Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public. *Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.* Click here for more on book evaluation.
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23 matching books
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Biography 14
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Cross Group 23
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British 1
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German 1
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Japanese 1
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Spanish 1
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Unspecified 22
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Activism 11
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Fiction 7
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Non-Fiction 16
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Powhatan 1
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Boy/Man 20
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Girl/Woman 18
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Jewish 2
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Secondary 20
Samuel’s Choice
"Samuel is a fourteen-year-old enslaved African American in Brooklyn in 1776 when the fighting between the British and the colonists reaches his doorstep. "Liberty ain't for Africans," says fellow servants. "It got nothin' to do with us." But his friend Sana says, "Nobody here's gonna be free unless they take the risk." Soon the well-equipped Redcoats have trapped ragged American soldiers, who have no boats to escape, and a terrible storm blows up. Samuel, a strong boatman, must decide what he should do." -- publisher
Down on James Street
"The moon lit the riverbank as George and Dorothy each made their way to the teen dance hall. It’s 1935, and sons and daughters of black and white workers in Pittsburgh look forward to having some fun dancing the Lindy Hop, until the police come in and break up the dance…with their bully clubs.The teens all scatter, but Dorothy has a plan to save the dance. Is George ready to join the fight? Or will he play it safe and just go home to his family? Down on James Street is based on a real historical incident in 1930’s Pittsburgh. Today, young and old can take inspiration from this wonderful story of courage and solidarity, with gorgeous illustrations by Byron Gramby that summon up the style and the cool of that long-gone era." -- publisher
Pocket Bios: Pocahontas
"Pocahontas was a Native American teenager famous for her connection to the colonial settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. She is said to have saved the life of Englishman John Smith. At the age of seventeen, she married tobacco farmer John Rolfe, eventually moving to England with him. Her story has been highly romanticized in literature and film over the years, and remains captivating to this day.P\" -- publisher
A Fist for Joe Louis and Me
"2020-2021 Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award List Gordy and his family live in Detroit, Michigan, the heart of the United States automobile industry. Every night after coming home from work at one of the plants, Gordy's father teaches him how to box. Their hero is the famous American boxer Joe Louis, who grew up in Detroit. But the Great Depression has come down hard on the economy. Detroit's auto industry is affected and thousands of people lose their jobs, including Gordy's father. When his mother takes on work with a Jewish tailor, Gordy becomes friends with Ira, the tailor's son, bonding over their shared interest in boxing and Joe Louis. As the boys' friendship grows, Gordy feels protective of Ira, wanting to help the new boy fit in. At the same time, America is gearing up for the rematch between Joe Louis and the German boxer, Max Schmeling. For many Americans this fight is about good versus evil (US against Nazi Germany). Against the backdrop of the 1938 Fight of the Century, a young boy learns what it means to make a stand for a friend." -- publisher
Bread for Words
"Told from first-person perspective, this picture-book biography draws from the real-life experiences of a young Frederick Douglass and his attempts to learn how to read and write. Author Shana Keller (Ticktock Banneker's Clock) personalizes the text for young readers, using some of Douglass's own words. The lyrical title comes from how Douglass "paid" other children to teach him. Frederick Douglass knew where he was born but not when. He knew his grandmother but not his father. And as a young child, there were other questions, such as Why am I a slave? Answers to those questions might have eluded him but Douglass did know for certain that learning to read and to write would be the first step in his quest for freedom and his fight for equality. Told from first-person perspective, this picture-book biography draws from the real-life experiences of a young Frederick Douglass and his attempts to learn how to read and write. Author Shana Keller (Ticktock Banneker's Clock) personalizes the text for young readers, using some of Douglass's own words. The lyrical title comes from how Douglass "paid" other children to teach him." -- publisher
Follow Chester!
"A little known civil rights hero and college football MVP finally gets a voice in this fictional account detailing Chester Pierce’s game-changing play as he became the first black college football player to compete south of the Mason-Dixon Line. In 1947, no African American player can play at a southern school; in return, the opposing team benches a player of “equal talent.” This historical fiction picture book frames a turbulent time in the civil rights era with the clever use of a football play to show race relations and teamwork. Inspired by a true story, capturing a historic defense against the Jim Crow laws of the South." -- publisher
Jackie Robinson
"In an era of discrimination, Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson broke Major League Baseball's race barrier. Before Robinson took his place at first base, the majors discriminated against African-American athletes, denying them a chance to compete. Despite facing harassment from fans and other players, Robinson stayed focused on the game, becoming the MLB Rookie of the Year in 1947 and later a baseball legend. This graphic biography follows Robinson's time on semi-pro teams, his days in the US military, and his history-making experience with the Brooklyn Dodgers." -- publisher
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
My little golden book about Jackie Robinson
"This Little Golden Book captures the essence of Jackie Robinson for the littlest readers. Lively text and compelling artwork detail Robinson's remakable journey from childhood, to playing for the Negro Leagues, to then becoming the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Little ones will be inspired by the many challenges Robinson gracefully rose to, while they learn important baseball and civil rights history"--Provided by publisher
Grandpa stops a war
""Daddy always said it takes a man of peace to stop a war." Based on the true story of Paul Robeson's visit to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, comes this recollection of his bravery and activism by his granddaughter, Susan Robeson, with her debut book. When Susan was a child her father and grandfather told her family stories over and over. Grandpa Paul was a great man, a singer with a deep and rumbling voice, a man of peace and principle who worried about the safety of the children and families living in countries at war. His songs were always full of emotion, and evoking the African-American spirituals of his own father's childhood, he was able to communicate even with people who didn't speak the same language. Though it was dangerous, Robeson went to Spain and traveled to the front lines of the war (in a Buick!). There, he asked the soldiers to set up speakers facing the fighters on both sides of the battlefield. And then he sang.... With gorgeous illustrations from the fine artist Rod Brown, When Grandpa Stops A War celebrates the activism and achievements of the great Paul Robeson, and shows readers the power of art in times of discord and war."--Provided by publisher