JoCoLibrary - Race Reads - Picture Book Fiction for ElementaryLike this list

37 items

• Hey You!

  Adeola, Dapo,

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  Addresses--honestly, yet hopefully--the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future and delivering a message of empowerment to a new generation of dreamers.

• An American Story

  Alexander, Kwame

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  A picture book in verse that threads together past and present to explore the legacy of slavery during a classroom lesson.

• All Aboard the Schooltrain

  a Little Story From the Great Migration

  Armand, Glenda,

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  During the Great Migration in 1930's Louisiana, eight-year-old Jenny tries to understand why a man named Jim Crow is making trouble for her family.

• Northbound

  Bandy, Michael S.,

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  When Michael and his grandmother board a train for his first train ride, the conductor directs them to the "colored only" section. But when the train pulls out of Atlanta, the signs come down, and a boy from the "whites only" section runs up to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• White Water

  Inspired by a True Story

  Bandy, Michael S.

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  After tasting the warm, rusty water from the fountain designated for African Americans, a young boy questions why he cannot drink the cool, refreshing water from the "Whites Only" fountain. Based on a true experience co-author Michael S. Bandy had…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Crown

  An Ode to the Fresh Cut

  Barnes, Derrick,

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  Celebrates the magnificent feeling that comes from walking out of a barber shop with newly-cut hair.

• Knock Knock

  My Dad's Dream for Me

  Beaty, Daniel

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  A boy wakes up one morning to find his father gone. At first, he feels lost. But his father has left him a letter filled with advice to guide him through the times he cannot be there.

• That Flag

  Brown, Tameka Fryer,

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  Bianca is Keira's best friend. At school, they are inseparable. But Keira questions their friendship when she learns more about the meaning of the Confederate flag hanging from Bianca's front porch. Will the two friends be able to overlook their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Abuelita and Me

  Carranza, Leonarda,

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  A girl and her beloved abuelita lean on each other as they contend with racism while running errands in the city. Spending time at home with Abuelita means pancakes, puddle-jumping, and nail-painting. But venturing out into the city is not always as…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Something Happened in Our Town

  a Child's Story About Racial Injustice

  Celano, Marianne,

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  After discussing the police shooting of a local Black man with their families, Emma and Josh know how to treat a new student who looks and speaks differently than his classmates. Includes an extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers that provides…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Let the Children March

  Clark-Robinson, Monica,

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  Under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, children and teenagers march against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.

• Overground Railroad

  Cline-Ransome, Lesa,

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  A girl named Ruth Anne tells the story of her family's train journey from North Carolina to New York City as part of the Great Migration.

• The ABCs of Black History

  Cortez, Rio,

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  B is for Beautiful, Brave, and Bright! And for a Book that takes a Bold journey through the alphabet of Black history and culture. Letter by letter, The ABCs of Black History celebrates a story that spans continents and centuries, triumph and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Show the World!

  Dalton, Angela,

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  From painting, music, and slam poetry, to engineering, protesting, and photography, a young narrator journeys through her neighborhood, encouraging readers to explore all the many ways they can express themselves.

• Race Cars

  a Children's Book About White Privilege

  Devenny, Jenny,

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  Tells the story of 2 best friends, a white car and a black car, that have different experiences and face different rules while entering the same race.

• Islandborn

  Díaz, Junot, 1968-

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  Lola was just a baby when her family left the Island, so when she has to draw it for a school assignment, she asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland ... and in the process, comes up with a new way of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Place Inside of Me

  a Poem to Heal the Heart

  Elliott, Zetta,

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  Illustrations and easy-to-read text express a child's awareness of being filled with deep emotions, from joy to sorrow and anger to compassion, but above all, love.

• We March

  Evans, Shane

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  Illustrations and brief text portray the events of the 1963 march in Washington, D.C., where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a historic speech.

• Intersection Allies

  We Make Room for All

  Johnson, Chelsea (Illustrator)

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  A handy book about intersectionality that depicts the nuances of identity and embraces difference as a source of community.

• Follow Me Down to Nicodemus Town

  Based on the History of the African American Pioneer Settlement

  LaFaye, A.,

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  When Dede sees a notice offering land for black people in Kansas, her family decides to quit sharecropping and become homesteading pioneers.