Talking about Race - Youth Booklists
Last Updated: Tuesday, 30 June 2020
Through books, movies, advertisements, other media, children are confronted with images that reflect how society sees them, and thus how they see themselves. Children as young as 4 years old have already picked up negative racist ideas. One way to counter this is to talk plainly with our children about our values and about race with respect to the injustices people of color live with. Reading books that feature Black people is a great way to begin talking about race and racism with your kids. Books that reflect the wide range of experiences and achievements - the pain and the joy of being African American - will help to disrupt stereotypes and correct misconceptions.
Board Books - Infants and Toddlers
- Baby Dance by Ann Taylor
- Dream Big Little One by Vashti Harrison
- Girl of Mine by Jabari Hasim
- I Can do it Too! By Karen Baiker
- I Can Dream by Betsy Snyder
- Whose Knees are These? by Jabari Asim
- Woke Baby by Mahogany Browne
Picture Books for Early Childhood
- Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max
- Brown Sugar Babe by Charlotte Watson Sherman
- Cool Cuts by Mechal Rene Roe
- Hip Hop Lollipop by Susan McElroy Montanari
- I believe I can by Grace Byers
- Little Leaders Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
- Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
- Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown
- Thank You, Omu! by Oga Mora
- What’s the difference? Being Different is Amazing by Doyin Richards
- Who Will You Be? by Andrea Pippins
School Age - K - 3rd Grade
- All Different Now: Juneteenth, The First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson
- Black is A Rainbow Color by Angela Joy
- Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins by Michelle Meadows
- Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons
- Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins
- I, too, am America by Langston Hughes
- Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
- UnDefeated by Kwame Alexander
Middle Grades
- Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
- For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama Lockington
- Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
- From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
- Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert
- The Stars Beneath our Feet by David Barclay Moore
Teens
- Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America
- Dear Martin by Nic Stone
- Light Up by Kekla Magoon
- I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal
- Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
- Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibrim Kendi
- Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
