Children’s Nonfiction

This beautifully illustrated board book edition of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by #1 New York Times bestselling author Vashti Harrison showcases women who changed the world, and is the perfect goodnight book to inspire big dreams.

Dream Big, Little One features eighteen trailblazing Black women in American history, including heroes, role models, and everyday women who did extraordinary things—bold women whose actions and beliefs contributed to making the world better for generations to come. Whether they were putting pen to paper, soaring through the air, or speaking up for the rights of others, the women profiled in these pages took a stand against a world that didn’t always accept them.

The leaders in this book may be little, but they all did something big and amazing.

A dedicated mom puts love into action as she creates the perfect rainbow-colored wig for her transgender daughter, based on the real-life experience of mother-daughter advocate duo Trinity and DeShanna Neal.

Warm morning sunlight and love fill the Neal home. And on one quiet day, playtime leads to an important realization:Trinity wants long hair like her dolls. She needs it to express who she truly is.

So her family decides to take a trip to the beauty supply store, but none of the wigs is the perfect fit. Determined, Mom leaves with bundles of hair in hand, ready to craft a wig as colorful and vibrant as her daughter is.

With powerful text by Trinity and DeShanna Neal and radiant art by Art Twink, My Rainbow is a celebration of showing up as our full selves with the people who have seen us fully all along.

Our tours are a one of a kind experience! We are extending that experience with this NEW children’s book that captures our bookseum through the eyes of a child.

When Koji learns that his mom has plans for a family trip to a bookstore his “excitement” is minimal. But once he enters the intergenerational, cozy bookseum he quickly learns how a “dreadful” trip can become one of the dopest experiences. 

This book also includes: live QR codes, an interactive map to track your journey to visiting other indie black-owned bookstores and a foreword by an amazing author, Dawnavyn M. James, of an educational K-3 resource for incorporating black history all year long entitled “Beyond February”.

This is MORE than a book – its a piece of HISTORY!Learn for yourself how a bookstore can be filled with culture & swag as it maintains its mission to rejuvenate, cultivate & educate. We are the first black-owned bookstore in Orange County, NY and this book is your way to bring a piece of Sadie’s home with you to share with generations to come.

Through Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s words and Bible verses, kids will discover that Dr. King’s Christian faith was the foundation for his activism and that God calls us to stand up for justice and love. This illustrated children’s devotional will inspire the next generation with the passion of Dr. King, America’s greatest Black leader, and equip them to make a difference for God, both today and tomorrow.

Through Dr. King’s timeless words, children ages 8 to 12 will be challenged and inspired to

• “drive out darkness” with light and love;
• go to the Bible for the truth about evil, love, identity, and responsibility;
• respect the Creator-given human dignity in everyone;
• build relationships across boundaries and spread kindness in all communities; and
• stand for God’s truth about themselves and others.

This 60-day devotional for older children includes

• a short biography of Dr. King that focuses on his belief in God’s Word as the basis of his activism;
• 60 devotions written just for kids, each featuring Scripture, a quote from Dr. King, and a challenge to live out the truth;
• inspiring stories of young participants of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s; and
• a presentation page for commemorating gifting occasions and a source list for further exploration.

Today’s children are passionate about social justice and want to be change makers. This devotional shows kids that following Christ is an essential element of the fight for justice and empowers them to actively live out their faith.

“If we are to go forward, if we are to make this a better world in which to live, we’ve got to go back. . . . We’ve got to go back and rediscover the principle that there is a God behind the process.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

Freeman’s airbrush-style digital art leans into portraiture while visually bridging the astral divide, evoking yearning, frustration, and sisterly pride in their ongoing mission of purpose.” —Publishers Weekly

Stacey Abrams, politician and Nobel peace prize nominee, is brought to life in this poetic picture book biography that follows Abrams’s fight for voters’ rights. Narrated by Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Septima Clark, and Fannie Lou Hamer, this powerful story tells how Abrams’s work was inspired by those luminaries before her.

“Sometimes she would light the way. Sometimes her way would be lit by others…”

Stacey Abrams was always destined for big things, because she always imagined more. Now she protects the least powerful, works toward making voting fair and easy, and demands better for Georgia and every other state in this nation. Stacey Abrams’s determination, perseverance, and courage will inspire younger generations to make meaningful change in the world.

Traci Todd’s lyrical text is coupled with stunning artwork from Laura Freeman, Coretta Scott King Honoree for Hidden Figures. Use this book to encourage conversation at home and the classroom about Black women and voting. This book is perfect for Black History Month and to be shared alongside such powerful titles as Kamala Harris: Rooted In Justice by Nikki Grimes and I Dissent by Debbie Levy.

Appropriate for ages 4 to 8.

The 1619 Project’s lyrical picture book in verse chronicles the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States, thoughtfully rendered by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning author Renée Watson. 

A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders. 
But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived.

And the people planted dreams and hope,
willed themselves to keep
living, living. 

And the people learned new words
for love
for friend
for family

for joy
for grow
for home.
 

With powerful verse and striking illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, Born on the Water provides a pathway for readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity.

Appropriate for ages 6 to 10.

Letter by letter, The ABCs of Black History celebrates a story that spans continents and centuries, triumph and heartbreak, creativity and joy.

It’s a story of big ideas – P is for Power, S is for Science and Soul. Of significant moments – G is for Great Migration. Of iconic figures – H is for Zora Neale Hurston, X is for Malcom X. It’s an ABC book like no other, and a story of hope and love.

In addition to rhyming text, the book includes back matter with information on the events, places, and people mentioned in the poem, from Mae Jemison to W. E. B. Du Bois, Fannie Lou Hamer to Sam Cooke, and the Little Rock Nine to DJ Kool Herc.

Winner of the 2022 the Black Kid Lit Award for Best Historical title.

With colorful illustrations and a timeline, this introductory history of Juneteenth for kids details the evolution of the holiday commemorating the date the enslaved people of Texas first learned of their freedom.

On June 19, 1865—more than two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation—the enslaved people of Texas first learned of their freedom. That day became a day of remembrance and celebration that changed and grew from year to year.

Learn about the events that led to emancipationand why it took so long for the enslaved people in Texas to hear the news. The first Juneteenth began as “Jubilee Day,” where families celebrated and learned of their new rights as citizens. As Black Texans moved to other parts of the country, they brought their traditions along with them, and Juneteenth continued to grow and develop.

Today, Juneteenth’s powerful spirit has endured through the centuries to become an official holiday in the United States in 2021. The Juneteenth Story provides an accessible introduction for kids to learn about this important American holiday.

A 2023 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Finalist

An awe-inspiring autobiographical picture book about a young African American girl who lived during the shutdown of public schools in Farmville, Virginia, following the landmark civil rights case Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. 

Most people think that the Brown vs. Board of Education decision of 1954 meant that schools were integrated with deliberate speed. But the children of Prince Edward County located in Farmville, Virginia, who were prohibited from attending formal schools for five years knew differently, including Yolanda.

Told by Yolanda Gladden herself, cowritten by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli and with illustrations by Keisha Morris, When the Schools Shut Down is a true account of the unconstitutional effort by white lawmakers of this small Virginia town to circumvent racial justice by denying an entire generation of children an education.

Most importantly, it is a story of how one community triumphed together, despite the shutdown.

Appropriate for ages 4 to 8.