11 Bestselling Children’s Books

Period: July/August - 2015

AALBC Bestseller Seal

Celebrating books written by or about Black people, the African American Literature Book Club’s Bestsellers List has been published continuously since 1998 (Learn More ▶). In 2026, we began publishing our list quarterly, focusing our efforts on America’s top-selling titles: The BLK Bestsellers.

1
Cover for Ballerina Dreams: From Orphan to Dancer (Step Into Reading, Step 4)

Ballerina Dreams

by Michaela and Elaine Deprince
Add to Cart
2
Cover for I Love My Hair!

I Love My Hair!

by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Add to Cart
3
Cover for Jacob’s Ladder Reading Comprehension Program - Level 3

Jacob’s Ladder Reading Comprehension Program - Level 3

by Joyce VanTassel-Baska and Tamra Stambaugh
Add to Cart
4
Cover for Josephine: The Dazzling Life Of Josephine Baker

Josephine

by Patricia Hruby Powell
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6
Cover for Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming

by Jacqueline Woodson
Add to Cart
7
Cover for We Are The Ship: The Story Of Negro League Baseball

We Are The Ship

by Kadir Nelson
Add to Cart
8
Cover for The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales

The People Could Fly

by Virginia Hamilton
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9
Cover for One Crazy Summer

One Crazy Summer

by Rita Williams-Garcia
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More About our Bestsellers List

View a printer-friendly version or a collage of the book covers.

You will learn about books selling well in the Black community that may never show up on lists published by corporate entities. Spread the word about our list; don’t let one or two lists, which we don’t control, determine which books are important.

We collect our bestselling titles from all our sales channels. The majority of our sales come from this website and our in-person events. We also include sales generated through our affiliate relationships, including Bookshop.org, Libro.fm (audiobooks), and Amazon.com*.

*For a few years, we actively boycotted Amazon but have discontinued this practice to ensure we do not exclude authors who are exclusive to that platform. We still discourage exclusivity but support all Black authors.