Books About Blacks · 21 titles considered

The Best Blacks Books for Kids

By the Bookroo Editors

Looking for excellent children's books about blacks? This collection brings together Bookroo's highest-rated and most useful picks in one place.

Start with our editorial favorites, then browse recommendations organized by reading stage to find the right book for your reader.

Imani's Moon
The Shortlist

Our 10 Favorite Books About Blacks

Sale price
$759
Chapter Book · Ages 11–15 · 1969

The Cay

By Theodore Taylor · Book #1 in the The Cay series

Stranded at sea, a boy must rely on an unlikely ally to survive and see beyond prejudice.

160 pages· 26,482 words· Est. 2.5 hour read
3.8/5 Goodreads · 38,837 ratings
$7.99Save 5%
Picture Book · Ages 8–12 · 2018

Young, Gifted and Black

By Jamia Wilson, Andrea Pippins (Illustrator)

Discover 52 icons who changed the world and inspire future generations to dream big.

64 pages· 10,023 words· Est. 1.5 hour read-aloud
4.4/5 Goodreads · 479 ratings
$23.99Save 5%
Picture Book · Ages 3–7 · 1994

So Much!

By Trish Cooke, Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)

A new baby is showered with love and attention from a lively, adoring family.

48 pages· 673 words· Est. 6 min read-aloud
4.2/5 Goodreads · 517 ratings
$8.99Save 5%
Chapter Book · Ages 6–9 · 2014

Imani's Moon

A small girl defies doubts to reach for the moon.

32 pages· 1,123 words· Est. 13 min read
4.2/5 Goodreads · 412 ratings
$7.95Save 5%
Picture Book · Ages 9–12 · 2011

Never Forgotten

A boy's abduction into slavery tests a father's resolve and hope.

48 pages· 3,084 words· Est. 24 min read-aloud
4.3/5 Goodreads · 580 ratings
$18.99Save 5%
Picture Book · Ages 6–9 · 2020

When We Say Black Lives Matter

A child learns the powerful meaning of Black Lives Matter through family, history, and joy.

32 pages
4.4/5 Goodreads · 611 ratings
$16.99Save 6%
Picture Book · Ages 7–10 · 2000

Seven Spools of Thread

Seven brothers must learn to work together to inherit their father's property.

40 pages· 1,537 words· Est. 12 min read-aloud
4.2/5 Goodreads · 420 ratings
$8.99Save 5%
Picture Book · Ages 4–8 · 2019

Sulwe

A young girl struggles to find her place in a world where she doesn't fit in due to her skin color.

Coretta Scott King Award (2020)
48 pages· 864 words· Est. 7 min read-aloud
5.2/7 Bookroo experts·4.7/5 Goodreads · 11,315 ratings
$17.99Save 6%
Picture Book · Ages 3–6 · 2023

Mama's Sleeping Scarf

A girl's adventures with her mother's scarf reveal family bonds and daily life magic.

32 pages
4.0/5 Goodreads · 450 ratings
$18.99Save 5%
Picture Book · Ages 5–9 · 2010

Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged!

A woman's defiance in a segregated theater sparks a movement against racial injustice in Canada.

32 pages· 653 words· Est. 6 min read-aloud
4.1/5 Goodreads · 257 ratings
$18.95Save 5%
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Browse by age

Blacks Picture Books

Illustrated read-alouds about blacks for preschool and elementary-age readers.

The Soccer Fence

Ages 6–8 · 2014

A boy's soccer dreams clash with apartheid's barriers in South Africa.

A Story about Afiya

Ages 5–8 · 2020

A dress captures a girl's magical childhood adventures.

Beatrice's Goat

Ages 4–8 · 2001

A goat's gift could change a girl's future in Uganda.

The Water Princess

Ages 5–8 · 2016

A young girl dreams of bringing clean water to her village.

Radiant Child

Ages 4–8 · 2016

Discover the untamed beauty of art through a boy's eyes in bustling New York City.

Hue Boy

Ages 5–8 · 1992

A boy learns to stand tall despite constant teasing about his height.

At the Crossroads

Ages 4–8 · 1991

Children wait at a crossroads, longing for their fathers' return from the mines.

View all blacks picture books
Browse by age

Blacks Chapter Books & Middle Grade

Longer stories about blacks for developing and independent readers.

The Mystery of the Missing Lion

Ages 7–10 · 2013

A young detective and friend search for a missing lion in the wilds of Botswana.

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

Ages 9–12 · 1994

In 2174 Zimbabwe, three children escape home, facing perilous adventures and sinister forces.

The Jumbies

Ages 9–12 · 2015

A fearless girl faces mystical threats to save her island from a mysterious stranger.

Timothy of the Cay
Sale price
$999

Timothy of the Cay

Ages 10–12 · 1993

Stranded after a shipwreck, two unlikely allies must survive and find hope on a deserted cay.

Keep exploring
Books about antiracismBooks about blindnessBooks about familyBooks about prejudice and racismBooks about self-esteem and self-relianceBooks about shipwrecks

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