Nina, A story of Nina Simone, Traci N. Todd and Christian Robinson *New*

This illuminating and defining picture book biography tells the story of little Eunice who grew up to become the acclaimed singer Nina Simone and her bold, defiant, and exultant legacy.

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James*New*
A young boy's trip to the barber shop is a joyful celebration of confidence and self-esteem.The barber shop is where magic happens! Boys go in as lumps of clay and, with princely robes draped around their shoulders, a dab of cool shaving cream on their foreheads and a slow, steady cut, they become royalty.

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Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, Vashti Harrison *New*
Meet the little leaders. They're brave. They're bold. They changed the world. Featuring 40 trailblazing black women in the world's history, this book educates and inspires as it relates true stories of women who broke boundaries and exceeded all expectations. 

 

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library, Carole Boston Weatherford *New*
Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro–Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk’s life’s passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and bring to light the achievements of people of African descent through the ages. When Schomburg’s collection became so big it began to overflow his house (and his wife threatened to mutiny), he turned to the New York Public Library.

 

Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston, Alicia D. Williams *New*
A shimmering picture book that shines the light on Zora Neale Hurston, the extraordinary writer and storycatcher extraordinaire who changed the face of American literature. Zora was a girl who hankered for tales like bees for honey. Zora jumped from place to place, from the porch of the general store where she listened to folktales, to Howard University, to Harlem. And everywhere she jumped, she shined sunlight on the tales most people hadn’t been bothered to listen to until Zora. 

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Windrush Child, Benjamin Zephaniah *New*

In this heart-stopping adventure based on real historical events, Benjamin Zephaniah shows us an important and intriguing time in Britain that's sure to fascinate young readers.

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Space Detectives, Mark Powers and Dapo Adeola *New*

Two Earth boys stumble into a mystery on Starville, the world’s first orbiting city. Someone has set the station on a course to collide with the moon – but who? 

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The Undefeated, Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson

This poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It 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.

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The Story of the Windrush, K.N. Chimbiri

In June 1948, hundreds of Carribean men, women and children arrived in London on a ship called the HMT Empire Windrush.  This brilliantly informative book tells their story, combining facts with accounts from people who were there, archive photos, mini biographies, maps and a timeline.  

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Voices (series) - Diver's Daughter: A Tudor Story, Patrice Lawrence

Eve’s a black girl in Tudor London – and she’s diving into a shipwreck. They’re just like any other poor family, except that Eve’s mum was stolen from East Africa as a child. When the legendary warship Mary Rose is shipwrecked, a survivor named George Symon tells them some news. One of the crew sent to salvage its treasures is an African free diver! Well – Eve’s mum knows how to dive, too. If she can team up with this man, they could make their fortunes! But soon all of them are in dangerous water. Can Eve dive deep to save her mum?

 

Voices (series) - Son of the Circus - A Victorian Story, E. L. Norry

From the slums to the circus, a mixed-race Victorian boy seeks a place to belong. Ted lives with his mum and poorly big brother in the city of Bradfield. When a stranger turns up in their kitchen, Ted gets two big surprises. Firstly, the man – Pablo Fanque – is the first black circus owner in Britain. Secondly, he is Ted’s father. Before Ted can recover from his shock, he’s sent away with Pablo to learn the tricks of the circus trade. Pablo is determined that Ted should follow in his footsteps. But Ted isn’t at all keen on this terrifying new life among strangers. Can he adapt to it? And will he ever see his mother and brother again?

 

Voices (series) - Empire's End - A Roman Story, Leila Rasheed

Secrets, danger and cold! A North African girl faces royal intrigue at the edge of the Roman world: Britannica. When Camilla travels with her parents from Leptis Magna to Rome in 207 AD, she thinks she’s going to the centre of the world. But just a few months later, their little family is posted to the very edge of it: the alien and remote Britannica. When tragedy strikes, Camilla is left alone with the Empress while her father travels north. But this hostile, cold country she must now call home is also rife with deadly secrets.

 

Who was Rosa Parks?, Yona Zeldis McDonough

In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. This seemingly small act triggered civil rights protests across America and earned Rosa Parks the title "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement. 

 

Who was Martin Luther King, Jr?, Bonnie Bader

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 25 when he helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was soon organizing black people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, King was also an advocate for the poor and spoke out against racial and economic injustice until his death from an assassin's bullet in 1968. 

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Who was Nelson Mandela?, Pam Pollack

As a child he dreamt of changing South Africa; as a man he changed the world. Nelson Mandela spent his life battling apartheid and championing a peaceful revolution. He spent twenty-seven years in prison and emerged as the inspiring leader of the new South Africa. He became the country's first black president and went on to live his dream of change. 

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Who was Harriet Tubman?, Yona Zeldis McDonough

Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone's property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field hands that she first heard about the Underground Railroad which she travelled by herself north to Philadelphia.

 

Who Was Ida B. Wells?, Sarah Fabiny

Born into slavery in 1862, Ida Bell Wells was freed as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. Yet she could see just how unjust the world she was living in was. This drove her to become a journalist and activist. Throughout her life, she fought against prejudice and for equality for African Americans. Ida B. Wells would go on to co-own a newspaper, write several books, help cofound the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and fight for women's right to vote.

 

Who is Barack Obama?, Roberta Edwards

As the world now knows, Barack Obama has made history as our first African-American president. With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this biography is perfect for primary graders

 

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King Jr., Doreen Rappaport

This picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brings his life and the profound nature of his message to young children through his own words.

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Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X, IIyasah Shabazz

Malcolm X grew to be one of America’s most influential figures. But first, he was a boy named Malcolm Little. Written by his daughter, this inspiring picture book biography celebrates a vision of freedom and justice.