"Brown Like Me" Books
Books for Kids Featuring Black Characters
I absolutely love this book! It features 40+ African American women who made huge strides throughout history. The pages are filled with adorable illustrations and biographical text for the bold women in Black history!
Baseball legend, Jackie Robinson, had a beautiful lake on his property in Connecticut. However, his children and their friends were nervous about skating on the frozen water.
Based on the life of Lewis Henri Michaux and his bookstore, the National Memorial African Bookstore, which was located in Harlem Square just down the street from the infamous Apollo Theater, this book clearly emphasizes the importance of reading books and acquiring knowledge.
We read this book in preparation for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I love the illustrations and I love the way that the author highlights some of Dr. King's BIG words, such as, "Everyone can be great" and "Love is the key to the problems of the world."
The brave Bessie Coleman was a dare-devil stunt flyer in air shows around the United States during the 1920s. She became the first black aviator in the world by getting her pilots license in France.
Marcenia Lyle (aka Toni Stone) was the first female to play on an all-male pro baseball team. In 1953, at the age of 32, she signed to play 2nd base for the Negro League, filling Hank Aaron's position when he moved to the Major Leagues.
Many are unaware that when Richard Peary discovered the North Pole, he was not alone. Fellow explorer, Matthew Henson, co-discoverer of the North Pole, kept on, even "in the face of storms of wind and snow that it is impossible for you to imagine."
Despite being a slave, George Moses Horton taught himself to read as a boy. Horton loved words and was drawn to the lyrical sound of poetry.
This historic retelling details the moments on a train crossing the Mississippi River that led to poet Langston Hughes writing his poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers."
Based on the life and impact of Miss Josephine Carroll Smith, this book depicts a father and later his son, who are encouraged to put their gifts and dreams to good use!
A young girl helps her family harvest all kinds of wonderful fruits and veggies and plans for all the delicious meals that will come from their garden throughout the year.
This book is about NBA superstar Chris Paul. As a child everyone told him he was too small to play basketball.
Mumbet was a slave for Colonel Ashley in Massachusetts. The Colonel's wife, Mrs. Ashley, constantly mistreated Mumbet. Overhearing the Colonel discuss Americans being free from British rule, Mumbet decides she wants to be free as well.
MaVynee Betsch had a love for song and for the sunny shores of American Beach. Wanting a beach for all the enjoy where whites and “coloreds” were not separated by a rope, MaVynee’s great-grandfather purchase American Beach.
This book reveals Book T. Washington's sheer determination and drive to better himself. From his desire to read as a young slave to his 500 mile journey mostly on foot to travel to Hampton Institute as a young man to pursue his dream with only a mere 50 cents in his pocket.
Sometimes you have to sit down to stand up." This lyrical story is a celebration of standing up for what is right. It tells the story of how Hall of Fame, NBA basketball star, Elgin Baylor, not only changed the way basketball was played, but he helped change things off the court as well.
In comic book style, this graphic biography is all about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It denotes events in his life spanning from his childhood to his assassination.
Martin Luther King's niece tells how her uncle made a difference not just for African Americans, but for all Americans. Told from the perspective of his young niece, the book chronicles how Dr. King's powerful words changed America for the better.
Written by Dr. Martin Luther King's niece, this book shares the civil rights leader's six guiding beliefs: Have courage. Love your enemies. Fight the problem, not the person who caused it.
From the Little People, Big Dreams series, this book tells of how Martin decided as a young person, that when he grew up, he would "fight injustice with the most powerful weapon of all: words."
