Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol

Whoosh about Lonnie Johnson
We Are the Ship by Katie Nelson (or anything he illustrated)
Tiny Stitches about Vivian Thomas
Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews
Any nonfiction by Don Tate, the newest is Jerry Changed the Game
The Journey of York by Hasan Davis
You Can Fly by Carole Boston Weatherford
Mama Miri by Donna Jo Napoli
Mae Among the Stars
A Spy Called James
Schomburg. The man who Built a Library
Ellington is Not a Street by Ntozake Shange
The Undefeated, Kwame Alexander
I, Matthew Henson

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I’d love some nonfiction recommendations! Thank you, I’ll pass these book suggestions along to others as well!

For non-fiction one suggestion I saw when looking for history ideas was to focus on empires in the continent of Africa (Ghana, Mali, Aksum, Great Zimbabwe). So many times in the US the history of Africa starts with the slave trade when it's so much more.

Anonymous wrote:My workplace is doing a book drive to benefit elementary and middle school students in an area where most of the students are black. I have found "Black History Month" type books, but I'm having trouble finding just ordinary books about kids who happen to be black. I'd like to buy some....any recommendations?

We are Black and my son loved all of Jason Reynolds books and so do I. Jason just won a
MacArthur Genuis grant 2024.
https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2024/jason-reynolds

His story and he is fabulous. From PG county, self published first book at 15 and sold from his mom’s car, college, book awards……

Yes, I’d love some nonfiction recommendations! Thank you, I’ll pass these book suggestions along to others as well!

Depending on your organization and the demographics of the students you are collecting books for, you may be eligible to purchase from First Book, which provides a steep discount to organizations providing books for students in need. Here is more info: https://www.fbmarketplace.org/register/

I would add to the awesome suggestions above:

Kalyn Baron’s The Vanquishers series
Sharon Draper’s The Clubhouse Mysteries series
The Tales from Cabin 23 series
Picture books by Derrick Barnes
Books illustrated by Christopher Robinson (like Last Stop on Market Street, Milo someth8ng…)
The Abbey in Orbit series
Nic Stone’s book Clean Getaway
Kwame Alexander’s books (fiction and picture books)
BB Alston’s Amari series
Nic Blake trilogy by Angie Thomas

Let us know if you need nonfiction too.

Thank you- some great suggestions here that are new to me! ~OP

Jason Reynolds' books -- Ghost, Sunny, Patina, Lu
Swim Team
New Kid, Class Act, School Trip (trilogy by Jerry Craft)
President of the Whole 5th Grade
Twins (it's under Scholastic's Graphix imprint)

Thank You, Omu
Saturday

Anonymous wrote:Tristan Strong Punches the Sky - Based on AA folktales, fantasy. Grades 4+

Not OP (the other PP), and thanks for this! It hadn't been on my radar and it's exactly the kind of book my kids will love!

City Shapes
Julian is a Mermaid
Bathe the Cat

Zoey and Sassafrass series
Ada Twist, Scientist
Aaron Slater, Illustrator

Tristan Strong Punches the Sky - Based on AA folktales, fantasy. Grades 4+

Picture Books
- Jabari Jumps
- Flossie and the Fox
- Over and Under the Pond
- Flower Garden
- Last Stop on Market Street
- Those Shoes

Early Readers
- Garden Day, Apple-Picking Day, Pumpkin Day, and Snow Day (small series).

Middle Grades
- Ways to Make Sunshine series
- The Vanderbeekers series (mixed race kids)
- Glitch (one of the protagonists is African-American, one is not)

These are just everyday characters going their lives who happen to be African American, though obviously that impacts some of the story. So it's not civil rights or escaping slavery or any of those things.

Here are fables from the continent of Africa, which also might appeal.
- The Egyptian Cinderella
- Mufaro's Beautiful Daughts
- anything Anansi
- Honey, Honey, Lion

My workplace is doing a book drive to benefit elementary and middle school students in an area where most of the students are black. I have found "Black History Month" type books, but I'm having trouble finding just ordinary books about kids who happen to be black. I'd like to buy some....any recommendations?