Search Our Database of Nearly 2,000 Diverse Picture Books

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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Hector

2019

by Adrienne Wright

"On June 16, 1976, Hector Pieterson, an ordinary boy, lost his life after getting caught up in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. Black South African students were marching against a new law requiring that they be taught half of their subjects in Afrikaans, the language of the White government. The story’s events unfold from the perspectives of Hector, his sister, and the photographer who captured their photo in the chaos. This book serves as a pertinent tool for adults discussing global history and race relations with children. Its graphic novel style and mixed media art portray the vibrancy and grit of Hector’s daily life and untimely death." -- publisher

I Am a Promise

2020

by Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, Ashley Rousseau and Rachel Moss

"An inspiring children's picture book about the indomitable spirit of Jamaican six-time Olympic medal winner Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce." -- publisher

Beautiful Shades of Brown

2020

by Nancy Churnin and Felicia Marshall

"Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her. She didn't see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African-Americans. Her portraits still hang in Washington DC's National Portrait Gallery, where children of all races can admire the beautiful shades of brown she captured." -- publisher

Ice Breaker

2019

by Rose Viña and Claire Almon

"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

Maya Angelou

2019

by Danielle Jawando and Noa Snir

"Maya Angelou was an African-American author, poet, playwright and civil rights activist. She wrote seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and a long list of plays, films and television shows. Never taking ‘No’ for an answer, Maya used her voice and her art to overcome prejudice and difficulty and to become an inspiration to those around her and to future generations. Her story is a rich and remarkable one – a tale filled with strength, hardship and hope. Maya learned the importance of using her own voice to help others and change the world!" -- publisher

A computer called Katherine

2019

by Suzanne Slade and Veronica Miller Jamison

"Katherine knew it was wrong that African Americans didn’t have the same rights as others–as wrong as 5+5=12. She knew it was wrong that people thought women could only be teachers or nurses–as wrong as 10-5=3. And she proved everyone wrong by zooming ahead of her classmates, starting college at fifteen, and eventually joining NASA, where her calculations helped pioneer America’s first manned flight into space, its first manned orbit of Earth, and the world’s first trip to the moon!" -- publisher

A poem for Peter

2016

by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson

The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred years ago, when Ezra Jack Keats was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. The family were struggling Polish immigrants, and despite Keats's obvious talent, his father worried that Ezra's dream of being an artist was an unrealistic one. But Ezra was determined. By high school he was winning prizes and scholarships. Later, jobs followed with the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and Marvel comics. But it was many years before Keats's greatest dream was realized and he had the opportunity to write and illustrate his own book. For more than two decades, Ezra had kept pinned to his wall a series of photographs of an adorable African American child. In Keats's hands, the boy morphed into Peter, a boy in a red snowsuit, out enjoying the pristine snow; the book became The Snowy Day, winner of the Caldecott Medal, the first mainstream book to feature an African American child. It was also the first of many books featuring Peter and the children of his -- and Keats's -- neighborhood.

The emancipation of grandpa Sandy Wills

2016

by Cheryl Wills and Randell Pearson

In a one-of-a-kind brilliantly illustrated children's book that's based on a true story, veteran television journalist Cheryl Wills tells a powerful tale about her enslaved ancestor who fought for his freedom as a soldier during The Civil War. Overflowing with lessons of perseverance and the power of one's imagination, the book also meets common core standards, includes depth of knowledge questions and a handy glossary. Edited by an Ivy -league educated and award winning teacher, The Emancipation of Grandpa Sandy Wills is a story that students and teachers alike will cherish for the entire school year. Young readers will be captivated by the emotional narrative which is spun from Cheryl's real-life career as a television anchor who researches what turns out to be her biggest scoop ever: tracking down her great- great-great grandfather Sandy Wills --