From Black History to Black Futures! While February is Black History Month, we hope you enjoy these book selections every month of the year. —Baltimore County Public Librarians
Board Books
“My First Heroes: Black History”
by editors of Silver Dolphin Books
An engaging board book that will grow with your toddler. It highlights four prominent Black leaders with eye-catching graphics and interactive elements. With pull tabs and sliders, your child will help Rosa Parks say “no” to giving up her seat and assist Serena Williams in swinging her tennis racket. For the youngest toddler, you might just read the hero’s name with one blurb, but you can adapt this book for older children by exploring the many facts and illustrations.
Picture Books
“All Aboard the Schooltrain: A Little Story From the Great Migration”
by Glenda Armand
Learn how Jim Crow laws affected children’s lives in the South. Armand tells the story by using her mother’s experiences as a child during this time. The book gives an age-appropriate explanation of how these laws had an impact on people’s lives and well-being. At the end of the story, you get to meet the author’s family and learn how they triumphed through this time in American history.
“Indigo Dreaming”
by Dinah Johnson
A beautiful story of a young girl’s dreams about another life across the sea. Read and learn about the Gullah community in South Carolina through this artfully illustrated story. You’ll see how two girls from two distinct parts of the world are remarkably similar in how they live their lives. This book is a relaxing and calming read for anyone.
Early Elementary
“A History of Me”
by Adrea Theodore
During a Civil Rights lesson, a young girl feels that she has been reduced to nothing more than her race because she is the only person of color in her class. The girl learns perspective and strength from her mother’s stories, realizing that she has opportunities that many who came before her did not. When that little girl grows up and has a daughter, she teaches her that her heritage is a reason to appreciate all that is powerful and lovely about herself. This poetic picture book, which was inspired by the author’s experiences as a young child and a parent, conveys the idea that what counts most is what we see when we look in the mirror.
Middle Grade
“Eb & Flow”
by Kelly J. Baptist
Told in verse from two different perspectives, Eb & Flow focuses on Ebony, “Eb,” and De’Kari, “Flow.” They are middle school students who get suspended from school after an altercation over shoes. During their suspension, we learn about their lives and their many similarities, such as living in single-parent homes. Delving deeper into their lives allows us to see Eb and Flow have more in common than we think. But can those similarities bring a positive resolution to their conflict?
“The Probability of Everything”
by Sarah Everett
Asteroid Amplus-68 has an 84.7% chance of hitting Earth in just a few days’ time, and 11-year-old Kemi is using her love of math and science to cope with the end of her world. Follow Kemi as she creates a time capsule and gets each of her family members to contribute what is most important to them. A thought-provoking, emotionally intense novel that tackles topics like statistics, racism, culture and what we hope the world will remember us by.
Teen
“The Davenports”
by Krystal Marquis
A historical romance set in Black high society in early 20th century Chicago. The book is based on the real-life story of the Patterson family, who were the first African Americans to own an automobile company. The book follows the life of the Davenport sisters, Olivia and Helen, and their friends, Ruby and Amy-Rose, as they discover love, independence and a purpose in life that makes them happy.
If you are a fan of Bridgerton, you don’t want to miss this!
