16 Bestselling Children’s Books for September/October - 2019

AALBC’s Bestselling Book SealOur bestsellers list has been published continuously since 1998. Learn More ▶

Children’s books outsold all other categories this period. The #1 bestselling book this period is the awarding winning I Can Be Anything! Don’t Tell Me I Can’t by Leo & Diane Dillon. Wonderfully illustrated and “Brimming with joy and enthusiasm, Zoe playfully explores all the things she can be. A world of opportunities are within her reach, from becoming an archeologist to becoming U.S. President!’

Fiction sales were led by the final book in the Wolf Queen series, The Promise of Aferi. The author, Cerece Rennie Murphy, brings us another epic fantasy/historical novel.

Nonfiction sales was led by Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Joy DeGruy Leary. Originally published in 2005 this book helps us understand the generational, epigenetic and genetic, influences on our psyches after hundreds of years of extreme trauma.

Not enough poetry books were sold to generate a bestsellers list, however A Fortune for Your Disaster by Hanif Abdurraqib and the National Book Award finalist, The Tradition by Jericho Brown, sold this period and are worth checking out.

View a printer-friendly version and a collage of the book covers. Also, check out links to more great books. Enjoy

#3

Book cover of Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o

Sulwe

by Lupita Nyong’o

Add to Cart

#5

Book cover of Sing to the Moon by Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl

Sing to the Moon

by Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl

Add to Cart

#6

Book cover of Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes

Crown

by Derrick Barnes

Add to Cart

#7

Book cover of I Am Loved by Nikki Giovanni

I Am Loved

by Nikki Giovanni

Add to Cart

#9

Book cover of Black Mother Goose Book by Elizabeth Murphy Oliver

Black Mother Goose Book

by Elizabeth Murphy Oliver

Add to Cart

#11

Book cover of Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

Mommy’s Khimar

by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

(Sold by Alternative Sources)

#12

Book cover of Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures

by Margot Lee Shetterly

Add to Cart

#14

Book cover of Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford

Schomburg

by Carole Boston Weatherford

Add to Cart

#15

Book cover of So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D. Schmidt

So Tall Within

by Gary D. Schmidt

Add to Cart

More About our Bestsellers List


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), Black History 365 Education, and Amazon.com*.

We aggregate all formats of a book sold (print, ebook, and audio) into one format, usually the most popular print format

*For a few years, we actively boycotted Amazon but have discontinued this practice, as many of our authors have made their books exclusively available from Amazon. While we discourage giving Amazon the exclusive right to sell a book, we do not want this to be a reason to exclude an author from our site. Amazon also has an effective monopoly on eBooks and out-of-print books, which we highlight on this site.


The Most Critically Acclaimed Books

Bestselling Books By Year May be Found Here

Our All-Time Bestselling Books May be Found Here