Top 117 African-American Children’s Books for 2023

AALBC is curating a list of the best 100 Children’s books published in 2023. The books include board books, early reader, middle grade, and young adult titles (defintion of children book categories). Here is a printable list of all the books on this list. Here is a beautiful collage of the book covers. Read more about this list ▶

Books 101 to 120 (of 117)


Click for more detail about The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Click for more detail about We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride
Click for more detail about Jump In! by Shadra Strickland
Click for more detail about You Are My Pride: A Love Letter from Your Motherland by Carole Boston Weatherford
Click for more detail about You So Black by Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.
Click for more detail about What Does Brown Mean To You? by Ron Grady
Click for more detail about An American Story by Kwame Alexander
Click for more detail about A Boy and His Mirror by Marchánt Davis
Click for more detail about History Comics: Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin: Civil Rights Heroes by Tracey Baptiste
Click for more detail about A Flag for Juneteenth by Kim Taylor
Click for more detail about We Are Here by Tami Charles
Click for more detail about All Aboard the Schooltrain: A Little Story from the Great Migration by Glenda Armand
Click for more detail about Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard by Brahm Revel
Click for more detail about Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston Weatherford
Click for more detail about Matchmaker #3 by Kelly Starling Lyons
Click for more detail about A Child’s Introduction to Jazz: The Musicians, Culture, and Roots of the World’s Coolest Music by Jabari Asim
Click for more detail about Stacey’s Remarkable Books by Stacey Abrams aka Selena Montgomery


More Information


If you feel strongly about uplifting children through books please read and share, “Ten Steps to Promote Diversity in Children’s Literature.” Also, be sure to check out The Brown Book Shelf a great source to discover children’s books and authors.

Keep in mind, no one list can possible include all the excellent books written by or about Black young people. Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments below.

Check out these other excellent sources for children’s books;