Our children’s area has a great selection of titles about civil rights leaders, groundbreaking African American athletes, musicians, and artists. Here are some of our favorites.
The Who Was series is a great way to introduce young readers to historical figures and events.
Who Was Rosa Parks? by Yona Zeldis McDonough
Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough
What is the Civil Rights Movement? by Sherri L. Smith
Preaching to the Chickens the Story of Young John Lewis by Jabari Asim Before he became a well known and highly respected congressman, John Lewis dreamed of becoming a great preacher. On the Alabama farm of his childhood, he finds the perfect audience.
Game Changers the story of Venus and Serena Williams by Lesa Cline-Ransome This beautifully illustrated book captures the boldness, strength, and competitiveness as well as the respect and love between the two sisters who took the tennis world by storm.
Thurgood by Jonah Winter Follow the story of our first African American Supreme Court Justice from his boyhood in Baltimore, his years at Howard University and his steady climb to the highest court in the land.
Lillian’s Right to Vote by Jonah Winter Told through the eyes of a one-hundred-year-old African American woman on her way to vote, this book chronicles the uphill battle leading to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis Celebrating its 25th anniversary, this award winning modern classic chronicles one Michigan family on their summer road trip to rural Alabama during the height of the civil rights movement.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson Told in verse, this book recalls the author’s childhood memories of early years spent in the segregated south and later recollections from her move to Brooklyn, New York. Jacqueline Woodson is a powerful storyteller and the audio version of the book, narrated by the author, makes her stories sound more like music than just mere words.
