I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love Black History Month! I love learning about the amazing heroes and inspiring lives. Something in each of these stories gives me hope for humanity.
And this year I have been bummed out that I don’t get to do full-scale, daily BHM lessons with my kiddos. Honestly, BHM was one of my favorite months of homeschooling!
Whether you are homeschooling or just looking for ways to diversify the literature on your children’s bookshelves, I want to share with you my top 10 favorite Black History-related picture books and my favorite middle grade novels that are not necessarily Black History, but are excellent pieces of literature that provide insights and perspectives that are invaluable for middle grade readers. These books made my list because they are engaging and interesting and open up opportunities to have conversations that might not happen in a Caucasian household otherwise. They also depict realistic, well-rounded characters–not stereotypes. This is crucial.
Are you ready?
My Current Favorite Black History Picture Books:
1- Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson |Amazon link|
2-Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston by Alicia D. Williams. |Amazon link|
3-The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan: Inventory, Entrepreneur, Hero by Joan DiCicco. |Amazon link|
4-Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson. |Amazon link|
5-Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free by Alice Faye Duncan |Amazon link|
6-That is My Dream by Langston Hughes & Daniel Miyares |Amazon link|
7-William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad by Don Tate |Amazon link|
8-Carter Reads the Newspaper by Deborah Hopkinson |Amazon link|
9-Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker |Amazon link|
10-Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed |Amazon link|
Honorable Mentions (because I am THE WORST at picking favorites!!): Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus (I personally adore the bilingual version) |Amazon link| and Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton |Amazon link|
My Current Top 5 Middle Grade Novels with Black Main Characters:
1-From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
I love this book! I have found myself thinking about it again and again since I read it. The author does a phenomenal job of tackling really difficult topics in such a way that they are accessible for young children without being too graphic. |Amazon link|
2-Ghost by Jason Reynolds (or the whole Track series, honestly…)
I love the way Jason Reynolds transports you into the mind and heart of his characters. It’s as close as an average person can get to metaphorically walking (or running) in someone else’s shoes–yeah, I went there. Ha! |Amazon link|
3-Blended by Sharon M. Draper
This story takes you by surprise! You think it’s a simple story of a girl living with divorced parents of different races. It seems like it will be an entertaining little story. But before you know it, it has become so much bigger. |Amazon link|
4-Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
This one got me. I couldn’t put it down. I love the characters and just felt the constant need to know what is happening, what has happened, and what will happen. So, so good! And there are some gems of Black history added to the mix! Bonus! |Amazon link|
5-The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
Mystery? check. Contemporary fiction? check. Historical fiction? check. This book checks all the boxes. It is like a modernized, contemporary version of the classic middle grade novel The Westing Game. So much fun. (Parental heads-up: one of the parents in this book comes out to his daughter. Nothing graphic–it’s still MG– but an additional conversation you may want to have with children who read this book. I think it’s important for parents to talk to their kids about all sorts of social issues–better you than social media and their peers.) |Amazon link|
Honorable Mention: Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
I read this gem with my boys last year and it is such a mighty book, even if it’s not super lengthy. What can I say about this book that could do it justice? 5 words: it will change your life. |Amazon link|
There you have it, friends! If you wanted to read along with your kids, you couldn’t go wrong with any of these books. I shared this last year, but it bears repeating: Get the physical book for Heart and Soul, because the illustrations are top-notch. But buying the audio, too, and following along with the phenomenal narrator will take this book to a whole new level. Seriously: the combo just elevates the whole experience exponentially.
And, because I love you and we’ve already talked about How to Talk with Kids About Race, I wanted to share a wonderful new book I read a few months ago. It is entitled The Other Talk by Brendan Kiely and it is an excellent resource! This book would be ideal for an older middle school student (there are a couple “h-words” in there…) or older. It is such an approachable text! I bought additional copies and gave them as gifts to some of my best friends for Christmas. If you are white and struggling to understand why talking about race is such a big deal, this could be a great starting point. If you already know it’s important but need ideas for how to have conversations about racism with family, friends, or your own children, this is the book for you!
I hope these books bring you joy. Do you have a favorite BHM-related book? I’d love to hear any additional books that you’ve discovered lately! Or if you give some of these a read, let me know what you think!
Thanks for sharingš