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Featured Black and African American heritage picks

Collage of book covers on theme of Black and African-American heritage

Whether you're celebrating Black History Month or just looking for great books, music and movies, check out these staff-selected titles for all ages.

Craft a title list that’s just right for you! Use the filter and sort options below to create a printer-ready list you can take to the library shelves.

1 - 45 of 45 titles | page 1 of 1

Cover of How Sweet the Sound
Kwame Alexander
How Sweet the Sound
2025
J 780.8996 ALE
Listen to the sound of survival, courage and democracy-- the soundtrack of America. Hear Billie Holiday's raspy, mournful voice, tap your foot to Louis Armstrong's trumpet, scream with James Brown, bop your head to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and more!
Cover of The Undefeated
Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson
The Undefeated
Access on hoopla »
2019
This love letter to Black life in the United States highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes.
Ellie K loved this! Find out why »
Cover of This Is the Honey
Kwame Alexander
This Is the Honey
2024
811.008 THI
An anthology of contemporary Black poets whose works explore joy, love, origin, race, resistance and praise.
Cover of Claudie Finds Her Talent
Bria Alston
Claudie Finds Her Talent
2024
READER AMERICAN GIRLS
Surrounded by artists, writers and dancers during the Harlem Renaissance in 1922, nine-year-old Claudie Wells longs to be good at something and sets out to find her true talent.
Cover of Greatness
Regis Bethencourt and Kahran Bethencourt
Greatness
2025
J 973.0496 BET
A grandmother introduces her grandchildren to famous Black figures and important snapshots in Black history, and the children begin to imagine themselves in these moments.
Cover of Cursed Daughters
Oyinkan Braithwaite
Cursed Daughters
2025
FICTION Braithwaite, Oyinkan
Eniiyi must shake off a family curse and the widely held belief that she is the reincarnation of her dead cousin, Monife, fated to follow in her footsteps in all ways, including Monife's tragic end.
Cora S loved this! Find out why »
Cover of Sky Full of Elephants
Cebo Campbell
Sky Full of Elephants
2024
FICTION Campbell, Cebo
Set in a world where white people no longer exist, college professor Charlie Brunton receives a call from his estranged daughter Sidney, setting off a chain of events as they journey across a truly "post-racial" America in search of answers.
Cover of One Big Open Sky
Lesa Cline-Ransome
One Big Open Sky
Access on hoopla »
2024
In 1879, three women-- Lettie; her mother, Sylvia; and young teacher Philomena-- who are free from slavery but bound by poverty, access to opportunity and patriarchal social structures-- head westward on a perilous wagon journey that could cost them everything they have, including their lives.
Cover of Liftoff!
Nina Crews
Liftoff!
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2025
J 759.13 CRE
In this fascinating STEAM-themed true story, the author highlights how the Apollo astronauts gave people a new way of looking at the world and inspired modern artist Alma Thomas.
Cover of King of Ashes
S. A. Crosby
King of Ashes
2025
FICTION Crosby, S. A.
Summoned home after his father's car accident, Roman finds his younger brother in debt to dangerous criminals and his sister exhausted from holding the family-- and the family's crematorium business-- together. Mortality draws closer when it becomes clear their father's crash was no accident.
Cover of Be, Black Girl, Be
Taylor Darks
Be, Black Girl, Be
2024
PICTURE BOOK Darks, Taylor
Joyful illustrations and poetic text convey a wish from one generation to the next: that every Black girl knows and celebrates her own worth, sending positive words to instill them with confidence.
Cover of Blended
Sharon M. Draper
Blended
2018
Piano-prodigy Isabella, 11, whose Black father and white mother struggle to share custody, never feels whole, especially as racial tensions affect her school, her parents both become engaged and she and her stepbrother are stopped by police.
Heather W loved this! Find out why »
Cover of The Gathering Table
Antwan Eady
The Gathering Table
2025
PICTURE BOOK Eady, Antwan
No matter the season, no matter the reason, this boy's family never forgets to come together and celebrate what it truly means to be there for each other, from a golden anniversary to Juneteenth, a new baby sister to a special wedding.
Cover of You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
Akwaeke Emezi
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
Learning how to feel joy while healing from loss, Feyi Adekola starts dating the perfect guy, but discovers she has feelings for someone else who is off limits and must decide just how far she is willing to go for a second chance at love.
Cover of Hattie Mae Begins Again
Sharon G. Flake
Hattie Mae Begins Again
2026
J FICTION Flake, Sharon
Set against the backdrop of the Great Migration, a Southern girl attends an elite girls boarding school in the North and must find the courage to be herself and to dream of a brighter future.
Cover of The Starseekers
Nicole Glover
The Starseekers
Access on hoopla »
2026
FICTION Glover, Nicole
Blending magic and science, a talented arcane engineer at NASA investigates two separate murder mysteries while balancing her career and raising two younger sisters.
Desi T loved this! Find out why »
Cover of Salon Saturday
Janelle Harper
Salon Saturday
2025
PICTURE BOOK Harper, Janelle
Celebrate the community built at the hair salon and the dynamic variety of Black hairstyles!
Cover of Amity
Nathan Harris
Amity
2025
FICTION Harris, Nathan
A gripping story about a brother and sister, emancipated from slavery but still searching for true freedom, and their odyssey across the deserts of Mexico to finally reunite, all while escaping a former master still intent on their bondage.
Cover of Warrior on the Mound
Sandra W. Headen
Warrior on the Mound
2024
J FICTION Headen, Sandra
In 1939 North Carolina, an all-Black baseball team "trespasses" on the whites-only baseball field, and the resulting racial outrage can only be resolved on the mound.
Cover of When I Hear Spirituals
Cheryl Willis Hudson
When I Hear Spirituals
2025
PICTURE BOOK Hudson, Cheryl
A girl connects with heritage, history and a higher power through the lyrics of 12 beloved spirituals and four seminal events in African American history.
Cover of We Refuse
Kellie Carter Jackson
We Refuse
Access on hoopla »
2024
323.1196 JAC
An unflinching examination of the breadth of Black responses to white oppression, particularly those pioneered by Black women.
Cover of As You Wish
Nashae Jones
As You Wish
2025
J FICTION Jones, Nashae
Birdie has big plans for eighth grade, including getting a boyfriend, but after her best friend Deve fights against it, the trickster West African god Anansi appears and grants Birdie's wish, which she soon regrets and tries to undo.
Jodi L loved this! Find out why »
Cover of Black History Is for Everyone
Brian P. Jones
Black History Is for Everyone
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2025
973.0496 JON
The author examines the significance of Black history and its role in education. Drawing on his experiences as a lifelong learner and classroom teacher, he explores topics such as the American Revolution, the concepts of race and nation and the importance of historical inquiry.
Cover of Saturday Morning at the 'Shop
Keenan Jones
Saturday Morning at the 'Shop
2024
PICTURE BOOK Jones, Keenan
Spend Saturday morning at the barbershop in this upbeat celebration of the spaces and places that bring communities together.
Cover of I Identify as Blind
Lachi and Tim Vandehey
I Identify as Blind
2026
362.41 LAC
Recording artist Lachi redefines what it means to celebrate disability, by showcasing the innovations and leadership within her community and by framing disability as an identity, a cultural force and a reservoir of resilience and creativity.  
Cover of A Century for Caroline
Kaija Langley
A Century for Caroline
2025
PICTURE BOOK Langley, Kaija
On her 100th birthday, Great Grandma Caroline shares her secret for living a long life with her great granddaughter Jasmine.
Cover of Poemhood
Amber McBride, Taylor Byas and Erica Martin
Poemhood
Access on hoopla »
2024
T 811.008 MCB
An anthology of all-star poetic voices depicting the diversity of the Black experience.
Cover of Harlem Rhapsody
Victoria Christopher Murray
Harlem Rhapsody
2025
FICTION Murray, Victoria
The extraordinary story of Jessie Redmon Fauset whose exhilarating world of friends, rivals and passions all combined to create the magic that was the Harlem Renaissance.
Cover of Happy Land
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Happy Land
2025
FICTION Perkins-Valdez, Dolen
When Nikki visits her estranged grandmother in western North Carolina, she uncovers a hidden legacy tied to a forgotten kingdom of freed people, unraveling her family's secrets and her own identity while fighting to protect their endangered heritage.
Cover of And She Was Loved
Andrea Davis Pinkney
And She Was Loved
2025
JB Morrison, Toni
From imaginative child to visionary storyteller, Toni Morrison was a fiercely inspiring writer who helped change the world. This poetic picture book biography, part love letter and part biography, praises the power of this Nobel Prize winner.
Cover of Spark: Jim West's Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone
Ainissa Ramirez
Spark: Jim West's Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone
2025
JB West, James
Young Jim West loves to pull apart whatever electronics he can get his hands on to see how they work. His knack for all things electric (and luck in landing a summer job offering the freedom to experiment) led him to invent an important part of the devices we rely on every day.
Cover of Smoke & Mirrors
Rosalyn Ransaw
Smoke & Mirrors
Access on hoopla »
2025
J FICTION Ransaw, Rosalyn
While helping a man renovate his crumbling mansion once owned by a famous magician who disappeared after being accused of murder, Andy Carter decides to investigate the unsolved mystery and teams up with another boy to solve the vanishing act.
Hannah M loved this! Find out why »
Cover of All American Boys
Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
All American Boys
2015
When 16-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend.
Cover of Ghost Boys
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Ghost Boys
2025
After seventh-grader Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat, he observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen Black boys including historical figure Emmett Till.
Cover of Will's Race for Home
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Will's Race for Home
2025
J FICTION Rhodes, Jewell
It's 1889, barely 25 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don't get to own.. So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free.
Jodi L loved this! Find out why »
Cover of The Protégée
Erica Ridley
The Protégée
2025
T FICTION Ridley, Erica
Eighteen-year-old Angélique, a talented young seamstress from a working-class background, seeks vengeance on the factory owner who destroyed her family, all while navigating a cutthroat competition for a coveted position in Paris' fashion world.
Stephanie B loved this! Find out why »
Cover of My Daddy Is a Cowboy
Stephanie Seales
My Daddy Is a Cowboy
Access on hoopla »
2024
PICTURE BOOK Seales, Stephanie
While a young Panamanian American girl and her father share "just-us" time on an early morning horseback ride around their town, he tells her cowboy stories and she realizes she is a cowboy, too.
Cover of The Artivist
Nikkolas Smith
The Artivist
2023
PICTURE BOOK Smith, Nikkolas
Motivated by the realization of global inequities, a young boy embraces his dual identities as an artist and activist, becoming an "artivist" to make a difference by using his viral mural as a catalyst for positive change.
Ashley B loved this! Find out why »
Cover of The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give
Access on hoopla »
2017

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends.

Cover of Under the Skin
Linda Villarosa
Under the Skin
2022
362.1089 VIL
In America, Black people "live sicker and die quicker" than their white counterparts. Learn more about the forces in American society that each year rob Black Americans of years of life.
Cover of Memorial
Bryan Washington
Memorial
2020
Japanese-American chef Mike and Black daycare teacher Benson begin reevaluating their stale relationship after Mike departs for Japan to visit his dying father and Benson is suddenly stuck with his visiting mother-in-law, who becomes an unconventional roommate.
Cover of Audre and Bash Are Just Friends
Tia Williams
Audre and Bash Are Just Friends
2025
T FICTION, Williams, Tia
Audre is junior class president and debate team captain, and Bash is a new senior and everybody's crush. When Audre hires Bash to be her "fun consultant" and help her get into college, they must stay professional despite their connection.
Desi T loved this! Find out why »
Cover of Pretty Girl County
Lakita Wilson
Pretty Girl County
2025
T FICTION Wilson, Lakita
Reya and Sommer, former best friends from different socioeconomic worlds, reunite to help each other achieve their dreams, but as old wounds resurface and new challenges arise, they must navigate whether their friendship can be rebuilt.
Desi T loved this! Find out why »
Cover of Dear Black Girls
A'ja Wilson
Dear Black Girls
Access on hoopla »
2024
305.48 WIL
A necessary and meaningful exploration of what it means to be a Black woman in America today-- and an of-the-moment rally cry to lift up women and girls everywhere-- written by an Olympic gold medalist and two-time professional basketball MVP.