Hello kind readers, as the pandemic disrupts us all I have been mostly out of contact (small children, no childcare, you know the song). But the current movement against anti-Black racism is too important not to join in any way we can. My friend Anna Nowogrodzki has compiled and contributed this list of beautiful picture and board books about Black joy, vital and worth celebrating every day. I am ordering several and I’ll add a couple of our house favorites: Peeny Butter Fudge and A Beach Tail. Consider ordering from a local (or not) Black-owned bookstore, but if you do the quick and easy click, proceeds from the this quarter’s associate sales will go to Embrace Race (that link has some excellent resources on talking about race in picture books!) —Erin
Kids need books about Black people, and especially books in which being Black is not about overcoming racism but about everyday, ordinary events and feelings. Raising kids in an anti-racist way means reading books in which being Black is normal and a source of joy. Since Black authors and illustrators face systemic racism in the publishing industry as well as everywhere else, it’s especially important to buy books that are both by and about Black people.
Here’s a list of my favorites. As far as I know (I’m not always sure how people identify), all of these books have Black authors, illustrators, or both. This list is most geared towards toddlers and preschoolers. Books with a (+) are also available as board books for littler humans.
B is for Baby by Atinuke: A cheeky baby stows away in a basket of bananas on a trip to Baba’s house. Everything Baby and her brother encounter starts with the letter B: baobab, baboons, bus, bungalow. Our kid loves the page where Baby surprises Baba and her brother. Also there is nothing cuter than a toddler learning to say “bungalow.”
+Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke: Mama takes Baby to market. Baby is so charming that all the vendors give Baby extra treats--bananas, chin-chin biscuits, sweet corn--behind Mama’s back. The market itself is great for toddlers (and, um, this grownup) to look at and find details in.
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson: CJ and his grandma take the bus to volunteer at the soup kitchen and along the way have conversations touching on economic inequality, disability, and joy in a gentle and kid-focused way. Grandma is a role model for sure. Plus there’s a bus. Our kid is obsessed with buses.
+Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis Lee, illustrated by Kadir Nelson: Another cheeky baby does a lot of things that her parents plead with her not to do (eats sand, pours Cheerios on her head, etc). All of the characters are beautifully illustrated, every single illustration of the parents perfectly captures the loving/exhausted truth, and bedtime at the end is adorable but not cloying.
Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna illustrated by Jerry Pinkney: “Running and jumping, silly and loud, is Anna in the morning.” Anna curiously and exuberantly explores the outdoors. The words are poetic and the irregular rhyme scheme and slight repetition makes it a satisfying but not boring read-aloud (“Burr babies riding on her shoulders. Burr babies sleeping in her hair. Anna Anna I don’t care.”). Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations are always intricate and beautiful (he has won the Caldecott Award, five Caldecott honors, and five Coretta Scott King Awards). Anna falls asleep at the end, so it can be a good wind-down book.
Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max: Astrid and her papa talk about her love of space and what kinds of challenges she’ll need to be up for as an astronaut. She is confident that she can meet every challenge, and the end of the book, when her mama comes home from work, reveals why. Lovely, plus it’s nice to see another book with a dad in the primary caretaker role.
+Whose Toes are Those? and +Whose Knees are These? by Jabari Asim: “Whose knees are these? Knees like these don’t grow on trees.” These are the best kind of young toddler books: simple, rhyming (in a fun way, not an annoying way), interactive, and just the right length.
I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison: A book full of dancing and onomatopoeia. Kids can clap, shake, and stomp along. The illustrations are dynamic and lively. A quick read.
Bigmama’s by Donald Crews: The author describes his childhood summer visits to Bigmama’s (his grandmother’s) farm. The two-page spread of the starry country sky is especially beautiful. A quiet, evocative book. Note: one page shows the family riding in the train car with a “Colored” sign. It’s never remarked upon in the text, but if your kids can read, you may want to be prepared to explain.
When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita: Aidan, a Black and South Asian transgender boy of maybe 5-7 years old, is excited to become a big brother, but worried people will assume things about his sibling’s gender identity. He wants to protect his sibling from the uncomfortable feelings he felt before he came out as trans. An #ownvoices book (author Kyle Lukoff is trans). Beautiful illustrations, and Aidan’s parents are accepting. (“When you were born, we didn’t know you’d be our son. We made some mistakes, and you helped us fix them.”)
Honorable mention of a book that does feature racism:
Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed: Mae Jemison is completely awe-inspiring--nuff said. Much of the book is about how excited she is about her dream of going to space, but she does encounter sexism/racism (her classmates laugh at her when she says she wants to be an astronaut, and her teacher tries to redirect “someone like you” to nursing).