CONTEXTUALIZING THE FIRSTS
Stevie. Written and illustrated by John Steptoe. Harper & Row, 1969.
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale. Retold by Verna Aardema. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Dial, 1975.
AFRICAN ORIGINS
African Beginnings. Written by James Haskins & Kathleen Benson. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard Books, 1998.
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions. Written by Margaret Musgrove. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Dial, 1976.
Beautiful Blackbird. Written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.
To Be a Drum. Written by Evelyn Coleman. Illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. Published by Whitman and Co., 1998.
Turtle Knows Your Name. Retold and illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Atheneum, 1989.
THE MIDDLE PASSAGE
Bound for America. The Forced Migration of Africans to the New World. Written by James Haskins & Kathleen Benson. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1999.
Circle Unbroken. The Story of a Basket and Its People. Written by Margot Theis Raven. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004.
The Middle Passage. White Ships/Black Cargo. Written and Illustrated by Tom Feelings. Dial, 1995.
The Negro Speaks of Rivers. Text by Langston Hughes. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Published by Jump at the Sun/Disney, 2009.
SLAVERY & THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Ain’t Nobody a Stranger to Me. Written by Ann Grifalconi. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Jump at the Sun Books, 2007.
Dear Benjamin Banneker. Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Harcourt Brace & Co., 1994.
Freedom in Congo Square. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Little Bee Books/Bonnier, 2016.
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life. Written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Atheneum, 2016.
From Slave Ship to Freedom Road. Written by Julius Lester. Illustrated by Rod Brown. Published by Dial Books, 1998.
Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad. Written by Ellen Levine. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Published by Scholastic Press, 2007.
In the Hollow of Your Hand: Slave Lullabies. Written by Alice McGill. Illustrated by Michael Cummings. Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
Maya Angelou. Written by Maya Angelou. Edited by Edwin Graves Wilson. (Poetry for Young People). Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. Sterling, 2007.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Hyperion, 2006.
The Old African. Written by Julius Lester. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Published by Dial Books, 2005.
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales. Written by Virginia Hamilton. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Alfred A. Knopf, 2004
Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton. Written and illustrated by Don Tate. Published by Peachtree Publishers, 2015.
Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride. Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Jump at the Sun Books, 2009.
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. Written by Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by James Ransome. Alfred A. Knopf, 1995.
CIVIL WAR, EMANCIPATION, RECONSTRUCTION
All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom. Written by Angela Johnson. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014.
The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch. Written by Chris Barton. Illustrated by Don Tate. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2015.
Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation. Written by Pat Sherman. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2010.
Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change. Written by Michelle Cook. Illustrations by Cozbi Cabrera, et al. Bloomsbury, 2009.
SEGREGATION
Dear Mr. Rosenwald. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Published by Scholastic Press, 2006.
Freedom School, Yes! Written by Amy Littlesugar. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Published by Philomel Books, 2001.
Goin’ Someplace Special. Written by Patricia McKissack. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Published by Atheneum, 2001.
Going North. Written by Janice N. Harrington. Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004.
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. Written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Balzer + Bray, 2013.
Richard Wright and the Library Card. Written by William Miller. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Lee & Low Books, 1997.
Ruth and the Green Book. Written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey with Gwen Strauss. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda, 2010.
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story. Written by Audrey Vernick. Illustrated by Don Tate. HarperCollins, 2010.
We Troubled the Waters. Written by Ntozake Shange. Paintings by Rod Brown. Amistad/Collins, 2009.
HARLEM RENAISSANCE & THE GREAT MIGRATION
Ashley Bryan’s ABC of African American Poetry. Written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Atheneum, 1997.
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra. Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Hyperion, 1998.
The Great Migration: Journey to the North. Written by Eloise Greenfield. Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. Amistad/Harper Collins, 2011.
Sweet Music in Harlem. Written by Debbie A. Taylor. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. Published by Lee & Low Books, 2004.
CIVIL RIGHTS ERA
A Sweet Smell of Roses. Written by Angela Johnson. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Simon & Schuster, 2005.
Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation. Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Greenwillow, 2008.
The Cart that Carried Martin. Written by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Don Tate. Published by Charlesbridge, 2013.
Coretta Scott. Written by Ntozake Shange. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Published by Katherine Tegen Books, 2009.
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. Words and paintings by Kadir Nelson. Balzer + Bray, 2011.
Langston Hughes. Edited David Roessel & Arnold Rampersad. (Poetry for Young People). Illustrated by Benny Andrews. Sterling, 2006.
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Would Grow Up To Become Malcolm X. Written by Ilyasah Shabazz. Illustrated by AG
Ford. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014.
March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World. Written by Christine King Farris. Illustrated by London Ladd. Published by Scholastic Press, 2008.
My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Written by Martin Luther King, III. Illustrated by AG Ford. Amistad, 2013.
Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change. Written by Michelle Cook. Illustrations by Cozbi Cabrera, et al. Bloomsbury, 2009.
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down. Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Little, Brown, 2010.
This is the Dream. Written Diana ZuHone Shore and Jessica Alexander. Illustrated by James Ransome. Amistad, 2006.
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. Candlewick, 2015.
MODERN IDENTITY
Bird. Written Written by Zetta Elliott. Illustrated by Shadra Strickland. Lee & Low, 2008.
The Blacker the Berry. Written by Joyce Carol Thomas. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Published by Amistad, 2008.
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore. Written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Carolrhoda, 2015.
I Love My Hair. Written by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley. Illustrated by E.B.Lewis. Little, Brown, 1998.
Jump Back Honey: The Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Paul Laurence Dunbar. Selected by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Ashley Bryan, et al. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 1999.
Langston Hughes. Edited David Roessel & Arnold Rampersad. (Poetry for Young People). Illustrated by Benny Andrews. Sterling, 2006.
Quinnie Blue. Written by Dinah Johnson. Illustrated by James Ransome. Published by Henry Holt, 2000.
Sweet Music in Harlem. Written by Debbie A. Taylor. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. Published by Lee & Low Books, 2004.
Uncle Jed’s Barbershop. Written by Margaree King Mitchell. Illustrated by James Ransome. Simon & Schuster,1993.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis. Written by Matt de la Peña. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Dial, 2011.
A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent. Written by Anne Rockwell. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda, 2016.
Alvin Ailey. Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Published by Hyperion, 1993. θ
American Slave, American Hero: York of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Written by Laurence Pringle. Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. Calkins Creek, 2006.
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal. Written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Carolrhoda, 2009.
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses: A True Story. Written by Julius Lester. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Dial, 1998.
Becoming Billie Holiday. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. WordSong/Boyds Mills, 2008.
Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson: Taking the Stage as the First Black-and-White Jazz Band in History. Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illustrated by James Ransome. Holiday House, 2014.
Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa. Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Published by Jump at the Sun/Hyprion, 2002.
I’m Going to Sing: Black American Spirituals. Written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Atheneum,1974.
Jazz on a Saturday Night. Written and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Blue Sky Press, 2007.
John Henry. Written by Julius Lester. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Dial, 1994.
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone. Written by Katheryn Russell-Brown. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. Lee & Low, 2014.
Mahalia Jackson: Walking with Kings and Queens. Written by Nina Nolan. Illustrated by John Holyfield. Amistad, 2015.
Muhammad Ali: A Champion is Born. Written by Gene Barretta. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. Katherine Tegen Books, 2017.
My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey. Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illustrated by James Ransome. Simon & Schuster, 2015
Oprah: The Little Speaker. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by London Ladd. Marshall Cavendish, 2010.
Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change. Written by Michelle Cook. Illustrations by Cozbi Cabrera, et al. Bloomsbury, 2009.
Perfect Timing: How Isaac Murphy Became One of the World’s Greatest Jockeys. Written by Patsi B. Trollinger. Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. Viking, 2006.
Portraits of African-American Heroes. Written by Tonya Bolden. Illustrated by Ansel Pitcairn. Dutton, 2003.
Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis. Written by Jabari Asim. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2016.
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Written and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe. Little, Brown, 2016.
Ron’s Big Mission. Written by Rose Blue and Corine J. Naden. Illustrated by Don Tate. Dutton, 2009.
Roots and Blues: A Celebration. Written by Arnold Adoff. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Clarion, 2011.
Satchel Paige. Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illustrated by James Ransome. Simon & Schuster, 2000.
Sweet Music in Harlem. Written by Debbie A. Taylor. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. Lee & Low, 2004.
Talkin’ about Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman. Written by Nikki Grimes. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Orchard Books/Scholastic, 2002.
The Legendary Miss Lena Horne. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. Atheneum, 2017.
The Piano Man. Written by Debbi Chocolate. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Walker, 1998.
The Quickest Kid in Clarksville. Written by Pat Zietlow Miller. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. Chronicle, 2016.
The Sound That Jazz Makes. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Walker, 2000.
Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas. Written by Gwendolyn Hooks. Illustrated by Colin Bootman. Lee & Low, 2016.
Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali. Written by Charles R. Smith, Jr. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. Candlewick, 2007.
Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker. Written by Kathryn Lasky. Illustrated by Nneka Bennett. Candlewick, 2000.
Walk Together Children: Black American Spirituals. Written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Published by Atheneum, 1974.
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. Words and paintings by Kadir Nelson. Jump At The Sun/Hyperion, 2008.
Willie and the All-Stars. Written and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Philomel, 2008.