NEW 2022 Black History Books for Children & Teenagers

February is Black History Month! A good time to share the best new Black History books for children and teenagers! So here is a good variety of new books, from picture books to middle grade novels, graphic novels and young adult novels, about important Black History figures and events, past and present. Enjoy browsing!

NEW 2022 Black History Books for Children & Teenagers

Elementary School

A History of Me
by Adrea Theodore

Life can be hard for the only brown girl in a classroom full of white students. When the teacher talks about slavery and civil rights, she can feel all of her classmates staring at her. She wonders, is that all you see when you look at me? But she learns that what really matters is what she sees when she looks at herself: A reflection of the courage, strength, intelligence and creativity that’s been passed down from generation to generation. Inspired by the author’s and her daughter’s experience in school, A History of Me is a powerful testament to the past and a positive affirmation for children of colour everywhere. ~ African – Elementary School

Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth: Educator, Feminist, and Anti-Lynching Civil Rights Leader
by Michelle Duster

Told by her great-granddaughter, Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth is an inspiring picture book biography of the groundbreaking journalist and civil rights activist. Ida B. Wells was an educator, journalist, feminist, businesswoman, newspaper owner, public speaker, suffragist, civil rights activist, and women’s club leader. She wrote, spoke, and traveled, challenging the racist and sexist norms of her time. Faced with criticism and threats to her life, she never gave up. ~ African – Elementary School

She Persisted: Coretta Scott King
by Kelly Starling Lyons

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted comes a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds. She Persisted: Coretta Scott King teaches readers about the amazing life of Coretta Scott King who was known for being the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but was also a civil rights activist and leader in her own right. Scott King was a singer and an author too, and her work made a difference for Black Americans and for all women for decades to come. Includes an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Coretta Scott King’s footsteps and make a difference. ~ African – Elementary School

Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth
by Alice Faye Duncan

Every year, Opal looked forward to the Juneteenth picnic—a drumming, dancing, delicious party. She knew from Granddaddy Zak’s stories that Juneteenth celebrated the day the freedom news of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation finally arrived in Texas in 1865—over two years after the president had declared it! But one Juneteenth day when Opal was twelve years old, an angry crowd burned down her brand-new home. This wasn’t freedom at all. She had to do something! But could one person’s voice make a difference? Could Opal bring about national recognition of Juneteenth? Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free follows Opal on her historic journey to recognize and celebrate “freedom for all.” ~ African – Elementary School

National Geographic Readers: Kamala Harris (Level 2)
by Tonya K. Grant

On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris made history. That day, she became the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected as Vice President of the United States. With engaging images and interactive features, National Geographic Readers: Kamala Harris explores Harris’s life, achievements, and the challenges she faced along the way to becoming a barrier-breaking leader and an inspiration to young people everywhere. ~ African – Elementary School

National Geographic Readers: Stacey Abrams
by Melissa Mwai

Learn about the voting rights advocate and politician Stacey Abrams and her groundbreaking achievements in this appealing Level 2 reader. National Geographic Readers: Stacey Abrams teaches young readers about Abram’s life, from her childhood to her early career as a city attorney and as minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives to her run in Georgia as the first Black woman to be nominated by a major party for governor. Losing that race inspired her to devote her life to making elections and the voting process more equitable for everyone. ~ African – Elementary School

The Faith of Elijah Cummings: The North Star of Equal Justice
by Carole Boston Weatherford

Elijah Cummings was a man of faith and dignity, a beacon of justice, and an unrelenting warrior for equality and change. But when he was a little boy, he struggled in school. His teachers thought he talked too much and asked too many questions. They said he’d never be able to read or write well. Despite his difficulties, Elijah never gave up. He persevered, having faith that with hard work, he’d be able to achieve his goals. Visually stunning The Faith of Elijah Cummings: The North Star of Equal Justice details the civil rights advocate’s inspiring journey from his humble beginnings as the son of former sharecroppers to becoming a lawyer, state legislator, and leading congressman. ~ African – Elementary School

Because Claudette
by Tracey Baptiste

When fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus on March 2, 1955, she had no idea she was about to make history. Her arrest began a crucial chain of events: Rosa Park’s sit-in nine months later, the organization of the Montgomery bus boycott by activists like Professor Jo Ann Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the Supreme Court decision that Alabama’s bus segregation was unconstitutional. Because Claudette is both a biography about this brave young activist and a celebration of collective action. ~ African – Elementary School

Call Me Miss Hamilton: One Woman’s Case for Equality and Respect
by Carole Boston Weatherford

Mary Hamilton was proud to be Black. She joined the Civil Rights Movement and become a Freedom Rider, eager to fight for what she believed in. Mary was arrested again and again―and she did not back down when faced with disrespect. In an Alabama court, a white prosecutor called her by her first name, and she refused to answer unless he called her “Miss Hamilton.” The judge charged her with contempt of court, but Mary fought the contempt charge all the way to the Supreme Court. With powerful free verse, striking scratchboard illustrations, and archival photographs, Call Me Miss Hamilton honours this unsung heroine whom Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. nicknamed “Red” because of her fiery spirit. ~ African – Elementary School, Middle School

Middle School

Speak Up, Speak Out!: The Extraordinary Life of Fighting Shirley Chisholm
by Tonya Bolden

Before there was Barack Obama, before there was Kamala Harris, there was Fighting Shirley Chisholm. A daughter of Barbadian immigrants, Chisholm developed her political chops in Brooklyn in the 1950s. This “pepper pot,” as she was known, was not afraid to speak up for what she thought was right. While fighting for a better life for her constituents in New York’s 12th Congressional District, Chisholm fought against sexism and racism in her own life. Extensively researched and reviewed by experts, Speak Up, Speak Out!: The Extraordinary Life of Fighting Shirley Chisholm traces Chisholm’s journey from her childhood in a small flat in Brooklyn to becoming the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. ~ African – Middle School

Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’round: My Story of the Making of Martin Luther King Day
by Kathlyn J. Kirkwood

Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round is a deeply moving middle grade memoir-in-verse about what it means to be an everyday activist and foot solider for racial justice. The author recounts how, drawn to activism from childhood, she went from attending protests as a teenager to fighting for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday to become a national holiday as an adult. Deftly weaving together monumental historical events with a heartfelt coming-of-age story and in-depth information on law making, this engaging book details the time, passion, and energy it takes to turn an idea into a law. ~ African – Middle School

Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote
by Alice Faye Duncan

In 1950s Fayette County, Tennessee, Black hands were free to work as sharecroppers, but they were barred from casting ballots in public elections. If they dared to vote, they faced threats of violence by the local Ku Klux Klan or white citizens. When Black landowners organized registration drives to help Black citizens vote, white farmers violently evicted Black sharecroppers off their land, forcing them to live in tents. White shopkeepers refused to sell them groceries, clothes, and other necessities. But the voiceless did finally speak, culminating in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Told through the eyes of a child, Evicted! combines poetry, prose, and stunning illustrations to shine light Tennessee’s Fayette County Tent City Movement. ~ African – Middle School

Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?: Rosa Parks: A Who HQ Graphic Novel
by Insha Fitzpatrick

From refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger to sparking civil rights protests across America, explore how Rosa Parks’s powerful act earned her the title “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?: Rosa Parks is an inspiring graphic novel about resistance, strength, and unwavering spirit, brought to life by gripping narrative and vivid illustrations. ~ African – Middle School

VIP: Stacey Abrams: Voting Visionary
by Andrea L. Loney

Stacey Abrams is an activist who works for fair voting rights. She’s a lawyer, an author, and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. VIP: Stacey Abrams: Voting Visionary Stacey’s thrilling life in this exciting biography, packed with engaging illustrations, special lists and fun facts, like how the census helps everyone. Extras include a timeline, a bibliography, and a hall of fame of other successful African American organizers and leaders. ~ African – Middle School

Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist
by Terry Catasús Jennings & Rosita Stevens-Holsey

Pauli Murray was a thorn in the side of white America demanding justice and equal treatment for all. She was a queer civil rights and women’s rights activist before any movement advocated for either–the brilliant mind that, in 1944, conceptualized the arguments that would win Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; and in 1964, the arguments that won women equality in the workplace. Throughout her life, she lived by her convictions and challenged authority to demand fairness and justice regardless of the personal consequences. Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist is a riveting biography-in-verse about this trailblazer who spent her life fighting for civil rights and women’s rights. ~ African – Middle School

Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler
by Ibi Zoboi

Told in poems and prose, Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler illuminates the life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler, author of Parable of the Sower and Kindred. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death. ~ African – Middle School

Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America
by Candacy Taylor

Overground Railroad chronicles the history of the Green Book, which was published from 1936 to 1966 and was the “Black travel guide to America.” Black travelers couldn’t eat, sleep, or even get gas at most white-owned businesses. The Green Book listed hotels, restaurants, department stores, gas stations, recreational destinations, and other businesses that were safe for Black travelers. It was a resourceful and innovative solution to a horrific problem. This young reader’s edition of Candacy Taylor’s critically acclaimed book includes her own photographs of Green Book sites, as well as archival photographs and interviews with people who owned and used these facilities. ~ African – Middle School

High School

And We Rise
by Erica Martin

With evocative verse and vivid use of white space, And We Rise takes readers on a powerful, eye-opening journey through the Civil Rights Movement in 1950s-1960s America, from well-documented events like the “Separate but Equal” ruling to lesser-known figures and moments that were just as crucial to the fight for justice and equality. Includes historical photographs, author’s note, chronology of events, research, and sources. ~ African – High School

African Town
by I. Latham & C. Waters

In 1860, long after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 men, women and children from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama aboard a ship called Clotilda. Their journey includes the savage Middle Passage and being hidden in the swamplands along the Alabama River before being secretly parceled out to various plantations, where they made desperate attempts to maintain both their culture and fit into the place of captivity. At the end of the Civil War, the survivors created a community called African Town, which still exists to this day. Told in 14 distinct voices, African Town is a powerful and stunning novel-in-verse about the last Africans brought illegally to America. ~ African – High School

Freedom! The Story of the Black Panther Party
by J.G. Martin, J. Bloom & W.E. Martin Jr

There is a saying: knowledge is power. But knowledge, applied at the right time and place, is more than power. It’s magic. The Black Panther Party called up this magic and launched a revolution. This is the story of Huey and Bobby. Eldridge and Kathleen. Elaine and Fred and Ericka. This is the story of the committed party members. Their supporters and allies. The Free Breakfast Program and the Ten Point Program. It’s about Black nationalism, Black radicalism, about Black people in America. Meticulously researched, thrillingly told, and filled with incredible photographs throughout, Freedom! The Story of the Black Panther Party, is a passionate and engaging book about the Black Panther Party. ~ African – High School