30 Bestselling Children’s Books

Period: Full Year - 2022

AALBC Bestseller Seal

The African American Literature Book Club’s Bestsellers List has been published continuously since 1998. It celebrates the bestselling titles from our curated selection of books written by or about Black people. Learn More below.

★ New: The BLK Bestsellers: America’s Bestselling Books

2
Cover for The Undefeated

The Undefeated

by Kwame Alexander
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3
Cover for Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy

Black Ballerinas

by Misty Copeland
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4
Cover for Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps

Mermaid Kenzie

by Charlotte Watson Sherman
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6
Cover for Stacey’s Extraordinary Words

Stacey’s Extraordinary Words

by Stacey Abrams aka Selena Montgomery
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11
Cover for Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler

Star Child

by Ibi Zoboi
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12
Cover for Stacey’s Remarkable Books

Stacey’s Remarkable Books

by Stacey Abrams aka Selena Montgomery
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13
Cover for Born on the Water: The 1619 Project

Born on the Water

by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson
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14
Cover for I Am Loved

I Am Loved

by Nikki Giovanni
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15
Cover for Your Name Is a Song

Your Name Is a Song

by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
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17
Cover for Shining Legacy: Storypoems for the Young, So Black Heroes and Heroines Forever Will Be Sung

Shining Legacy

by Nkechi Taifa
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18
Cover for Sulwe

Sulwe

by Lupita Nyong’o
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19
Cover for Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky

Blue

by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
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22
Cover for The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

The Dark-Thirty

by Patricia C. Mckissack
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25
Cover for Hey You!: An Empowering Celebration of Growing Up Black

Hey You!

by Dapo Adeola
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26
Cover for The Day You Begin

The Day You Begin

by Jacqueline Woodson
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27
Cover for Different and the Same

Different and the Same

by Adijah & Atiya Brabham
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29
Cover for Mirror Girls

Mirror Girls

by Kelly McWilliams
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30
Cover for Me & Mama

Me & Mama

by Cozbi A. Cabrera
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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.