Black history children books were one of the first things I started to incorporate in our daughter’s home library when she was very young. I always wanted her to understand her history and to be proud of her brown skin and roots. Her collection grew large because I would get her books about all the different African American historical figures. Eventually, she began receiving books as gifts because friends and family knew her love for reading.
One year she received a collection of black fairy tales from my sister and she thought it was the best gift ever. I would like to believe that because I’d exposed her to people that looked like her and showed real achievements of those individuals when it came to fictional characters she was very accepting of them being brown just like her.
We tend to donate her books as her reading level advances, but these are books I’ve kept for years. I am glad I’ve held on to them because after eleven years I can now pass them along to her little brother.
Suggested Black History Children Books Ages Preschool-4th Grade
. . . If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King
If you lived at the time of Martin Luther King
–When did the civil rights movement begin?
–Were children involved in civil rights protests?
–What was the March on Washington?
This book tells you what it was like during the era when Martin Luther King led the fight against segregation.
Malcolm X lived in difficult times – when some thought that black people were inferior to white people. But Malcolm believed that black people should stand up for their rights and he preached this belief everywhere he went. His message became popular because it was one of hope and pride. But it also became dangerous, because some people didn’t agree with him. In 1965, one of these people shot and killed him. Even though his life was cut short by hatred, Malcolm X’s ideas still affect people of all races. Here is his amazing story.
“Meet Rosa Parks” invites readers to explore the life of the woman called “the mother of the civil rights movement”. In simple words, this book shares the powerful story of how one remarkable woman changed the laws of the United States forever.
Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True StoryWho
The extraordinary true story of Ruby Bridges, the first African-American child to integrate a New Orleans school–now with simple text for young readers!
This is the true story of an extraordinary little girl who helped shape our country when she became the first African-American to attend an all-white school in New Orleans. With simple text and historical photographs, this easy reader explores an amazing moment in history and the courage of a young girl who stayed strong in the face of racism.
As the world now knows, Barack Obama has made history as our first African-American president. With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this biography is perfect for primary graders.
Keep Sharing the Experiences
Black history children books should be a part of every child’s life. Books, which show beautiful and strong fictional character should also be a part.
As a bonus, I’ve included the fairy tale collection below. Black history children books are available for all reading levels. I hope you enjoy these titles as much as we do. If you have any favorite titles please share them with me. I am always growing the kid’s library.
A Fairy Tale Treasury (Dover Children’s Classics)
From a great giant to a tiny child and from a wicked stepmother to a kindly granny, all of the characters in these classic folktales are African Americans. Children will delight in the timeless pleasures of these six fairy tales: Rapunzel, in which the heroine’s long hair forms a ladder for her rescue; Cinderella, a tale of patience and humility rewarded; Beauty and the Beast, the triumph of true love over appearances; Little Red Riding Hood, involving a close call with a crafty wolf; the search for what is “just right” in Goldilocks and the Three Bears; and a foolish boy’s transformation into a hero in Jack and the Beanstalk.
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