Black History Month 2026: Celebrating 100 Years for Young ReadersLike this list

30 items

• The Vast Wonder of the World

  Biologist Ernest Everett Just

  Mangal, Mélina,

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  Between 1912-1920s: 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.

• Bessie the Motorcycle Queen

  Smith, Charles R., Jr., 1969-

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  1920s: Hop on the bike with Bessie Stringfield, the motorcycle queen of Miami, in this powerful picture book from Coretta Scott King medalist Charles R. Smith, Jr. and debut picture book illustrator Charlot Kristensen. In 1929, 18-year-old Bessie…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Beautiful Shades of Brown

  the Art of Laura Wheeler Waring

  Churnin, Nancy,

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  1920s - 1930s: Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her. She didn't see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. So when she was offered a commission to paint portraits of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Jackie Ormes Draws the Future

  the Remarkable Life of a Pioneering Cartoonist

  Montague, Liz,

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  1930s: Here is an inspiring picture-book biography about the first Black female American cartoonist. Jackie would go on to create cartoon characters from the 1930s to 1950s - Torchy Brown, Candy, Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger - who entertained readers of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• All Aboard the Schooltrain

  a Little Story From the Great Migration

  Armand, Glenda,

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  During the Great Migration in 1930's Louisiana, eight-year-old Jenny tries to understand why a man named Jim Crow is making trouble for her family.

• Ice Breaker

  How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating

  Viña, Rose,

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  In the 1930's, only white figure skaters were allowed in public ice rinks and to compete for gold medals, but Mabel Fairbanks wouldn't let that stop her. With skates two sizes too big and a heart full of dreams, Mabel beat the odds and broke down…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar

  the Musical Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll

  Pinkney Barlow, Charnelle,

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  1930s - 1940s: Decades before Elvis Presley was dubbed the King of Rock and Roll, before Billy Haley played 'Rock Around the Clock,' and before the Beatles revolutionized popular music, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a Black guitar player from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Betty Before X

  Shabazz, Ilyasah,

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  Raised by her aunt until she is six, Betty, who will later marry Malcolm X, joins her mother and stepfamily in 1940s Detroit, where she learns about the civil rights movement.

• The Girl With a Mind for Math

  the Story of Raye Montague

  Mosca, Julia Finley,

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  After touring a German submarine in the early 1940s, young Raye set her sights on becoming an engineer. Little did she know sexism and racial inequality would challenge that dream every step of the way, even keeping her greatest career…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem

  the Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava

  Golio, Gary,

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  1940s: This visually stunning picture book portrait of Black photographer Roy DeCarava - a child of the Harlem Renaissance and an artistic collaborator of Langston Hughes - takes readers through life in 1940s Harlem. Harlem is a place where beauty…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Swinging Into History

  Toni Stone: Big-league Baseball's First Woman Player

  Swanson, Karen L.,

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  1950s: Nothing could stop Toni "Tomboy" Stone from playing baseball-not her parents or the boys. She persevered as insults were hurled her way, and eventually caught the attention of former major leaguer Gabby Street, who gave her a chance at his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Claudette Colvin

  I Want Freedom Now!

  Colvin, Claudette, 1939-2026,

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  Montgomery, Alabama 1955. Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin is tired. Tired of white people thinking they're better than her. Tired of going to separate schools and separate bathrooms. Most of all, she's tired of having to give up her seat on the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• What I Must Tell the World

  How Lorraine Hansberry Found Her Voice

  Leslie, Jay,

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  1950s: As a young girl, playwright Lorraine Hansberry walked everywhere with a notebook, eager to capture the sights, sounds, and stories of the people around her. First Lorraine watched her parents' triumph in the Supreme Court case of Hansberry v.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sweet Justice

  Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

  Rockliff, Mara,

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  1950s: A picture book biography about Georgia Gilmore, the woman whose cooking helped feed and fund the Montgomery bus boycott of 1956.

• Nina

  Jazz Legend and Civil-rights Activist Nina Simone

  Brière-Haquet, Alice, 1979-

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  1950s - 1960s: With evocative black-and-white illustrations and moving prose, readers are introduced to Nina Simone, jazz-music legend and civil-rights activist. Shared as a lullaby to her daughter, a soulful song recounts Simone's career, the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hidden Figures

  the True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

  Shetterly, Margot Lee,

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  1960s: Explores the previously uncelebrated but pivotal contributions of NASA's African American women mathematicians to America's space program, describing how Jim Crow laws segregated them despite their groundbreaking successes. Includes…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Yvonne Clark and Her Engineering Spark

  Wells, Allen R.,

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  1960s: A curious, tinkering girl grew up to become one of the first Black female engineers for NASA, where she helped solve a problem with the Saturn V rocket.

• Unstoppable

  How Bayard Rustin Organized the 1963 March on Washington

  Long, Michael G.,

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  1960s: 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

• Jerry Changed the Game!

  How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever

  Tate, Don,

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  1970s: This engaging picture book biography explores how Jerry Lawson, a Black engineer, revolutionized the video game industry. He built a brand new kind of video game console that allowed players to switch out video game cartridges! He also…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• When the Beat Was Born

  DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop

  Hill, Laban Carrick,

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  1970s: Before there was hip hop, there was DJ Kool Herc. On a hot day at the end of summer in 1973 Cindy Campbell threw a back-to-school party at a park in the South Bronx. Her brother, Clive Campbell, spun the records. He had a new way of playing…Read moreRead more of this annotation