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170 Children’s Books with Black Characters

I love reading good children’s books with my three-year-son and recommending them to my friends who are mothers. When I recently sent them a book recommendation, one mom requested books with black characters. This mom and I have black children and it is important for us to have books with characters that resemble them. It helps our children make a connection with the characters, plot, and setting. Suddenly I started creating a list of books we have read with black characters. At first, I thought the list would consist of 25 books. However, as I began writing, it went from 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, and then finally to 170 books! Some of these books I have read to my son, and then some he read independently. Below is a video of Reading Games/Activities for Kids Read these books below and make them come alive to your children.

Let’s get started! 

*This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links.

1. Max Goes to the Barber by Adria F. Klein/Mernie Gallagher-Cole

2. Max Goes to the Dentist by Adria F. Klein/Mernie Gallagher-Cole

3. Max Goes to School by Adria F. Klein/Mernie Gallagher-Cole

4. Max Goes to the Library by Adria F. Klein/ Mernie Gallagher-Cole

5. Max Goes to the Zoo by Adria Klein/Mernie Gallagher-Cole

6. Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn/Rosaline Beardshaw

7. The Snowy Day by Erza Jack Keats

8. Peter’s Chair by Erza Jack Keats

9. Goggles by Erza Jack Keats

10. Pet Show by Erza Jack Keats

11. Whistle for Willie by Erza Jack Keats

12. Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang

13. Whose Toes are Those by Jabari Asim/LeUyen Pham

14. I Am So Brave by Stephen Krensky/Sara Gillingham

15. I Know A lot by Stephen Krensky/Sara Gillingham

16. Shades of Black: A Celebration of our Children by Sandra L. Pinkney/Miles Pinkney

17. Shanna’s Teacher Show by Jean Marzollo/Shane W. Evans

18. God Bless the Child by Billie Holiday/Arthur Herzog, Jr.

19. Harper Counts Her Blessings by Kristi Guillory Reid/Jerry Craft

20. Peek a Boo Morning by Rachel Isadora

My son reading a book.

21. Peek a Boo Bedtime by Rachel Isadora

22. Green Pants by Kenneth Kraegel

23. Brown Boy Brown Boy What Can you Be by Ameshia Arthur

24. Dad Who Will I Be? by G. Todd Taylor/Jorge Hernandez

25. Full Full Full of Love by Trish Cooke/Paul Howard

26. I Look Up to Michelle Obama by Anna Membrino/Fatti Burke

27. Mary had a Little Glam by Tammi Sauer/Vanessa Brantley-Newton

28. Dream Big, Little One by Vashi Harrison

29. Marvelous Me: Inside and Out by Lisa Bullard/Brandon Reibeling

30. Baby Dance by Ann Taylor/Majorie van Heerden

31. Milo’s Museum by Zetta Elliott/Purple Wong

32. Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee/Tonya Lewis Lee

33. Leo Loves Baby Time by Anna McQuinn/Ruth Hearson

34. Leo Can Swim by Anna McQuinn/Ruth Hearson

35. Pretty Brown Face by Andrea Davis Pinkney/Brian Pinkney

36. I Love My Hair by Natasha Anatasia Tarpley/E.B. Lewis

37. Afro-Bets 1,2,3 by Cheryl Willis Hudson

38. Afro-Bets ABC Book by Cheryl Willis Hudson

39. Afro-Bets Book of Colors by Margery Brown/Culverson Blair

40. Afro-Bets Book of Shapes by Margery Brown/Culverson Blair

41. Riley Can be Anything by Mrs. Davina Hamilton/Elena Reinoso

42. Chocolate Me by Taye Diggs/Shane W. Evans

43. Mixed Me by Taye Diggs/Shane W. Evans

44. I Am Mixed by Garcelle Beauvais/Sebastian A. Jones

45. I Love you More Than by Taye Diggs/Shane W. Evans

46. Lullaby (For a Black Mother) by Langston Hughes/Sean Qualls

47. Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty/David Roberts

48. When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner/David Catrow

49. Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson/Michael Robertson

50. Even Superheroes Have Bad Days by Shelly Becker/Eda Kaban

51. Hank’s Big Day by Evan Kuhlman/Chuck Groenink

52. Not Norman: A Goldfish Story by Kelly Bennett/Noah Z. Jones

53. Max and the Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper

54. These Hands by Margaret Mason/Floyd Cooper

55. Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham/Charles Waters

56. I Am Loved by Nikki Giovanni/Ashley Bryan

57. The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds

58. Max Speed by Stephen Shaskan

59. Goodnight Lab: a Scientific Parody by Chris Ferrie

60 . Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed/Stasia Burrington

61. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly/Laura Freeman

62. Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? by Patricia McLaurin & Dian Wang

63. I Want to Be a Police Officer by Laura Driscoll/Cantalina Echeverri

64. I Want to be a Doctor by Laura Driscoll/Echeverri

65. The Penny Pot by Stuart Murphy/Lynn Cravath

66. Elevator Magic by Stuart Murphy/G. Brian Karas

67. Early Sunday Morning by Denene Millner/Vanessa Brantley-Newton

68. A Wild Cowboy by Dana Kessimakis Smith/Laura Freeman

69. Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan

70. Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee by Andrea Loney/Keith Mallett

71. Who is Barack Obama? by Roberta Edwards/Who HQ

72. The Seven Days of Kwanzaa by Ella Grier/John William Ward

73. Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins/Bryan Collier

74. Pretend You’re a Cat by Jean Marzollo/Jerry Pinkney

75. Angels Watching Over Me by Julia Durango/Elisa Kleven

76. Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes/Gordon C. James

77. Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T. Smith

78. Penny and the Magic Puff Balls by Alonda Williams/Tyrus Goshay

79. I’m A Pretty Little Black Girl by Betty Bynum

80. I Am Enough by Grace Byers/Kenturah A. Bobo

81. This Little Light of Mine by Public Domain/E.B. Lewis

82. World of Reading: Black Panther: This is Black Panther (Level 1) by Alexandra C. West/Marvel Press Artist

83. Marvel’s Black Panther: Meet Black Panther (Level 2) by R.R. Busse

84. Black Panther Little Golden Book by Frank Berrios/Patrick Spaziante

85. Caribbean Dream by Rachel Isadora

86. Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bildner/John Parra

87. Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

88. Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin/Lauren Tobia

89. Lottie Paris and the Best Place by Angela Johnson/Scott Fischer

90. Lottie Paris Lives Here by Angela Johnson/Scott Fischer

91. Seeing Into Tomorrow Haiku by Nina Crews/Dr. Richard Wright

92. I Can be Anything!  Don’t Tell Me I Can’t by Diane Dillon

93. Billy Boo is Stuck in Goo by Jennifer Hamburg/Ross Burach

94. My Name is Judah by Pamela Denise Mack

95. It’s Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el/Gina Perry

96. The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath by Julia Finley Mosca/Daniel Rieley

97. Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman/Andy Elkerton

98. Phoebe Sounds it Out by Julie Zwillich/Denise Holmes

99. Not ‘Til Tomorrow, Phoebe by Julie Zwillich/Denise Holmes

100. The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

101. Manners with a Library Book by Amanda Doering Tourville/Chris Lensch

102. The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashley Spires

103. I like Myself by Karen Beaumont/David Catrow

104. For You are a Kenyan Child by Kelly Cunnane/Ana Juan

105. If You Were a Kid Docking at the International Space Station by John Gregory/Jason Raish

106. Beautiful Moon: A Child’s Prayer by Tonya Bolden/Eric Velasquez

107. The Girl With a Mind for Math: The Story of Taye Monatgue by Julia Finley Mosca/Daniel Rieley

108. Little Man Little Man: A Story of Childhood by James Baldwin/Nicholas Boggs

109. We Love You Rosie by Cynthia Rylant/Linda Davick

110. 3 x 4: Toon Level 1 (Toon Easy-to-read Comics, Level 1) by Ivan Brunetti

111. Kick it Mo (Mo Jackson) by David Adler/Sam Ricks

112. Don’t Throw It To Mo! (Mo Jackson) by David Adler/Sam Ricks

113. Pass the Ball, Mo! (Mo Jackson) by David Adler/Sam Ricks

114. Get a Hit, Mo! by David Adler/Sam Ricks

115. Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present by Jamie Wilson/Andrea Pippins

116. Snow Day! by Candice Ransom/Erika Meza

117. I am Human A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde/ Peter H. Reynolds

118. Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy by Tony Medina/Javaka Steptoe

119. Kele’s Secret by Tolowa M. Mollel/Catherine Stock

120. You Can Do It by Tony Dungy/Amy June Bates

121. We are Brothers by Yves Nadon/Jean Claverie

122. Thank You, Omu by Oge Mora

123. Two Problems for Sophia by Jim Averbeck/Yasmeen Ismail

124. One Word from Sopha by Jim Averbeck/Yasmeen Ismail

125. Excellent Ed by Stacy McAnulty/Julia Sarcone-Roach

126. Brave by Stacy McAnulty/Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

127. Goal by Mina Javaherbin/A.G. Goal

128. Me and Uncle Romie by Claire Hartfield/Jerome Lagarrigue

129. Celebrate with ZaZa by Mylo Freeman

130. Sleep Well, Siba and Saba by Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl/Sandra Van Doorn

131. Danitra Brown, Class Clown by Nikki Grimes/E.B. Lewis

132. Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes/Floyd Cooper

133. World of Reading: Doc McStuffins All Stuffed Up: Pre-level 1 by Disney Book Group/Catherina Happy

134. Doc McStuffins Out of the Box (Flap ‘n Tab) by Disney Book Group/Marcy Kelman

135. Doc McStuffins Little First Look and Find – PI Kids by Editors of Phoenix International Publications/

136. Doc McStuffins Pet Vet by Disney Book Group/Disney Storybook Art Team

137. The Ring Bearer by Floyd Cooper

138. Tea Cakes for Tosh by Kelly Starling Lyons/E.B. Lewis

139. Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio/LeUyen Pham

140. I’m a Big Brother Now by Katura J. Hudson/Sylvia L. Walker

141. The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pat Zietlow Miller/Frank Morrison

142. A Beach Tail by Karen P. Williams/Floyd Cooper

143. Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown/Frank Morrison

144. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña/Christian Robinson

145. My Kicks: A Sneaker’s Story by Susan Verde/Katie Kath 

146. Don’t Touch My Hair by Sharee Miller

147. Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe

148. What’s Special About Me, Mama? by Kristina Evans/Javaka Steptoe

149. Knock, Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty/Bryan Collier

150. When the Beat was Born: DJ Kool Here and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill/Theodore Taylor III

151. Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews/Bryan Collier

152. Grandma in Blue with a Red Hat by Scott Menchin/Harry Bliss

153. Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue/Corinne Nadon

154. Bippity Bop Barbershop by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley/E.B. Lewis

155. Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!: A Sonic Adventure by Wynton Marsalis/Paul Rogers

156. The 5’o Clock Band by Troy Andrews/Bryan Collier

157. All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold/Suzanne Kaufman

158. Ben Doesn’t Like to be Hugged by Zetta Elliott/Purple Wong

159. The Day you Begin by Jacqueline Woodson/Rafael Lopez

160. Around Our Way on Neighbor’s Day by Tameka Fryer Brown/Charlotte Riley-Webb

161. The Joys of Being a Little Black Boy by Valerie Reynolds/Chris Turner

162. Love your Hair by Dr. Phoenyx Austin

163. I’m a Pretty Princess by Crystal Swain-Bates

164. Look What Brown Can Do by T. Marie Harris/Neda Ivanova

165. Naturally Me by Crystal Swain-Bates

166. I am a  Brilliant Little Black Boy by Betty K. Bynum/Joshua B. Drummond

167. Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

168. Big Hair Don’t Care by Crystal Swain-Bates/Caroline Binch

169. Charlotte and the Quiet Place by Deborah Sosin/Sara Woolley

170. This is the Rope by Jaqueline Woodson/James Ransome

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