100 Essential Children’s & Young Adult Nonfiction Books by Black Writers

Discover 100 essential biographies, histories, memoirs, and educational nonfiction for children and teens by African American and Black diaspora writers. Selected by AALBC based on literary awards, critical recognition, historical significance, and lasting cultural impact.

Adult Fiction Adult Nonfiction Children & YA Fiction Children & YA Nonfiction

The Undefeated

#1 Selection

The Undefeated

by Kwame Alexander Honored Title

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

#2 Selection

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

by Carole Boston Weatherford Honored Title

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

#3 Selection

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

by Margot Lee Shetterly Honored Title

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

#4 Selection

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

by Kadir Nelson Honored Title

There Was a Party for Langston

#5 Selection

There Was a Party for Langston

by Jason Reynolds Honored Title

Freedom in Congo Square

#6 Selection

Freedom in Congo Square

by Carole Boston Weatherford Honored Title

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton

#7 Selection

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton

by Don Tate Honored Title

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

#8 Selection

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

by Carole Boston Weatherford Honored Title

Trombone Shorty

#9 Selection

Trombone Shorty

by Troy Andrews Honored Title

Harlem’s Little Blackbird

#10 Selection

Harlem’s Little Blackbird

by Renée Watson Honored Title

Dave The Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

#11 Selection

Dave The Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

by Laban Carrick Hill Honored Title

Bad News For Outlaws: The Remarkable Life Of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal

#12 Selection

Bad News For Outlaws: The Remarkable Life Of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Honored Title

Barracoon Adapted for Young Readers: The Story of the Last Black Cargo

#13 Selection

Barracoon Adapted for Young Readers: The Story of the Last Black Cargo

by Zora Neale Hurston and Adapted by Ibram X. Kendi Honored Title

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement

#14 Selection

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement

by Angela Joy Honored Title

William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad

#15 Selection

William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad

by Don Tate Honored Title

Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box

#16 Selection

Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box

by Evette Dionne Honored Title

Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon

#17 Selection

Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon

by Kelly Starling Lyons Honored Title

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom

#18 Selection

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom

by Gary D. Schmidt Honored Title

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library

#19 Selection

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library

by Carole Boston Weatherford Honored Title

March Book Three

#20 Selection

March Book Three

by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin Honored Title

Little Melba And Her Big Trombone

#21 Selection

Little Melba And Her Big Trombone

by Katheryn Russell-Brown Honored Title

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

#22 Selection

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

by Phillip Hoose Honored Title

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up To Become Malcolm X

#23 Selection

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up To Become Malcolm X

by Ilyasah Shabazz Honored Title

March Book One

#24 Selection

March Book One

by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin Honored Title

Nelson Mandela

#25 Selection

Nelson Mandela

by Kadir Nelson Honored Title

I Have a Dream (Picture Book)

#26 Selection

I Have a Dream (Picture Book)

by Martin Luther King, Jr. Honored Title

What Color Is My World?: The Lost History Of African-American Inventors

#27 Selection

What Color Is My World?: The Lost History Of African-American Inventors

by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld Honored Title

Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration Of Rosa, Barack, And The Pioneers Of Change

#28 Selection

Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration Of Rosa, Barack, And The Pioneers Of Change

by Michelle Cook Honored Title

Locomotion

#29 Selection

Locomotion

by Jacqueline Woodson Honored Title

The Blacker The Berry

#30 Selection

The Blacker The Berry

by Joyce Carol Thomas Honored Title

We Are The Ship: The Story Of Negro League Baseball

#31 Selection

We Are The Ship: The Story Of Negro League Baseball

by Kadir Nelson Honored Title

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

#32 Selection

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

by Doreen Rappaport Honored Title

Rosa

#33 Selection

Rosa

by Nikki Giovanni Honored Title

Carver: A Life in Poems

#34 Selection

Carver: A Life in Poems

by Marilyn Nelson Honored Title

Black Hands, White Sails: The Story of African-American Whalers

#35 Selection

Black Hands, White Sails: The Story of African-American Whalers

by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick McKissack Honored Title

Through My Eyes

#36 Selection

Through My Eyes

by Ruby Bridges Honored Title

Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book

#37 Selection

Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book

by Muriel Feelings Honored Title

Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game

#38 Selection

Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game

by Kadir Nelson Honored Title

A Black Girl and Her Braids

#39 Selection

A Black Girl and Her Braids

by Jaylene Clark Owens Honored Title

Priceless Facts about Money

#40 Selection

Priceless Facts about Money

by Mellody Hobson Honored Title

Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller

#41 Selection

Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller

by Breanna J. McDaniel Honored Title

Jimmy’s Rhythm & Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin

#42 Selection

Jimmy’s Rhythm & Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin

by Michelle Meadows Honored Title

American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky

#43 Selection

American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky

by Sherri L. Smith and Elizabeth Wein Honored Title

Sankofa: A Culinary Story of Resilience and Belonging

#44 Selection

Sankofa: A Culinary Story of Resilience and Belonging

by Eric Adjepong Honored Title

How Do You Spell Unfair?: Macnolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee

#45 Selection

How Do You Spell Unfair?: Macnolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee

by Carole Boston Weatherford Honored Title

An American Story

#46 Selection

An American Story

by Kwame Alexander Honored Title

Beyonce: A Little Golden Book Biography

#47 Selection

Beyonce: A Little Golden Book Biography

by Lavaille Lavette Honored Title

What Is Juneteenth?

#48 Selection

What Is Juneteenth?

by Kirsti Jewel Honored Title

Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky

#49 Selection

Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky

by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond Honored Title

Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler

#50 Selection

Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler

by Ibi Zoboi Honored Title

Ain’t Burned All The Bright

#51 Selection

Ain’t Burned All The Bright

by Jason Reynolds Honored Title

Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People

#52 Selection

Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People

by Kekla Magoon Honored Title

Born on the Water: The 1619 Project

#53 Selection

Born on the Water: The 1619 Project

by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson Honored Title

Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country

#54 Selection

Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country

by Atinuke Honored Title

Baby Young, Gifted, and Black: With a Mirror!

#55 Selection

Baby Young, Gifted, and Black: With a Mirror!

by Jamia Wilson Honored Title

The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person

#56 Selection

The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person

by Frederick Joseph Honored Title

Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball

#57 Selection

Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball

by Jen Bryant Honored Title

Red Shoes

#58 Selection

Red Shoes

by Karen English Honored Title

Follow Your Dreams, Little One

#59 Selection

Follow Your Dreams, Little One

by Vashti Harrison Honored Title

Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood

#60 Selection

Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood

by Tony Hillery Honored Title

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning

#61 Selection

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning

by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi Honored Title

A Black Women’s History of the United States

#62 Selection

A Black Women’s History of the United States

by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross Honored Title

Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice

#63 Selection

Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice

by Bryan Stevenson Honored Title

Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace

#64 Selection

Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace

by Ashley Bryan Honored Title

Think Big, Little One

#65 Selection

Think Big, Little One

by Vashti Harrison Honored Title

Dream Big, Little Leader

#66 Selection

Dream Big, Little Leader

by Vashti Harrison Honored Title

Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams

#67 Selection

Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams

by Howard Bryant Honored Title

The Middle Passage: White Ships/ Black Cargo

#68 Selection

The Middle Passage: White Ships/ Black Cargo

by Tom Feelings Honored Title

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919

#69 Selection

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919

by Claire Hartfield Honored Title

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

#70 Selection

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

by Vashti Harrison Honored Title

Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina Young Readers Edition

#71 Selection

Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina Young Readers Edition

by Misty Copeland Honored Title

Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song

#72 Selection

Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song

by Kathryn Erskine Honored Title

Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition

#73 Selection

Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition

by Margot Lee Shetterly Honored Title

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat

#74 Selection

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat

by Javaka Steptoe Honored Title

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World about Kindness

#75 Selection

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World about Kindness

by Donna Janell Bowman Honored Title

Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions

#76 Selection

Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions

by Chris Barton Honored Title

You Are Wonderfully Made: 12 Life-Changing Principles for Teen Girls to Embrace

#77 Selection

You Are Wonderfully Made: 12 Life-Changing Principles for Teen Girls to Embrace

by Gwen Richardson and Sylvia Richardson Honored Title

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

#78 Selection

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

by Laurie Ann Thompson Honored Title

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation

#79 Selection

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation

by Duncan Tonatiuh Honored Title

Josephine: The Dazzling Life Of Josephine Baker

#80 Selection

Josephine: The Dazzling Life Of Josephine Baker

by Patricia Hruby Powell Honored Title

A is for Activist

#81 Selection

A is for Activist

by Innosanto Nagara Honored Title

Discovering Wes Moore

#82 Selection

Discovering Wes Moore

by Wes Moore Honored Title

Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali

#83 Selection

Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali

by P. James Oliver Honored Title

Book of Black Heroes from A to Z: An Introduction to Important Black Achievers for Young Readers

#84 Selection

Book of Black Heroes from A to Z: An Introduction to Important Black Achievers for Young Readers

by Wade Hudson Honored Title

Fifty Cents And A Dream: Young Booker T. Washington

#85 Selection

Fifty Cents And A Dream: Young Booker T. Washington

by Jabari Asim Honored Title

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America

#86 Selection

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America

by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney Honored Title

Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons - A Dialogue With America’s Young Leaders

#87 Selection

Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons - A Dialogue With America’s Young Leaders

by Barack Obama and Gregory Reed Honored Title

I, Too, Am America

#88 Selection

I, Too, Am America

by Langston Hughes Honored Title

She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story

#89 Selection

She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story

by Audrey Vernick Honored Title

Jimi: Sounds Like A Rainbow: A Story Of The Young Jimi Hendrix

#90 Selection

Jimi: Sounds Like A Rainbow: A Story Of The Young Jimi Hendrix

by Gary Golio Honored Title

Yummy: The Last Days Of A Southside Shorty

#91 Selection

Yummy: The Last Days Of A Southside Shorty

by G. Neri Honored Title

Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny

#92 Selection

Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny

by Hill Harper Honored Title

Michelle Obama: Meet The First Lady

#93 Selection

Michelle Obama: Meet The First Lady

by David Bergen Brophy Honored Title

Letters to a Young Brother: Manifest Your Destiny

#94 Selection

Letters to a Young Brother: Manifest Your Destiny

by Hill Harper Honored Title

Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra

#95 Selection

Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra

by Andrea Davis Pinkney Honored Title

Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children

#96 Selection

Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children

by Sandra Pinkney Honored Title

Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl

#97 Selection

Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl

by Tonya Bolden Honored Title

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights

#98 Selection

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights

by Russell Freedman Honored Title

Grandma’s Records

#99 Selection

Grandma’s Records

by Eric Velasquez Honored Title

Ellington Was Not a Street

#100 Selection

Ellington Was Not a Street

by Ntozake Shange Honored Title

Reader Comments (0)

Log In to Join the Conversation

Commenting is reserved for registered AALBC members to maintain high-quality discussions.

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Advertisements

View American Nightmare