Written By: Atinuke Illustrated by: Angela Brooksbank For Ages: 2-5 years Language: English Topics Covered: Family, Self-Esteem, Chickens, Ingenuity, Own Voices. Summary: Lami is the best chicken catcher in her compound, and wears that title proudly. Lami runs all around chasing the chickens, sometimes to the dismay of those around her! When Lami chases one…
Category: African Culture and Identity
I Am Not A Label
Written By: Cerrie Burnell Illustrated by: Lauren Baldo For Ages: 8-12 years Language: English Topics Covered: Disability, Own Voices, Historical Figures, Mental Health, Global Community, STEM, Art, Sports. Summary: This book is awesome! I’m so glad we have an #ownvoices book about disability throughout history that covers the globe instead of centering a specific country….
The Pirate Tree
Written by: Brigita Orel Illustrated by: Jennie Poh For ages: 3 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Friendship, Social-Emotional Learning, Immigration, Imagination, African Culture & Identity, Girls Outdoors, Global Community. Summary: This is a sweet book about friendship told from the perspective of a tree that some children are playing on. Agu has just moved to where the tree is…
Wherever I Go
Written by: Mary Wagley Copp Illustrated by: Munir D. Mohammed For ages: 6-9 years Language: English Topics Covered: Refugees, Resettlement, Lived Experiences, Family, African Culture & Identity, Friendship, Growing Up, Social-Emotional Learning. Summary: Abia has declared herself queen of the refugee camp she lives in, Shimelba! She knows all the ins and outs of daily life, like how to…
Nya’s Long Walk
Written by: Linda Sue Park Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney For ages: 4-9 years Language: English Topics Covered: Global Community, Africa, African Culture, Sudan, Sudanese Life, Water, Medicine, Family, Siblings, Love, Lived Experiences, POC-Centric Narratives. Summary: Nya and her sister Akeer live in Sudan and must walk a long way to get water. One day when making the journey, Akeer falls…
Maisie’s Scrapbook
Written by: Samuel Narh Illustrated by: Jo Loring-Fisher For ages: 3-7 years Language: English and some Ghanian Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Family, Biracial Family, Love, Imagination. Summary: This is a really cute story about a young girl named Maisie and her parents. Her father is African, and while the ethnicity of her mother is not specifically mentioned, she appears to be of…
Schomburg: The Man Who Built A Library
Written by: Carole Boston Weatherford Illustrated by: Eric Velasquez For ages: 8-12 years old, or a confident reading level. Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Historical Fiction, Historic Figures, Literacy, Trailblazers, Afro-Puerto Rican Figures, Professional Life, Schomburg Library. Summary: This book was sent to us by Candlewick Press, but all opinions are our own! This book is hefty! It is crammed with information about…
Freedom over me; Eleven slaves, their lives and dreams brought to life
Written & Illustrated by: Ashley Bryan For ages: 10-12 years (grades 4-6) Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Enslavement, Enslaved People, Historical Figures, Historical Events, Poetry, Historic Narratives, Narratives of Enslavement. Summary: This book is comprised of poems telling the stories of 11 enslaved people. Records of these individuals were found in a historical document owned by the author himself, who…
Henry’s Freedom Box, A True Story from the Underground Railroad
Written by: Ellen Levine Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson For ages: 7 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Enslavement, Underground Railroad, Historical Figures, Historical Fiction, Family, Friendship, Abolition. Summary: This book is heart wrenching. Very little happens in this story that is positive besides gaining freedom, and it gives a very real look at Henry’s life while being enslaved. There are…
grandpa cacao: a tale of chocolate, from farm to family
summary: This story follows tangential plot-lines of a little girl making her favorite chocolate birthday cake recipe for herself, and also learning about her grandfather who is a farmer, owning a cacao farm. The book is set up to show the parallels between the main character and her grandfather, because they have never met. As…