African American picture books authors

Barrett, Mary Brigid
Shoebox Sam

On Saturdays, Delia and Jesse help Shoebox Sam, who teaches them about charity and love by not only repairing shoes for paying customers, but also giving poor and homeless people the dignity-and footwear-they need.

Bunting, Eve
Flower Garden

Helped by her father, a young girl prepares a flower garden as a birthday surprise for her mother.

Chocolate, Debbi
Kente Colors

A rhyming description of the kente cloth costumes of the Ashanti and Ewe people of Ghana and a portrayal of the symbolic colors and patterns.

Cooke, Trish
Full, Full, Full of Love

For young Jay Jay, Sunday dinner at Gran's house is full of hugs and kisses, tasty dishes, all kinds of fishes, happy faces, and love.

Cox, Judy
My Family Plays Music

A musical family with talents for playing a variety of instruments enjoys getting together to celebrate.

Crews, Nina
The Neighborhood Mother Goose

A collection of nursery rhymes, both familiar and lesser known, illustrated with photographs in a city setting.

Dillon, Leo
Rap A Tap Tap

In illustrations and rhyme, this book describes the dancing of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, one of the most famous tap dancers of all time.

Ehrhardt, Karen
This Jazz Man

Presents an introduction to jazz music and nine well-known jazz musicians, set to the rhythm of the traditional song, "This Old Man." Includes brief facts about each musician.

English, Karen
Hot Day on Abbott Avenue

After having a fight, two friends spend the day ignoring each other, until the lure of a game of jump rope helps them to forget about being mad.

Hubbell, Patricia
Black All Around!

An African American girl contemplates the many wonderful black things around her, from the inside of a pocket, where surprises hide, to the cozy night where there is no light.

Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967
My People

Hughes's spare yet eloquent tribute to his people has been cherished for generations. Now, acclaimed photographer Smith interprets this beloved poem in vivid sepia photographs that capture the glory, the beauty, and the soul of being a black American today.

Johnson, Angela
Lily Brown's Paintings

When Lily Brown paints, she imagines all sorts of fantastic things in the scenes that she sees every day.

Kirk, Daniel
Keisha Ann Can!

Keisha Ann is proud of all the things she can do during her day at school.

Lewis, Earl B
This Little Light of Mine

One of the best known African-American spirituals is brought to life in this picture book which tells the story of a boy whose inner light shines from the inside out. Includes the song's score.

McQuinn, Anna
Lola Loves Stories

Lola loves to hear Daddy read a new library book each night, an activity that spurs her imagination and results in inventive play the next day.

Ray, Mary Lyn
All Aboard!

Mr. Barnes goes on a train trip and enjoys all the sights and sounds of the ride.

Reynolds, Aaron
Back of the Bus

From the back of the bus, an African American child watches the arrest of Rosa Parks.

Smalls, Irene
My Nana and Me

A young girl and her grandmother enjoy a day filled with tea parties, hide-and-seek, stories, and plenty of love.

Turner-Denstaedt, Melanie
The Hat that Wore Clara B.

In church on Mothers' Sunday when all the older ladies dress in white and wear their most beautiful hats, Clara B., sitting in the pew behind her grandmother and admiring her every move, determines to find a way to wear her grandmother's hat.

Woodson, Jacqueline
Pecan Pie Baby