Magic Like That

English 3+ Black Joy Hair Girls Outdoors Poetry Samara Cole Doyon & Geneva Bowers summary Magic Like That is the most beautiful ode from our narrator to her hair. As she sits on the floor with her mom combing through it, the young girl thinks about other hairstyles she’s had in the past and how…

Mi Casa is My Home

English & Spanish 4+ Latinx Family Bilingual Books Big Families Confidence Self-Esteem Laurenne Sala & Zara González Hoang summary Mi Casa is My Home is a beautiful celebration of family and spending time with them! Readers are treated to a house tour from Lucía, our narrator who lives with her big family in their casa….

Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem

English 4+ Poetry Social Change Empowerment Music Amanda Gorman & Loren Long summary Change Sings joined the bookshelf ranks yesterday, and woah buddy it’s incredible. Amanda Gorman graced the inaugural stage and blew all of our minds with her powerful words, and she’s here to do it again with her picture book. Filled with hope…

The Proudest Color

English 4-8 Social-Emotional Learning New school BIPOC Narratives Self-Esteem Confidence Sheila Modir, Jeff Kashou, & Monica Mikai summary Zahra experiences her emotions as colors, and is about to start school. Something that Zahra understands is that while emotions are fleeting and sometimes unseen by those around her, her glowing brown skin is perceivable immediately. When…

What Would You Do in a Book About You?

english 4-8 years Creativity Imagination Empowerment Confidence Jean Reidy & Joey Chou summary This book is a creative take on the limitless possibilities of the readers’ imagination. Writing a book about yourself (or the greater metaphor of living the life you want) can include anything a person can dream up. Some of the options are…

Baby Young Gifted and Black

English Infant & Up Historical Figures Self-Esteem Own Voices Black Culture & Identity Jamia Wilson & Andrea Pippins Summary: Do I even need to state how adorable this book is? I cannot handle it. I’m sure you’ve seen the brilliant 2018 smash hit by Jamia Wilson & Andrea Pippins with the same name and the…

Curls

Written & Illustrated by:  Ruth Forman & Geneva Bowers For ages: Infant & Up (board book) Language: English Topics Covered: Own Voices BIPOC Protagonists Confidence Natural Hair Self-Esteem Friendship   Summary: In this gorgeous and poetic board book, the reader follows four friends that wear their natural hair in different ways. The children are buoyant and play…

Serena Says

Written By: Lanita S. Davis Cover Art by: Frank Morrison For Ages: MG & Up Language: English, some Tagalog. Topics Covered: Friendship, Confidence, Chronic Illness, Kidney Transplant, Blogging, Self-Esteem. Summary: Serena is an amazing blogger destined for fame…in her mind, anyway. In reality, Serena practices vlogging in her room trying to work up the courage…

my hair is MAGIC!

more books about black identity English 4-8 years BIPOC Protagonists Self-Esteem Natural Hair Imagination Confidence Family M.L. Marroquin & Tonya Engel Summary: This beautiful ode to one girl’s natural and buoyant hair can only be matched by Tonya Engel’s impossibly gorgeous illustrations. Filled to the brim with confidence and curls, our main character struts through…

Love is Powerful

Written By: Heather Dean Brewer Illustrated by: LeUyen Pham For Ages: 4-8 years Language: English Topics Covered: Peaceful Protest, Women’s March, Family, BIPOC Protagonists, Love, Confidence, Activism. Summary: For #sweetsandsocialjustice this week, I chose a book that is not only based on a real person and event, but also encompasses a lot of the unrest…