African American Picture Books

Recommended by the Youth Services Committee of The Birmingham Public Library

Amazing Grace, by Mary Hoffman, ill. Caroline Binch, 1991. Grace loves stories and acting, but her school friends insist she can’t be Peter Pan. Her grandmother gives her other ideas.

The Bat Boy and His Violin, by Gavin Curtis, ill. E. B. Lewis, 1998. Reginald prefers violin practice to being bat boy for his father’s terrible baseball team – until his music inspires them.

Big Jabe, by Jerdine Nolen, ill. Kadir Nelson, 2000. Young house slave Addy fishes a boy in a wicker basket out of the river. He grows up miraculously in a few short months, but that’s not all that changes on the plantation.

Black Cowboy, Wild Horses: a True Story, by Julius Lester, ill. Jerry Pinkney, 1998. Bob Lemmons and his stallion Warrior trail a small herd of mustangs and slowly become part of it to earn the horses’ trust.

Bus Ride, by William Miller, ill. John Ward, 1998. Sara decides to see what’s different about the front of the bus on her ride to school; based on Rosa Parks’ Montgomery protest.

Catching the Wild Waiyuuzee, by Rita Williams- Garcia, ill. Mike Reed. There’s a wild creature running through the jungle to escape a terrible fate! But what’s this, a door knob? A bed? Where is the jungle and what kind of creature is this?

Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon!, by Pat Cummings. It’s Saturday morning, cartoon time, but Harvey’s mom says TODAY IS IT! His room doesn’t really seem messy to him, but he puts everything away anyway. Is his mom pleased?

Daddy Calls Me Man, by Angela Johnson, ill. Rhonda Mitchell, 1997. His father’s paintings inspire a young boy to write his own poems.

Dancing in the Wings, by Debbie Allen, ill. Kadir Nelson, 2000. The other dancers and her brother insist that Sassy is too tall and her feet are to big for her to ever be a real ballerina. What do they know?

First Pink Light, by Eloise Greenfield, ill. Jan Spivey Gilchrist. Tyree wants to hide in his secret place until his Daddy comes home, early the next morning. He even wins his argument with his Mama on the subject, sort of.

The Grandad Tree, by Trish Cooke, ill. Sharon Wilson, 2000. The apple tree reminds the children of their life with Grandad even after he is no longer with them.

Harvey Potter’s Balloon Farm, by Jerdine Nolen, ill. Mark Buehner, 1993. Mr. P’s balloon-growing calls for investigation, by the government and a young girl who helps him farm and then sails away to her own adventure.

Hope, by Isabell Monk, ill. Janice Lee Porter, 1998. Her mama’s Aunt Poogee explains to Hope the real meaning of her name and that she is hope!

I Have Heard of a Land, Joyce Carol Thomas, ill. Floyd Cooper, 1998. A pioneer woman has heard of the land that is her future – hard work, space, and freedom.

Just Us Women, Jeanette Caines, ill, Pat Cummings, 1982. Aunt Martha and her niece travel, happily unencumbered by relatives who wouldn’t want them to stop at every roadside stand, junk sale, and picnic spot.

May’naise Sandwiches and Sunshine Tea, by Sandra Belton, ill. Gail Carter, 1994. Reminded by her picture albums, grandmother recalls being ashamed that her front yard picnic isn’t as nice as her friend’s – or so she thinks.

Momma, Where Are You From? by Marie Bradby, ill. Chris Soentpiet, 2000. Momma remembers childhood at the edge of town and her own school days.

More Than Anything Else, by Marie Bradby, ill. Chris Soentpiet, 1995. More than anything else, 9 year old Booker wants to learn how to read, to know the song the letters sing. Can the man with the newspaper help?

Music in Derrick’s Heart, by Gwendolyn Battle-Levert, ill. Colin Boothman, 2000. His harmonica-playing uncle, Booker T., spends the summer teaching Derrick to make music too.

Nappy Hair, Carolivia Herron, ill. Joe Cepeda, 1997. The family tells Uncle Mordecai he should be ashamed for talking about Brenda’s hair, but he makes it a celebration of "the nappiest hair in the world," a special creation.

Papa Tells Chita a Story, by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard, ill. Floyd Cooper. After the dishes are done, Chita wants to hear Papa’s story about how he was the bravest soldier and helped Col. Roosevelt win the war.

The Piano, by William Miller, ill. Susan Keeter, 2000. Tia loves music more than anything. A walk on the other side of town leads her to a job she isn’t looking for, a new friend, Miss Hartwell, and even more music.

Piano Man, by Debbi Chocolate, ill. Eric Velasquez, 1998. Grandfather played for the vaudeville, Broadway shows, medicine shows , and silent movies (ask your grandmother). And then talking movies came along. Guess what he accompanies now!

Satchmo’s Blues, by Alan Schroeder, ill. Floyd Cooper, 1996. Young Louis loves the music halls in New Orleans and longs to make music on his own cornet – harder to do than he thinks, in more ways than one.

Shades of Black, a Celebration of Our Children, by Sandra L. Pinkney, ill. by Myles C. Pinkney. What color is Black? All shades of hair and skin and eyes, as these photographs of beaming children show.

Train to Lulu’s, by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard, ill. Robert Casilla, 1988. Sisters Beppy and Babs take the 9 hour trip to Lulu’s, from Boston to Baltimore, all by themselves except for Babs’ teddy bear, a book, and lunch boxes. 9 hours gets very long, but a summer a Lulu’s is worth it.

White Socks Only, by Evelyn Coleman, ill. Tyrone Geter, 1996. For her first trip to town alone, a small girl wears her best white socks because the drinking fountain sign says it’s for whites only.

Willie’s Not the Hugging Kind, Joyce Durham Barrett, ill. Pat Cummings, 1989. Willie’s friend Jo-Jo says hugging is silly, so Willie stops hugging his family and anybody else, and they stop hugging him. Then he makes a strange discovery…