Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous Peoples and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public.
*Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.*
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9 matching books
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Swinging Into History: Toni Stone: Big-League Baseball’s First Woman Player
“Nothing could stop Toni “Tomboy” Stone from playing baseball—not even her parents. The only girl on a church team, she persevered as insults were hurled her way from the boy players. She caught the attention of former major leaguer Gabby Street, who gave her a chance at his summer baseball school. With Coach Street’s training—and the cleats he gifted her—Toni managed to earn a spot in the minor leagues. Though teams were hesitant to sign a woman, she pitched the idea that fans would pay to see a woman play—and it worked! But Toni’s persistence and optimism were not enough to win over the Jim Crow South crowds nor her male teammates. Coaches put her in the starting lineup and then benched her early, every game, no matter her results. But her talent got noticed and she was signed by the Indianapolis Clowns, becoming the first woman to break into the pros. “Toni arrives,” shouted newspaper headlines, and she delivered! In her first professional game she ripped a single and drove in two runs, and left the crowd chanting “TONI! TONI! TONI!”” — publisher
Akim Aliu: Dreamer
“Akim Aliu — also known as “Dreamer” — is a Ukrainian-Nigerian-Canadian professional hockey player whose career took him all around the world and who experienced systemic racism at every turn. Dreamer tells Akim’s incredible story, from being the only Black child in his Ukrainian community, to his family struggling to make ends meet while living in Toronto, to confronting the racist violence he often experienced both on and off the ice. This is a gut-wrenching and riveting graphic novel memoir that reminds us to never stop dreaming, and is sure to inspire young readers everywhere.” — publisher
Serena Williams : Athletes Who Made a Difference
“Working through times of setbacks and Grand Slam glory, Serena Williams has become a role model for a new generation of tennis players, and it’s all captured in this graphic biography. From an early age, Serena trained to be a force on the tennis court. Alongside her talented sister Venus, she rose up through the ranks until she was competing in—and dominating—the world’s most elite tournaments. Follow along as she amazes everyone with her powerful, strategic playing style and also speaks out against racism and sexism in the tennis world.” — publisher
Jesse Owens
"Jesse Owens smashed records throughout his track and field career. In 1936, he made history at the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. Owens won four gold medals, combating Adolf Hitler’s message of Nazi superiority." —
Ice Breaker
“In the 1930s, only white figure skaters were allowed in public ice rinks and to compete for gold medals, but Mabel Fairbanks wouldn’t let that stop her. With skates two sizes too big and a heart full of dreams, Mabel beat the odds and broke down color barriers through sheer determination and athletic skill. Mabel became the first African-American woman to be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.” – publisher
Racing against the odds
A biography of Wendell O. Scott, who made history as the only African American driver to win a race in a NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) division
Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton
"In the nineteenth century, North Carolina slave George Moses Horton taught himself to read and earned money to purchase his time though not his freedom. Horton became the first African American to be published in the South, protesting slavery in the form of verse"–Publisher
Harlem’s little blackbird
A tribute to lesser-known Harlem Renaissance performer Florence Mills includes coverage of her youth as a child of former slaves, her singing and dancing performances that inspired songs and entire plays, and the struggles with racism that prompted her advocacy of all-black theater and musicals
