Get a multifaceted view of the African-American experience for Black History Month-- and everyday!
Revised
January 16, 2026
Whether you're celebrating Black History Month or just looking for a great read, check out these staff-selected titles for little kids, big kids, tweens, teens and adults.
Little kids
Picture books
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.
Salon Saturday
2025
PICTURE BOOK Harper, Janelle
Celebrate the community built at the hair salon and the dynamic variety of Black hairstyles!
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.
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.
My Daddy Is a Cowboy
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.
Big kids
Picture books
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!
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.
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.
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.
Books
One Big Open Sky
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.
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.
Tweens
Chapter books
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.
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.
Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement
2025
J FICTION Tew, Jill
Kaya spent summers with her dad at the Renaissance Faire, and after he dies, she tries to become the Faire's first Black Queen.
Books
Smoke & Mirrors
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 »
Teens
Books
One Big Open Sky
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.
The Color of a Lie
2024
In 1955, when his family, who passes for white, moves to an idyllic all-white suburban town, Calvin, who secretly makes friends across town, finds himself caught between two worlds when he discovers dark secrets about the white town and its inhabitants, which places his family in danger.
Lexile level
600L
Desi T loved this! Find out why »
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now
2024
T FICTION Reynolds, Jason
In a series of moments spanning two years, 17-year-old Neon navigates the progression of his relationship with Aria, culminating in a case of the jitters as the two intend to take the next big step in their relationship.
Stephanie B loved this! Find out why »
Blood at the Root
2024
A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black and magical.
Lexile level
670L
Stephanie B loved this! Find out why »
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 »
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 »
(S)kin
2025
Marisol, a 15-year-old who sheds her skin every new moon and shifts into a fireball witch, is connected by a family secret to 17-year-old Genevieve, who reaches for some memory of her estranged mother.
Desi T loved this! Find out why »
Adults
Books
Dream Count
2025
FICTION Adichie, Chimamanda
Explores the lives of four Nigerian women, each grappling with love, loss and the complexities of modern life, as they face personal growth, societal expectations and the pursuit of happiness.
Annie C loved this! Find out why »
This Is the Honey
2024
811.008 THI
An anthology of contemporary Black poets whose works explore joy, love, origin, race, resistance and praise.
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.
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.
We Refuse
2024
323.1196 JAC
An unflinching examination of the breadth of Black responses to white oppression, particularly those pioneered by Black women.
Poemhood
2024
T 811.008 MCB
An anthology of all-star poetic voices depicting the diversity of the Black experience.
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.
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.
Uncommon Favor
2025
B Staley, Dawn
A three-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time WNBA All-Star and Naismith College Player of the Year award winner, the author has shattered expectations at every level of the game. Her book shares the rewards of leading with conviction and the courage to redefine the limits of what is possible.
Andrew C loved this! Find out why »