African American Biographies for Grades 3-8: Multcolib School CorpsLike this list

35 items

• Classroom Collection. African American Biographies (Grades 3-8)

  Add Classroom Collection. African American Biographies (Grades 3-8) to your for later shelf

  Biographies that highlight historical and contemporary African American leaders who have made an impact on our world.

• Spark

  Jim West's Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone

  Ramirez, Ainissa, 1969-

  Add Spark to your for later shelf

  "Young Jim West loves to pull apart whatever electronics he can get his hands on to see how they work. Those around him say there's no path for a kid like him to become a scientist, but Jim is determined to forge his own way."

• Liberty's Forgotten Hero

  Grant, Kesha,

  Add Liberty's Forgotten Hero to your for later shelf

  "This is the inspiring true story of James Forten who served in the American Revolution as a teenager and then dedicated his life to fighting for the ideals set forth by the Declaration of Independence that 'all men are created equal.'"

• A Doctor at Heart

  the Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas

  Schoettler, Joan,

  Add A Doctor at Heart to your for later shelf

  "A picture book biography about Vivien Thomas, a pioneer of children's heart surgery and trailblazer for Black people in STEM"

• Fearless Mary

  Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver

  Charles, Tami,

  Add Fearless Mary to your for later shelf

  Grades PreK-2. The true story of Mary Fields, aka "Stagecoach Mary," a trailblazing African American woman who helped settle the American West. Available in ebook format.

• Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free

  the True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth

  Duncan, Alice Faye,

  Add Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free to your for later shelf

  Grades Kinder-2. The true story of Black activist Opal Lee and her vision of Juneteenth as a holiday for everyone will inspire children to be brave and make a difference. Growing up in Texas, Opal knew the history of Juneteenth, but she soon…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• There Was a Party for Langston

  Reynolds, Jason,

  Add There Was a Party for Langston to your for later shelf

  Grades PreK-3. A celebration of Langston Hughes and African American authors he inspired, told through the lens of the party held at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1991. Available in ebook and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Saving American Beach

  the Biography of African American Environmentalist MaVynee Betsch

  King, Heidi Tyline, 1966-

  Add Saving American Beach to your for later shelf

  Grades PreK-3. A biography of MaVynee Betsch, an African American opera singer turned environmentalist who worked to preserve American Beach, Florida as a historical landmark. Available in ebook format.

• Jimmy's Rhythm & Blues

  the Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin

  Meadows, Michelle,

  Add Jimmy's Rhythm & Blues to your for later shelf

  Grades Prek-3. Before he became a legendary writer, James "Jimmy" Baldwin was a young boy from Harlem, New York, who loved stories. He found joy in the rhythm of music, family, and books. But Jimmy also found the blues, as a Black man living in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth

  Educator, Feminist, and Anti-lynching Civil Rights Leader

  Duster, Michelle,

  Add Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth to your for later shelf

  Grades PreK-3. An inspiring picture book biography of Ida B. Wells--who was an educator, journalist, feminist, businesswoman, newspaper owner, public speaker, suffragist, civil rights activist, and women's club leader--as told by her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Loud and Proud

  the Life of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm

  Cline-Ransome, Lesa,

  Add Loud and Proud to your for later shelf

  Grades PreK-3. Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) is a hero and trailblazer. She was the first African American woman in Congress (1968) and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fighting With Love

  the Legacy of John Lewis

  Cline-Ransome, Lesa,

  Add Fighting With Love to your for later shelf

  Grades PreK-3. In a beautiful prose telling, the story of a groundbreaking civil rights leader, John Lewis. John Lewis left a cotton farm in Alabama to join the fight for civil rights. He was only a teenager. He soon became a leader of a moment that…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Look Up With Me

  Neil deGrasse Tyson : a Life Among the Stars

  Berne, Jennifer,

  Add Look Up With Me to your for later shelf

  Grades PreK-3. A biography of famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and awe-inspiring facts about our universe.

• Go Forth and Tell

  the Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller

  McDaniel, Breanna J.,

  Add Go Forth and Tell to your for later shelf

  Grades K-3. A luminous picture book biography about librarian and storyteller Augusta Baker, the first Black coordinator of children's services at all branches of the New York Public library. Available in ebook format.

• Ketanji

  Justice Jackson's Journey to the U.S. Supreme Court

  Magoon, Kekla,

  Add Ketanji to your for later shelf

  Grades 1-3. Ketanji Brown Jackson is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. When a high school guidance counselor told her she should set her sights lower than Harvard, she decided to go to Harvard for college and law school. When she became a public…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Vast Wonder of the World

  Biologist Ernest Everett Just

  Mangal, Mélina,

  Add The Vast Wonder of the World to your for later shelf

  Grades 1-4. Presents the life and accomplishments of the African American scientist, whose keen observations of sea creatures revealed new insights about egg cells and the origins of life. Available in ebook and downloadable audiobook formats.

• The Sole Man

  Jan Matzeliger's Lasting Invention

  Keller, Shana, 1977-

  Add The Sole Man to your for later shelf

  Grades 1-4. In 1873, Jan Ernst Matzeliger arrived in America. He was highly skilled with machinery, but no one wanted to hire a Black immigrant. Jan finally got a job at a shoe factory. He envisioned a machine that would help shoe production, but…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Highest Tribute

  Thurgood Marshall's Life, Leadership, and Legacy

  Magoon, Kekla,

  Add The Highest Tribute to your for later shelf

  Grades 1-4. A picture book portrait of the first Black justice on the Supreme Court, presented by two Coretta Scott King Honor winners, includes coverage of Thurgood Marshall's upbringing in segregated Baltimore, achievements with the NAACP and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Unstoppable

  How Bayard Rustin Organized the 1963 March on Washington

  Long, Michael G.,

  Add Unstoppable to your for later shelf

  Grades 1-4. This powerful and triumphant picture book biography tells the story of Bayard Rustin, an openly gay civil rights leader, who, with the support of Dr. King and future congressman John Lewis, led 250,000 people to the doorstep of the U.S.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Harriet Tubman

  Pinkney, Andrea Davis,

  Add Harriet Tubman to your for later shelf

  Grades 1-4. A biography of Harriet Tubman, part of the She Persisted chapter book series. Available in ebook and downloadable audiobook formats.