Children’s Books on Social Justice, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Antiracism
This is an ever-expanding and changing list, and age categories will be updated as needed. It is meant to give an idea of the great diversity of racially conscious children’s literature currently being published. Good Trouble For Kids purchases all its books (for subscription service and donations) from Black owned bookstores.
0-3 (babies/ toddlers/ board & picture books)
Bang Molly. Ten, Nine, Eight
Browne ,Mahogany. Woke Baby
Christy, Jana. We Say NO! A Child's Guide to Resistance
Freeman, Don. Corduroy
Harrison, Vashti. Dream Big, Little One
Johnson, Angela. Joshua's Night Whispers
Johnson, Angela. Joshua by the Sea
Keats, Ezra Jack. The Snowy Day
Keats, Ezra Jack.Whistle for Willie
Kendi, Ibram X. Antiracist Baby
Lee, Spike and Tonya L. Please, Baby, Please
McDaniel, Breanna. Hands Up!
Merberg, Julie. No! My First Book of Protest
Nagara, Innosanto. Counting on Community
Williams, Vera. More, More, More Said the Baby
4-6 (pre-K - 1st grade)
Alexander, Kwame. The Undefeated
Alexie, Sherman. Thunder Boy Junior
Allen, Tess. Sometimes People March
Asim, Jabari. Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis
Barness, Derrick. I Am Every Good Thing
Barton, Chris. Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super Soaking Stream of Inventions
Biere-Haquet, Alice (and Bruno Liance). Nina : Jazz Legend and Civil Rights Activist
Blasi, Kathleen M. Hosea Plays On
Brown, Monica. Side by Side/ Lado a Lady: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez
Bryan, Ashley. Ashley Bryan’s ABC’s of African-American Poetry
Bryant, Jen. How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball
Byers, Grace. I Am Enough
Cabrera, Cozbi. My Hair is a Garden
Cherry, Matthew. AHair Love
Crews ,Nina. Seeing Into Tomorrow : Haiku by Richard Wright
de la Pena, Matt. Last Stop on Market Street
Di Pucchio, Kelly. Grace for President
Doerrfeld, Corri. The Rabbit Listened
Dopirak, Kate. Hurry Up! A Book About Slowing Down
Evans, Shane. We March
Freeman, Martha. If You're Going to a March
Gray Smith, Monique. You Hold Me Up
Harris, Kamala. Superheroes Are Everywhere
Hoffman, Mary. Amazing Grace
Ibrahim, Hudda. What Color is My Hijab?
Johnson, Chelsea. Intersection Allies: We Make Room for All
Joy, Angela. Black is a Rainbow Color
Joyner, Andrew. The Pink Hat
Katz, Karen. The Colors of Us
Khalil, Aya. The Arabic Quilt: An Immigration Story
Kirsch, Vincent. From Archie to Zack
Kissinger, Katie. All the Colors We Are: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color
Kramer, Jacob. Noodlephant
Lester, Julius. Sam and the Tigers
Levinson, Cynthia. The Youngest Marcher
Lin, Grace. A Big Bed for Little Snow
Lindstrom, Carole.We Are Water Protectors
Lopez, Rafael. We've Got The Whole World In Hands
Lukoff, Kyle.When Aidan Became a Brother
Lyon, Lea. Ready to Fly
Lyons, Kelly StarlingGoing Down Home With Daddy
Malik. Aila. Mommy, Am I American?
Mann, Jennifer K. The Camping Trip
Medina, Tony (and 13 Artists). 13 Ways of Looking at a Black Boy
Mora, Oge. Saturday
Mora, Oge.Thank You OMU
Muhammed, Ibtihaj.The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
Nagara, Innosanto. A is for Activist
Nyong'o, Lupita. Sulwe
Oswald, Pete. Hike
Paul, Miranda. Speak Up
Penguin Young Readers. The Little Book of Little Activists
Pitman, Gayle. This Day in June
PringleLaurenceOctupus Hug
Quintero, Isabel. My Papi Has A Motorcycle
Reynolds, Peter. Say Something
Robles, Anthony. Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel
Russell-Brown, Katheryn. A Voice Named Aretha
Sanders, Rob. Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights
Schorr, Alex. From Neigh to Zebra
Tarpley, Nathasha A., I Love My Hair
Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah. Your Name Is a Song
Tonatiuh, Duncah. Panchoka Rabbit and the Coyote
Tonatiuh, Duncah. Separate is Never Equal
Vegara, Maria I.S. Jean-Michel Basquiat
Watts, Jeri. A Piece of Home
Woodson, Jacqueline. Each Kindness
Woodson, Jacqueline. This is the Rope: A Story From the Great Migration
Woodson, Jacqueline.The Day You Begin
Woodson, Jacqueline. Coming Home Soon
Yang, Kao Kalia. A Map Into the World
7-10 (2nd - 5th grade)
Alexander, William. Ambassador
Applegate, Katherine. Wishtree
Bryan, Ashley. Freedom Over Me
Chambers ,Veronica. Resist : 35 Profiles of Ordinary People Who Rose Up Against Tyranny and Injustice
Cole, Robert. The Story of Ruby Bridges
Churnin, Nancy. Beautiful Shades of Brown: Laura Wheeler Waring Artist
Cline-Ransome, Lesa. Leaving Lymon
Erdich, Louise. The Birchbark House
Harrison, Vashti. Little Leaders
Harrison,Vashti. Little Legends
Higginbotham, Anastasia. Not My Idea : A Book About Whiteness
Hubbard ,Rita Lorraine. Hammering for Freedom
Johnson, Angela. A Girl Like Me
Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog and the Year of the Rat
Maldonado, Tony. What Lane?
Pinkney, Andrea D. A Poem for Peter
Reynolds, Jason. Ghost
Robertson, David A. When We Were Alone
Williams-Garcia, Rita. One Crazy Summer
Middle School/ Young Adult Lit.
Alexie, Sherman.The Absoloutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Chambers, Veronica. Finish the Fight! The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote!
Elliot, Zetta. Say Her Name
Hamilton, Virginia. The People Could Fly : America Black Folktales
Hudson, Wade and Cheryl. We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices : An Anthology
Jewell,Tiffany. This Book is Anti-Racist
Kadohata, Cynthia. The Thing About Luck
Kendi, Ibram X (with Jason Reynolds). Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning’
Lewis, John. March
Nelson, Marilyn. A Wreath for Emmett Till
Ramee, Lisa Moore. Good Kind of Trouble
Rappaport, Doreen. Freedom River
Rhodes, Jewell . Ghost Boys
Rippon Jo. Rise Up! The Art of Protest
Saenz, Benjamin A. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Tamaki, Mariko. Saving Montgomery Sole
Tanzer, Myles. Music is My Life
Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Call
Taylor-Butler, Christine. Safe Harbor
Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming
Woodson, Jacqueline. Harbor Me
Yang, Gene. LAmerican Born Chinese
Zobui, Ibi. Punching the Air
High School/ 15+ (Young Adult Lit. & Adult Lit.)
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah
_______________________. Half of a Yellow Sun
Alexander, Kwame.The Crossover
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Baldwin, James. The Fire Next Time
Booth, Coe.Tyrell
Butler, Octavia. Kindred
Haley, Alex, and Malcolm X. The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Medina, Meg.Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye
____________. Sula
____________. Beloved
Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise Over Fallujah
________________. Darius and Twig
Noah, Trevor. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Onyebuchi, Tochi. Riot Baby
Perez, Ashley Hope. Out of Darkness
Reynolds, Jason. All American Boys
Shakur, Assata. Assata: An Autobiography
Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give
Thomas, Angie.Concrete Rose
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple
Woodson, Jacqueline. If You Come Softly