Honoring Black History Month: Great Books for Preschool, Elementary, Middle and High School

Regardless of the time of year, there are a number of excellent books that will broaden your students’ understanding and appreciation for African American culture and heritage. Each portrays the unique struggles and plight of African Americans throughout American history.

This list of children’s books honoring Black History month is arranged by grade level, beginning with early elementary. Upper elementary and high school books follow. Most of the works are historical fiction, which engage and inform readers at the same time.

All of these books are worth your time, although the best way to select a book is to allow your students to identify books which most interest them. .

Early Elementary Books to Read & Discuss for Black History Month

All of the elementary books are recommended base on writing and illustration. Much credit goes to the illustrators of these books for creating vivid, detailed, even foreshadowing pictures to accompany the stories.

Henry’s Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine

Expertly used symbolism and metaphor help young readers understand one slave’s daring and ingenious escape. As historical fiction, this book introduces young readers to the heartache endured by slaves, and the means to which one slave in particular, Henry “Box” Brown, was willing to go to gain freedom. Without a doubt, this book will captivate young readers and listeners.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, by Carole Boston Weatherford

Urgency, freedom, and spiritual inspiration mark the life of Harriet Tubman and her crucial role in the Underground Railroad. Weatherford does an exceptional job bringing Tubman to life for young readers. This is a large, colorful, and engaging book for youngsters. It introduces them to a woman whose life will never be forgotten. This is a must have for any children’s library.

Martin’s Big Words: the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by Doreen Rappaport

Beautifully illustrated and written with skill, Martin’s Big Words is an excellent introductory biography of the renowned civil rights leader. The author deftly interweaves her writing with Martin Luther King, Jr’s own words creating a masterpiece of history and literacy. There is enough of Martin Luther King, Jr’s character, passion, and intensity in this work that it will leave little doubt in the minds of young readers that Martin’s words, were more than just “words.”

Harlem, by Walter Dean Myers

In colorful picture book format and poetic form Myers tells the story of a black family who moves to the city to improve their lot in life. As it turns out, they are faced with racism and discrimination. While Myers adeptly chronicles the life and events of life in Harlem, as he does in many of his books, he includes iconic cites such as The Cotton Club and The Apollo. Young readers will find this an introduction to a place and culture which was long a mecca for black New York City dwellers. Older readers will find it easy to relate to the characters and will understand subtleties and cultural references in Myers writing that is often missed by younger audiences.

Upper Elementary & Middle School Books to Read & Discuss for Black History Month

Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis

Christopher Paul Curtis’s Elijah of Buxton earned a Newberry Honor, Scott O’Dell Award for historical fiction, and the Coretta Scott King author award. Elijah is the first child born in the community of Buxton, Canada. Buxton, Canada was formed by Presbyterian minister William King as a refuge for escaped slaves and a home for free blacks.

Elijah’s story is much like that of any eleven year old boy, a story of naiveté and mischief. The difference is that Elijah’s story involves the lives of slaves escaping captivity and men working to buy their families out of slavery. Elijah discovers the value of his freedom when circumstances lead him into America. He sees the human depravity of slavery, the torture and beatings, and the sensitivity and feelings of blacks who lived during slavery.

In essence, Elijah and his readers learn that slaves are people, too.

Christopher Paul Curtis is no stranger to awards and honors. The Watson’s Go to Birmingham and Bud, Not Buddy also garnered much attention for Curtis, while surreptitiously drawing readers into he has the ability to portray through strong plot and characters truths about life in black America that would otherwise be communicated devoid of feeling.

The Road to Paris, by Nikki Grimes

This is not a story about a journey to another country, but rather a story of self discovery and hope. Paris and Malcolm are tossed into a system of foster homes that bounces the siblings from family to family. Every so often, Paris and Malcolm run away, seeking refuge with their grandmother. Inevitably their grandmother returns them to the foster care system. Life is not easy for the two black children, but it becomes even worse when they are separated into different foster homes.

Paris learns and grows through her time with the Lincoln family. She finds faith and the ability to express her faith through music. Ultimately, this becomes a source of strength and hope for her. Her story is not without challenges, not the least of which are blatant racism and her desire to reunite with her brother. Grimes offers readers a unique journey of empathy, emotion, and empowerment.

1001 Things Everyone Should Know about African American History, Jeffrey C. Stewart

Jeffrey C. Stewart has written a compelling and comprehensive history of African Americans. This is a valuable research resource, but also an informative read. While reading the entire compendium would be overwhelming for elementary students, this is a must have resource for black history.

Role of Thunder Hear My Cry, by Mildred E. David

Mildred E. David traces the struggles of the Logan family through the eyes of Cassie. Cassie’s are eyes of innocence and naivety. She doesn’t understand the prejudice and racism that surrounds her and her family. Yet the conflict and emotional impact of racism is the plot which drives the novel. In Role of Thunder Hear my Cry Mildred E. David has created characters that touch the hearts of her readers. Cassie, Little Man, and Stacey each have characteristics that make them real in the reader’s mind. T.J. is easy to dislike, difficult to understand, but ultimately his life makes a statement of the effect of previous life events in shaping who we are today. Follow the struggles and triumphs of the Logan family in two sequels Let the Circle be Unbroken, and The Road to Memphis.

To Be a Slave, by Julius Lester

A Newberry Honor book is an honest hard look at the life, feelings, and reality of slavery. It is raw and effective at communicating the horrors and tragedies of life as a slave.

High School Books to Read & Discuss for Black History Month

1001 Things Everyone Should Know about African American History, Jeffrey C. Stewart

Jeffrey C. Stewart has written a compelling and comprehensive history of African Americans. This is a valuable research resource, but also an informative read. Reading this book takes time and concentration but for students who demonstrate a genuine interest in learning African American history this book is a great starting point.

A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry. A work full of the drama and conflict of relationships within a black family, the Youngers, crammed together in a tenement on the South Side of Chicago. Many are the dreams of the younger generation, while the matriarch of the family tries to soften the blow of reality by quenching their dream and the fire that burns within their bellies.

Three generations of Youngers live, fight, and struggle together to barely get by, until a $10,000 windfall promises to change their luck. As one might imagine, there are as many opinions as to how the money should be spent as there are characters in the play.

Ultimately, the family’s decision brings them face to face with blatant racism. The family unifies and fights for their rights as humans.

A Raisin in the Sun not only portrays the drama and struggle of an African American family, but is a great literary work in its own right. Don’t settle for the movie. Read the book.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou

Dr. Maya Angelou opens a series of autobiographical works with her first volume, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Since its release, Maya Angelou’s book has been met with acclaim and considered a contemporary classic of African American Literature. She begins with her childhood and takes the reader through her life as a young black woman in a world that didn’t want to see her succeed.

In a poetic and magnetizing way Maya Angelou addresses the impact of racism, the Great Depression, parental neglect, and sexual assault. Readers will be captivated by Maya Angelou’s style and story, and her ability to find hope in the most petty and hopeless of all situations

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize winning classic of American literature. This book offers a different perspective of life in the 1930’s. Life is seen through the eyes of Scout, a young girl whose father, Atticus, has been assigned public defender of Tom Robinson. Robinson is a black who had been accused of raping a white woman. Many in 1930’s Alabama expected Atticus should go through the motions, not really defending Tom. Atticus, however, is not a racist. He is a man of integrity and works not only to defend Tom’s rights, but also his life. His own family suffers the consequences.

Harper Lee has chosen Scout to identify the discrepancies among the treatment and living conditions of whites and blacks. It is Scout and her brother, Jem, who bear the brunt of racism because their father dares to defend an innocent man.

A bold, bare look at racism in the south will be seen in To Kill a Mockingbird. Gregory Peck made the movie memorable, but the book far surpasses the movie in delivering Harper Lee’s social message.

Up from Slavery: Autobiography, by Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington penned one of the most inspirational autobiographies ever written. It is the story of emancipation lived by a man who had every reason to give up, lay down, and suffer at the hands of white men. Booker T. Washington never did any of that.

Booker T. Washington believed that black men had to pursue education and prove to white men that they were equals. His story inspires all readers to “cast down your buckets where you are.” His message is to use what God has given you, educate yourself and make the best of it.

Up from Slavery doesn’t avoid the hardships and trials of life for a black man in the “Progressive Era.” What Booker T. Washington does is set his heart on his goals and dreams and doesn’t let anyone destroy his optimistic spirit. This easily one of the best books I have ever read.

What They Found: Love on 145^th Street, by Walter Dean Myers

This book is fast paced, just like the streets in which it is set. A beauty salon on 145^th street is the hub of activity and gossip for the community. The people there are family. They understand each other and they understand the streets. What they find is love, acceptance and relationships.

This is a contemporary and griping story of poverty, pain, drug addiction, teen pregnancy, love, education, and unemployment. The author delivers a very real portrait of the lives of young black Americans caught up in life in Harlem.

What They Found: Love on 145^th Street is a sequel to Walter Dean Myers’ 145^TH Street: Short Stories. It is told in much the same way, capturing the flavor and heartbeat of Harlem. The lives of characters in Short Stories are revisited in What They Found readers will benefit from the insight and drama of both works.