Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Topic: Black Lives and Black History

Chapter book

Tully and his brother don’t have much. But they do have each other. And Tully has an amazing talent. Football. But when the First World War begins, Tully must fight for respect on the battlefield not the pitch … Based on the amazing true story of Walter Tull, a First World War hero and one of the first black British professional football players. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+

Picturebook

With over a million copies sold this classic story of Grace, her Ma and Nana is a timeless classic of courage and determination, loved and cherished by children the world over.

Grace was a girl who loved stories.
She didn’t mind if they were read to her or told to her or
made up in her own head. She didn’t care if they were from
books or on TV or in films or on the video or out of Nana’s
long memory. Grace just loved stories.

Grace loves to act out stories. She spends her time dressing up and putting on performances for her beloved Ma and Nana, usually helped by Paw-Paw the cat. Sometimes she plays the leading part, sometimes she is ‘a cast of thousands’ and sometimes, when they’re not too tired, she can even convince Ma and Nana to join in her magical story creations.

When Grace’s school decides to put on a performance of Peter Pan, Grace longs to play the part of Peter. But her classmates say that Grace absolutely can’t play that part. Peter was a boy, and besides, he wasn’t black… But Grace’s Ma and Nana tell her she can be anything she wants if she puts her mind to it…

A touching and beautiful picture book about being true to yourself and not letting anyone hold you back. This is the perfect story for children everywhere to remind them to be themselves no matter what the world tells you.

Non-fiction

This book helps young children find out about and understand racism. It features seven case studies from children who have a range of problems from a girl who is being left out because she is Muslim to the new boy in school from another country who is struggling to fit in. Readers are taught to stand up for what is right in a safe way and become comfortable discussing this serious issue with others. Practical advice is provided in a way that readers of all ages can understand and put into practice. The end of the book features a short playscript to act out and discuss. The book has engaging illustrations throughout.

In this series case studies combine with sensible, practical advice to help children find out what to do in difficult situations. Titles include Bullying, My Parent’s Divorce, My Stepfamily, When People Die and Our New Baby.

Chapter book

This is the story of love, commitment and the flowering of the human spirit against the background of South Africa’s apartheid.

Frightened that their baby sister Dineo will die, thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro run away from their grandmother to Johannesburg to find their mother, who works there as a maid. Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid – the pass laws, bantustans, racism, the breakdown of family life.

The opulence of the white “Madam’s” house contrasts starkly with the reality that Naledi and Tiro face – that their baby sister is suffering from starvation, not an incurable disease.

This edition of Beverley Naidoo’s classic story includes a special “Why You’ll Love This Book” introduction by Michael Rosen, former Children’s Laureate.

Graphic Novel

Mary is a brave nurse. When a war starts in the Crimea she sails across the sea to help, and even enters the battlefield!

Hopscotch Histories are brand new stories in historical settings, told in under 400 words, perfect for children who are building up their reading confidence

Non-fiction

Malorie Blackman is one of the most successful and prolific children’s authors writing today. Made Children’s Laureate for 2013-15, her books, such as Noughts and Crosses , Double Cross and Knife Edge , are loved by kids and adults alike. Malorie’s influence extends far beyond the literary world, however. She has used her position to speak out against racism, and to campaign for greater ethnic diversity in children’s books and children’s publishing.

Discover the story behind this incredible writer – from her struggles as a child facing racism in 1960s London, through her parents’ divorce and her misdiagnosis of Sickle-Cell Anaemia, to the globally renowned author she is today.

It focuses on Malorie’s love of reading, and how she tries to foster that in children today. It also looks at how she pursued her dream of becoming a writer with determination and courage, in the face of people who told her she would never amount to anything. Biographical information, and Malorie Blackman quotes, support the narrative.

A fantastic resource for biography based project work!

Chapter book

An action-packed and pacey story about a boy’s experience of slavery in Britain.

Nathaniel doesn’t want to move to England with his master’s family, leaving behind his mother and sister on the Jamaican plantation. But then he remembers what his mother told him: once a slave sets foot on English soil, they’re free. Perhaps he can earn his fortune and buy his family’s freedom, too.

Non-fiction

Meet 52 icons of colour from the past and present in this celebration of inspirational achievement – a collection of stories about changemakers to encourage, inspire and empower the next generation of changemakers. Jamia Wilson has carefully curated this range of black icons and the book is stylishly brought together by Andrea Pippins’ colourful and celebratory illustrations .

Written in the spirit of Nina Simone’s song “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” this vibrant book is a perfect introduction to both historic and present-day icons and heroes. Meet figureheads , leaders and pioneers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and athletes like Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams.

All children deserve to see themselves represented positively in the books they read. Highlighting the talent and contributions of black leaders and changemakers from around the world, readers of all backgrounds will be empowered to discover what they too can achieve. Strong, courageous, talented and diverse, these extraordinary men and women’s achievements will inspire a new generation to chase their dream… whatever it may be.

Picturebook

Based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award-nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and illustrator Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space to picture book readers!

Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math…really good.

They participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America’s first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world.

In this beautifully illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as “colored computers,” and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career.

Picturebook

Meet the little leaders. They’re brave. They’re bold. They changed the world.

Did you know the treatment for leprosy was developed by a young scientist called Alice Ball? And Josephine Baker- world famous cabaret singer and dancer- was also a spy for the French resistance?

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. Debut author/illustrator Vashti Harrison pairs captivating text with stunning illustrations as she tells the stories of both iconic and lesser-known female figures of black history, including:

Nurse Mary Seacole
Politician Diane Abbott
Mathematician Katherine Johnson
Singer Shirley Bassey

Inspire your own little leader with the stories of these amazing women.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

review

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Any other comments

Any other comments