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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19 matching books
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Biography 19
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Italian 1
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Kenyan 1
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Unspecified 19
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Fiction 19
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Osage 1
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Boy/Man 13
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Girl/Woman 14
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Secondary 12
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Pura’s Cuentos
"A lyrical, vibrant tribute to the amazing life and legacy of Pura Belpré, a lauded storyteller, librarian, and pioneer of bilingual storytimes Pura’s abuela always has a cuento to share. She crows ¡Qui-qui-ri-quí! for Señor Gallo, booms Borom, Borom for Señor Zapo, and tells of a beautiful cockroach who loves a mouse. Pura clings to these stories like coquíes cling to green leaves. When Pura grows up and moves from Puerto Rico to Harlem, she gets a job at the library, where she is surrounded by stories—but they’re only in English. Where is Señor Gallo? Where is Pérez the mouse? Where is Puerto Rico on these shelves? She decides to tell children the tales of her homeland in English and in Spanish. Lyrically written, with lively illustrations, Pura’s Cuentos captures the exuberant spirit and passion of Pura Belpré: celebrated storyteller, author, folklorist, and the first Latina librarian in New York City. A pioneer of bilingual storytimes, she welcomed countless new families to the library, formed cultural bridges in her community, and broke the rules by telling stories that weren’t printed in books—at least, not yet." -- publisher
My Hands Sing the Blues
"As a young boy growing up in North Carolina, Romare Bearden listened to his great-grandmother’s Cherokee stories and heard the whistle of the train that took his people to the North—people who wanted to be free. When Romare boarded that same train, he watched out the window as the world whizzed by. Later he captured those scenes in a famous painting, Watching the Good Trains Go By. Using that painting as inspiration and creating a text influenced by the jazz that Bearden loved, Jeanne Walker Harvey describes the patchwork of daily southern life that Romare saw out the train’s window and the story of his arrival in shimmering New York City. Artists and critics today praise Bearden’s collages for their visual metaphors honoring his past, African American culture, and the human experience. Elizabeth Zunon’s illustrations of painted scenes blended with collage are a stirring tribute to a remarkable artist." -- publisher
Hosea Plays On
"This heartwarming picture book (based on a true story) depicts a day in the life of Hosea Taylor, a musician who—with his charm, talent, and generosity—brought joy to everyone he met. Every day, Hosea takes the Number 42 bus into the city to play his shiny brass saxophone—and to hopefully earn enough money. Setting up in his favorite place, Hosea makes sweet music as people greet him with a smile, a little girl dances, and crowds surround him. A surprise ending reveals what the money is really for. Kathleen Blasi’s delightful text and Shane Evan’s colorful images capture the real-life closeness between the much-loved Hosea—who shared his passion for music and life with everyone—and his community." -- publisher
Obama
"From birth to getting elected as president, a biography told in lyrical prose.… From his childhood in Indonesia to his teenage years in Hawaii, from his father’s homeland of Kenya to the halls of Harvard Law School and, later, the South Side of Chicago, Barack Obama searched for a place where he belonged. His search led him to the White House, where, as president, he would fight for "the god-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." In elegant, cadenced language, award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford provides a biographical tribute to a citizen of the world who journeyed from "Barry" to "Barack" to "Mr. President" as he found, finally, the place where he belongs. Primary source quotes from speeches are included throughout." -- publisher
Michelle Obama
"Written in free verse, this book tells the life of Michelle Obama from her birth and early years in Chicago through her career and early marriage to Barack Obama and ends with his inauguration." -- publisher
Joe Louis, My Champion
"During the mid-1930s, an African American boy who yearns to be a boxer learns the value of determination, perseverance, and his own natural abilities from the example of his hero, world champion prizefighter Joe Louis. It's the spring of 1937, and anticipation for the heavyweight title fight between Joe Louis and James Braddock is at a fever pitch. Sammy can hardly contain his excitement. He knows his hero, Joe Louis, will soon be the boxing champion of the world. Although he isn't big and strong, Sammy wants to be a boxer, just like Joe Louis, whose fame and success are a source of great pride and hope for African Americans. Only after Sammy realizes the significance of Louis's victories in the ring does he understand the true meaning of being a champion. Joe Louis, My Champion is a heartfelt tribute to the first African American to be regarded as a hero by all Americans. Louis's enduring legacy of determination and perseverance is sure to inspire readers to find and fulfill their dreams." -- publisher
Show way
The making of "Show ways," or quilts which once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves, is a tradition passed from mother to daughter in the author's family.
Follow me down to Nicodemus town
When Dede sees a notice offering land for black people in Kansas, her family decides to quit sharecropping and become homesteading pioneers.
Fast enough
"Have you ever been told that you're not enough? That you're not strong enough, tall enough, or fast enough? Bessie was told she was not enough. This book combines an imagined story of Bessie Stringfield as a young girl with historical facts about the real Bessie, a true adventurer and one of the first African-American women to travel solo across the United States on a motorcycle"--Back cover
Memphis, Martin, and the mountaintop
This historical fiction picture book presents the story of nine-year-old Lorraine Jackson through prose and poetry. In 1968 she witnessed the Memphis sanitation strike--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final stand for justice before his assassination--when her father, a sanitation worker, participated in the protest.
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