Black History Month Books for Youth

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By Bailey Keimig-Gehrke, Youth Services

Black History Month comes around every year and gives us a fresh chance to be intentional about incorporating Black voices into our reading routines. For Black readers, reading books by and about Black people can help them feel seen, validated, and understood. For non-Black readers, those things can still be true with the added benefit of learning more about Black perspectives and experiences. Reading about people different from yourself is a great way to expand your worldview, increase empathy, and decrease bias. The best part about celebrating Black History Month with books is that you don’t need to cram all your reading into one month, instead you can discover new books to help you read more widely and deeply all year long.

Here are just a few recently published titles perfect for the young readers in your life. 

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“Hurry, Kate, Or You’ll Be Late!” by Janice N. Harrington & Tiffany Rose

Kate has had a busy morning and she is late for preschool. She had to eat breakfast, her dad had to do her hair, she had to find her cool motorcycle toy, and there were so many things to see on their way to school. Through it all, the sweet illustrations from Tiffany Rose clearly show the love and patience Kate’s dad has for Kate and her exuberance for the sights and sounds of their neighborhood. But despite all of the things distracting Kate and keeping her busy–the neighbors she pauses to greet, the construction workers she stops to admire, the exciting vehicles she spots when they’re stuck in traffic–none of that is what made Kate late. No, instead, it was the warm, extended goodbye hug from her dad that made her late. And if you asked her, I’m sure Kate would say it was worth it.

For more Black-authored picture books celebrating family, try:

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“Conjure Island” by Eden Royce

Delphinia Baker is content with her life. Sure, she moves around too frequently to really have any friends, and yeah, her dad is really busy with his Air Force career, but her Gramma is always there for her. Unfortunately, Del’s contentment ruptures when Gramma has a fall and needs a long-term hospital stay to recover. With her dad away on deployment, Del is sent away to spend the entire summer with her great-grandmother, Nana Rose, a woman Del had no idea even existed. Nana Rose lives on a mysterious island off the South Carolina coast and runs a school used to teach something called ‘conjure magic.’ But when Del realizes that Nana Rose isn’t a weirdo, and that conjure magic really exists, her world flips upside down once again. Now Del and her new community have a mystery to solve and a home to protect.

For more Black-authored chapter books about kids with magical powers, try:

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“Everyone’s Thinking It” by Aleema Omotoni

This boarding school story centering on two cousins is rife with drama and mystery. Iyanu is most comfortable behind her camera lens, silent and observant of her classmates and their shenanigans. Kitan is the opposite, enveloped in the school’s ‘it crowd’ and protected by her money and beauty. Navigating a largely white institution is not easy for either girl, but it becomes more complicated when photos are stolen from Iyanu’s camera and spread around campus accompanied with juicy secrets. With everybody’s reputation in jeopardy and the Valentine’s Day Ball just around the corner, tensions are higher than ever. So the cousins intensify their efforts to discover who’s behind it all, even though the revealed secrets have the power to change their lives for good. Compared to the movie “Mean Girls” and the hit TV show “Dear White People,” this book is sure to captivate teen readers.

For more Black-authored young adult books with dark academia vibes, try:

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