by Calkins Creek

By Karen L/ Swanson

Available August 6, 2024

Nothing could stop Toni “Tomboy” Stone from playing baseball—not even her parents. The only girl on a church team, she persevered as insults were hurled her way from the boy players. She caught the attention of former major leaguer Gabby Street, who gave her a chance at his summer baseball school. With Coach Street’s training—and the cleats he gifted her—Toni managed to earn a spot in the minor leagues. Though teams were hesitant to sign a woman, she pitched the idea that fans would pay to see a woman play—and it worked! But Toni’s persistence and optimism were not enough to win over the Jim Crow South crowds nor her male teammates. Coaches put her in the starting lineup and then benched her early, every game, no matter her results. But her talent got noticed and she was signed by the Indianapolis Clowns, becoming the first woman to break into the pros. “Toni arrives,” shouted newspaper headlines, and she delivered! In her first professional game she ripped a single and drove in two runs, and left the crowd chanting “TONI! TONI! TONI!”

Published by Disney Hyperion

By Elle Duncan

Available March 26, 2024

I will wrap my arms around you, so you will know comfort.

And when you’re ready to leave, I’ll be brave enough to let you go.

I will stand steady while you find your footing.

I’ll walk tall while you find your stride.

For you, I will.

Inspired by Elle Duncan's contribution to The Undefeated's "Love Letters to Black Women" segment, For You, I Will is an intimate yet universal celebration of growing up. The poetic text and heartwarming illustrations depict a mother teaching her daughter how to be confident, how to be a part of a community, and, ultimately, how to be unapologetically herself.

 2025 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Book Winner

By Kekla Magoon

Published by Quill Tree Books

Ketanji Brown Jackson is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. When a high school guidance counselor told her she should set her sights lower than Harvard, she decided to go to Harvard for college and law school.

When she became a public defender and saw inequalities in the justice system, she used her legal skills to advocate for people who needed help, but couldn’t afford an attorney.

Ketanji’s path to the Supreme Court was unique: She’s the only current Justice to have been a public defender and one of a few who went to public school. Her story is powerful and heartening, and it’s a lesson in overcoming adversity by being true to yourself.

By Selene Castrovilla

Published by Holiday House

A bouncing picture book biography of the tap dancer behind the Happy Feet penguin, illustrated by the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Winner of Hidden Figures.

This is a story about tap dancing, a distinctly American art form that blended English-Scottish-Irish clog dancing with African tribal dancing. And it’s about a boy, Savion Glover--who was born to feel the music—to dance and perform and invent. And to delight and awe audiences with the movements of his body.

Soul meets sole.

From that day on, Savion danced.

All the time. Not practicin’. Livin.

’Tippity, tippity, tappity, tappity, TROMP, TROMP, TROMP!

Follow Savion's journey as beats crescendos into a love of dancing as self-expression. This picture book biography creates music with words and story, and dance with color and composition. Child and parent can read the rhymes and onomatopoeia together while enjoying the bold artwork.

 2025 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Book Winner

By Darshana Khiani

Published by Viking Books For Young Readers

A breathtaking, eye-opening look at the patchwork of cultures that make up our nation and the many ways we define what it means to be an American.

What does it mean to be American?

A classroom of children across many races, cultures, and origins explores the concept of Americanness as they each share bits of their family history and how their past has shaped their own personal American experience. Whether as new immigrants, or those whose family came to this country generations ago, or other scenarios, these children’s stories show some of the broad range of cultures and values that form the history and identity of our nation.

A beautifully depicted, thought-provoking look at the vast expanse of cultures that exists in America, the values that bring us together as one people despite our differences, and the many ways we define what it means to be an American.

by Brit Bennett

Claudie Wells™ wants more than anything to be a person whose imagination can fly, instead of a person whose feet are stuck on the ground. She’s growing up in the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City during the 1920s, surrounded by writers and poets, painters and sculptors, actors and dancers, singers and musicians. When an eviction notice threatens her family, her friends, and the beloved home they share, Claudie has an idea that just might save the day. But first she’ll have to find the confidence to let her imagination soar.

by Brit Bennett

Claudie is traveling from Harlem to Georgia with Mama and Cousin Sidney to meet her grandmother and cousins for the first time. She hopes that learning her family's story will inspire her for the variety show she's planning to raise money to save the boardinghouse her family lives in. Claudie's grandmother tells her a legend from slavery times called “The People Could Fly." In it, an old man whispers magic words, and the enslaved people grow wings and fly home to Africa. This gives Claudie an amazing idea for the finale of her show—but will Claudie's creativity be enough to save the home she loves?

By Traci N. Todd

Published by HarperCollins

Stacey Abrams, politician and Nobel peace prize nominee, is brought to life in this poetic picture book biography that follows Abrams’s fight for voters’ rights. Narrated by Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Septima Clark, and Fannie Lou Hamer, this powerful story tells how Abrams’s work was inspired by those luminaries before her.

“Sometimes she would light the way. Sometimes her way would be lit by others…”

Stacey Abrams was always destined for big things, because she always imagined more. Now she protects the least powerful, works toward making voting fair and easy, and demands better for Georgia and every other state in this nation. Stacey Abrams’s determination, perseverance, and courage will inspire younger generations to make meaningful change in the world.

By Nikki Grimes

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

When Kamala Harris was young, she often accompanied her parents to civil rights marches—so many, in fact, that when her mother asked a frustrated Kamala what she wanted, the young girl responded with: “Freedom!”

As Kamala grew from a small girl in Oakland to a senator running for president, it was this long-fostered belief in freedom and justice for all people that shaped her into the inspiring figure she is today. From fighting for the use of a soccer field in middle school to fighting for the people of her home state in Congress, Senator Harris used her voice to speak up for what she believed in and for those who were otherwise unheard.

By Michelle Duster

Published by Henry Holt & Company

Ida B. Wells was an educator, journalist, feminist, businesswoman, newspaper owner, public speaker, suffragist, civil rights activist, and women’s club leader.

She was a founder of the NAACP, the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, the Alpha Suffrage Club, and the Negro Fellowship League.

She wrote, spoke, and traveled, challenging the racist and sexist norms of her time.

Faced with criticism and threats to her life, she never gave up.

This is her extraordinary true story, as told by her great-granddaughter Michelle Duster

By Margot Lee Shetterly

Published by Harper Collins

2019 - Coretta Scott King Honor, Illustrator

2019 - Recipient of the NAACP Image award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children

2018 - Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read

Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math…really good.

They participated in some of NASA's greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America's first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world.

By Useni Eugene Perkins

Published by Just Us Books

2022 Children's Africana Book Award Winner (CABA)

On a humid March night in 1957, Kwame Nkrumah made history. While thousands of people cheered, including dignitaries from round the world, he announced his country's independence. After many years of British rule, Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, became the first sub-Saharan African nation to break free from colonial rule. Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence shares the story of Nkrumah's historic declaration of Ghana's independence and the years of struggle that led to that celebrated event.

By Elisa Boxer

Published by Crown books for Young Readers (Random House)

This inspiring picture-book biography about Nancy Pelosi shows her journey from the child of Baltimore's mayor to her marble-ceiling-shattering four terms as Speaker of the House, including the historic events of January 6th, 2021.

By Katheryn Russell-Brown

Published by Bloomsbury Books

Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, a legend. But before she became a star, she was a shy little girl with a voice so powerful it made people jump up, sway, and hum along.

Raised in a house full of talking and singing, Aretha learned the values that would carry her through life--from her church choir in Detroit to stages across the world. When she moved to New York City to start her career, it took years of hard work before she had a hit song. In the turbulent 1960s, she sang about "Respect" and refused to perform before segregated audiences. The first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha always remembered who she was and where she came from.

By Monica Clark-Robinson

Published by Orchard Books (Scholastic)

Standing on Her Shoulders is a celebration of the strong women who influence us -- from our mothers, sisters, aunts, and grandmothers to the women who fought for equality and acceptance in the United States.

Monica Clark-Robinson's lyrical text encourages young girls to learn about the powerful and trailblazing women who laid the path for their own lives and empowers them to become role models themselves.

Written By Carole Boston Weatherford

Published by Random House

Biography of politician and civil rights champion Elijah Cummings, detailing his inspiring journey--from his humble beginnings as the son of former sharecroppers to his unwavering faith as he became a lawyer, state legislator, and leading congressman. Best known as a voice for people of color and an advocate for equal opportunity, Elijah Cummings was a man of faith and dignity, a beacon of justice, and an unrelenting warrior for equality and change.

By Kekla Magoon

Published by Quill Tree Books (Harper Collins)

Growing up, Thurgood Marshall knew that he wanted to fight for fairness. Baltimore, his hometown, was segregated—the law said Black and white people couldn’t attend the same schools, play in the same parks, or even drink from the same water fountains. Thurgood knew those laws were wrong, and he was willing to do whatever it took to change them.

His determination to make all Americans equal under the law led him to the Supreme Court. But to get to the highest court in the land, Thurgood had to make space for himself every step of the way.

By Gloria Respress-Churchwell

Published by Charlesbridge Books

In 1947, no African American player can play at a southern school; in return, the opposing team benches a player of "equal talent." This historical fiction picture book frames a turbulent time in the civil rights era with the clever use of a football play to show race relations and teamwork. Inspired by a true story, capturing a historic defense against the Jim Crow laws of the South.

By Megan Reid

Published by Balzer + Bray (Harper Collins)

Althea Gibson was the quickest, tallest, most fearless athlete in 1940s Harlem. She couldn’t sit still! When she put her mind to it, the fleet-of-foot girl reigned supreme at every sport—stickball with the boys, basketball with the girls, paddle tennis with anyone who would hit with her.

But being the quickest, tallest, most fearless player in Harlem wasn’t enough for Althea. She knew she could be a tennis champion.

Because of segregation, black people weren’t allowed to compete against white people in sports. Althea didn’t care. She just wanted to play tennis against the best athletes in the world. And with skill and determination, she did just that, eventually becoming the first black person—man or woman—to win a trophy at Wimbledon.

Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-of-Foot Girl chronicles this trailblazing athlete’s journey—and the talent, force of spirit, and energy that made it possible for her to break barriers and ascend to the top of the tennis world.

By Moira Rose Donahue

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

Though a disability stunted his growth and left him with a hunched back, William Henry "Chick" Webb did not let that get in the way of his musical pursuits. Even as a young child, Chick saw the world as one big drum, pounding out rhythms on everything from stair railings to pots and pans. His love of percussion brought him to the big time as an influential big band leader. This picture-book biography details the life of black American jazz drummer Chick Webb, who in the 1930s led one of the big bands of the swing era, earning him the nickname the "King of the Savoy."

By Beverley Naidoo

Published by Harper Collins

(Interior illustrations by Eric Velasquez)

The bestselling classic set in South Africa during the apartheid era, in which two siblings must face the dangers of their divided country.

By Kelly Starling Lyons

Published by Lee & Low Books

Jane Addams Children's Book Award Finalist, 2021, Jane Addams Peace Association

Junior Library Guild Selection

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction, Recommended Title, 2021, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

Choices, 2021, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Philip Freelon's grandfather was an acclaimed painter of the Harlem Renaissance. His father was a successful businessman who attended the 1963 March on Washington. When Phil decided to attend architecture school, he created his own focus on African American and Islamic designers. He later chose not to build casinos or prisons, instead concentrating on schools, libraries, and museums--buildings that connect people with heritage and fill hearts with joy. And in 2009, Phil's team won a commission that let him use his personal history in service to the country's: the extraordinary Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon celebrates a contemporary black STEAM role model, a man whose quiet work enabled the creation of an iconic building reflecting America's past and future. With a stirring text by Kelly Starling Lyons, vibrant pictures by Laura Freeman, and an afterword from Philip Freelon himself, it is sure to inspire the next generation of dreamers and builders.

Published by Little Bee Books

Written by Dee Romito

2019 - Crystal Kite Award Winner

Georgia Gilmore was a cook at the National Lunch Company in Montgomery, Alabama. When the bus boycotts broke out in Montgomery after Rosa Parks was arrested, Georgia knew just what to do. She organized a group of women who cooked and baked to fund-raise for gas and cars to help sustain the boycott. Called the Club from Nowhere, Georgia was the only person who knew who baked and bought the food, and she said the money came from "nowhere" to anyone who asked. When Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for his role in the boycott, Georgia testified on his behalf, and her home became a meeting place for civil rights leaders. This picture book highlights a hidden figure of the civil rights movement who fueled the bus boycotts and demonstrated that one person can make a real change in her community and beyond. It also includes one of her delicious recipes for kids to try with the help of their parents!

Published by Heyday Books

The 2021 FOCAL Award Winner!

Read a review in The New York Times here

Building on the brilliance of Fred Korematsu Speaks Up, the newest installment in the Fighting for Justice series introduces young readers to another real-life champion for civil rights: Bridget “Biddy” Mason, an African American philanthropist, healer, and midwife who was born into slavery. When Biddy arrived in California, where slavery was technically illegal, she was kept captive by her owners and forced to work without pay. But when Biddy learned that she was going to be taken to a slave state, she launched a plan to win her freedom. She refused to be defined by her enslavement, and coauthors Arisa White and Laura Atkins devote much of their narrative to Biddy Mason’s later life as a business and civic leader in the fledgling city of Los Angeles.

Biddy Mason Speaks Up is an age-appropriate yet unflinching examination of slavery, racism, and community healing in the United States. Each chapter begins with lyrical verse and full-color illustrations that draw readers into the narrative, and is followed by visually engaging sections filled with keyword definitions, historical context, timelines, and primary sources. Throughout the book, the authors pose questions to the reader, such as “How do you see power at work in your community?”, making Biddy Mason’s story all the more relatable to the present day.

Written by Deborah Blumenthal. Published by little bee books.

Read my interview with Deborah here.

As soon as Ann Cole Lowe could walk, her momma and grandma taught her to sew. She worked near her momma in their Alabama family shop in the early 1900s, making glorious dresses for women who went to fancy parties. When Ann was 16, her momma died, and Ann continued sewing dresses. It wasn't easy, especially when she went to design school and had to learn alone, segregated from the rest of the class. But the work she did set her spirit soaring, as evidenced in the clothes she made, including Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress and Olivia de Havilland's dress at the Oscars when she won for Best Actress in To Each His Own. Rarely credited, Ann Cole Lowe became "society's best kept secret." This beautiful picture book shines the spotlight on a little-known visionary who persevered in times of hardship, always doing what she was passionate about: making elegant gowns for the women who loved to wear them.

My debut as an author!

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Natalie's hair is really wild—and she likes it that way! A host of friendly animals agree, and they move right in. At first it's just butterflies and birds that take up residence atop Natalie's head, but soon there are zebras, elephants, even a tiger! With all the roaring and squawking and snorting and burping, poor Natalie can hardly sleep. She needs to find someone to help coax those critters out . . . but who?

Inspired by the author's own childhood adventures with her hair, this playful fantasy will delight all girls and boys who resist having their tresses tamed.

Published by Clarion books

Written by Karen English

Meet Nikki and Deja, who live next door to each other and are best friends. They do everything together—watch Saturday morning cartoons, play jacks, jump double dutch at recess, and help each other with their homework for Mrs. Shelby's third-grade class. But when an arrogant new girl arrives and Nikki and Deja form a club that would exclude her, the results are not what they expect. This warm, easy-to-read chapter book from an award-winning author captures all the joys and complexities of elementary school life—particularly friendships and cliques—with finesse and humor.

Published by Clarion books

Written by Karen English

Since THE CARVER CHRONICLES series is written from a variety of perspectives, each story is a fresh perspective on life at an elementary school. That each kid has a different background -- race, family makeup, income -- adds a layer of depth and relatability that's rare in books for young readers. Calvin learns that the school bully faces challenges in foster care that are beyond anything Calvin understands; Carlos faces huge adjustments when his cousin Bernardo moves into his room and his school; Gavin feels picked on by an overbearing relative. Along with their friends Richard, Nikki, Deja and the others in Ms. Shelby-Ortiz's classroom at Carver Elementary, the kids navigate heady topics. But, with trips to the skateboard park and soccer field, plus birthday parties and playground antics, these kids are definitely still kids.

-Book review by Carrie Kingsley, Common Sense Media